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Guide to Cashmere | Everything you need to know about Cashmere

December 16th, 2020 | 420 views
Guide to Cashmere | Everything you need to know about Cashmere

Dressing up well has always been an obsession for women all around the world. In fact, what you wear casts a huge impression on others and even yourself. But little do they know how much goes into making each of the apparel or accessories they wear. It is never known to a customer how much material, labour, energy & time goes into making one piece of clothing.

So today, we decided to demystify one of the most luxurious pieces of accessory, that the entire world has been swooning over for centuries together. Cashmere - Scarves & Wraps

Winter is upon us. It means we would need something to keep warm but keep the style statement all graceful and timeless. Hence we choose Cashmere which has all the qualities of being a woman's best friend, just not in the hot season. But why choose Cashmere, when there are so many types of wool. We have answers, which will make you an ardent fan of this fine, exceptionally warm, and graceful variety of goat wool.


What is Cashmere?

Cashmere - there is a luxury in the name itself. And why shouldn't it be? The feel of a Cashmere wrap, the gentle caress, the cozy warmth, and the way it upgrades even the most basic of clothing to a more royal one, is just amazing

Cashmere is a variety of wool that is obtained from Pashmina goats found in Ladakh. The fine wool is obtained from the goats and used to make luxury textiles for centuries now. The best and the most famous use of Cashmere is the making of the Kashmiri Pashmina shawl. It crossed all boundaries of the world to be owned by royal families in Europe, Asia, Australia, and America. The reason was the softness, smoothness, and finesse of the Cashmere fibre, which was 1/4th of the human hair in diameter. It began to be used as shawls, apparel, and upholstery items for the royals and their courts.


Where does Cashmere come from?

Cashmere comes from China and Mongolia. 90% of the world's total Cashmere production comes from these two places. Other than these, Cashmere is found in Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey and Ladakh. Ladakhi Cashmere is considered the best quality, and the finest Cashmere in the world.

Ladakhi Cashmere

The Changthang region is situated 15000 feet above sea level in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. It stretches across 1600 kilometres from the west to the east, and just one-third of it lies in India. At times, the area freezes at -40 degrees and thus remains cut off from the entire world, for even 9 months. Yet, facing such difficulties and hardships, the native Changpa tribe masters the art of surviving here with their heritage lifestyle

Cashmere comes from goats. These exotic cashmere goats belong to a Buddhist tribe of Ladakh, called the Changpa tribe. The main occupation of the Changpa tribe is rearing a small herd of the Capra Hircus goats. And they have been doing so for 500 years. This nomadic tribe takes care of their goats in the best way. It rears them not only for their milk and meat but especially for their wool. 

cashmere goat
Cashmere goats in Ladakh region

Life in this part of the world is the least complicated. However, trends change in the rest of the world is the least concern for them. And this has been their situation for 400 years now.  The Changpa tribe has always remained clung to their own lifestyle, religion, and beliefs. 

How is Cashmere obtained?

Cashmere wool is collected during mid-spring when goats tend to shed it naturally. It starts from March end to May. During this time, hormonal changes in the animal force it to shed the wool. The goat rubs itself with rough surfaces to get rid of some portion of this warm fleece. The animal is ethically treated and wool is combed off its body with specialized tools and combs by professionals. When the entire wool is collected, it is sorted as per finesse. This fleece called ‘Asli Tus’ locally is collected manually and sold to the sellers who process it further

changthangi goat being combed
Cashmere goat being combed for fibre

This raw Pashm is 6 times finer than human hair, with an average fibre length of 40 mm & a diameter under 14 microns. Even after being so fine and delicate, Cashmere is considered the warmest natural fibre. Hence it is used to make the cosiest Cashmere wraps, scarves, and stoles

Even if the demand for Kashmiri Cashmere wraps and Cashmere scarves is increasing day by day all over the world, the quality has never compromised. The fibre acquired from Ladakh is pure like always and obtained from the same Changthangi goat. It has been considered superior to Cashmere from other parts of the world like China, Nepal, India or Tibet, etc.

Cashmere In Kashmir

An ancient Sufi Saint - Shah E Hamdan was the first person to discover Cashmere fibre. He once decided to give Cashmere socks as a gift to the then King Zain ul Abideen. That is when Kashmir first experienced the warmth of this luxury fibre. 

After obtaining the raw wool from Changthang, it is sent to Kashmir. This is because the people of Ladakh do not have expertise in processing raw wool. Women from Kashmir clean, sort, spin and weave the raw wool into plain Cashmere wraps or Cashmere scarves. Later, if required, the wraps and scarves are sent for embroidery which is again done by Kashmiris.


How is Cashmere made? | The Processing

Hence we get to know that Cashmere goes through the following steps to get completed.

Lets us go through the processes one by one and learn how cashmere is made:

Pre Spinning Process

The changpa goat sheds its wool in Springtime as the weather becomes warmer and makes the goat uneasy. The wool is collected at the same time and thus the pre-spinning processes begin. One Changpa cashmere goat produces 80 to 450 grams of Cashmere per year. And it takes the wool of at least three goats to produce one Cashmere wrap

The next step is to comb the goats’ body carefully and free it of the wool which has by now become more of a burden for the goat. Even before the process of combing starts, this goat rubs itself against rough surfaces like large rocks, shrubs, tree stems and more, leaving a portion of this wool all over natural surfaces. The rest of the wool which is still on its body is carefully combed by professionals using professional tools and skill. They make sure the process is ethically carried out with high precision. 

The experts use specialized tools like a pin brush, a slicker brush, and a brush with natural bristles. They brush the backbone, across the ribs and the belly which loosens the wool naturally and separates from the goat's body. The expert moves from one area to the other carefully, taking his time. He completes combing a goat in not less than 30 minutes. The wool hence obtained is impure, full of dust and dirt, and in desperate need of cleaning and sorting. 

Dusting and Cleaning Cashmere

The process of dusting and cleaning begins. This process ensures that sand and dust totally separate from the wool. As much as 20% of Cashmere is lost in this process because the fibre is too fine to separate completely. Hence some portion is let go with impurities. Sometimes the impurities are too large to be sorted with hands. As such a metal comb uprighted over a wooden stand is used and the raw wool is run through this comb continuously till it appears clean.

After cleaning, the raw wool is sorted and dehaired. Sorting includes classifying the raw wool according to the quality and length of the fibre. Detailing includes separating the coarse guard hair from the actual pure fibre. Raw wool consists of 50% guard hair. It needs to be separated either manually by the womenfolk of Kashmir or by specialized machines.

Pure wool fibres are now mixed with natural glue to make it stronger and smoother. This process is called glueing. Pounded rice mixed with water is stored in a vessel & raw fibre is soaked into it for 2-3 days. On the third day, the fibre is taken out and cleaned again to remove rice particles. The resulting strong, clean and pure fibre is called Thumb (locally)

It is this Thumb that is handed over to spinners who spin it over a classic traditional Charkha called Yinder. 

Spinning

The spinning of the yarn is the most intricate and meticulous activity as far as the preparation of Cashmere is concerned. But since Kashmiri women have mastered this skill from times immemorial, it is an easy and everyday task for them that they enjoy doing. 

The spinning process starts with the Thumb which was the end result of the Pre Spinning process. Thumb is handed over to womenfolk of the valley who come from the remotest and underprivileged areas. The women master the skill of converting a Thumb to long and delicate Cashmere fibre.

Hand Spinning 

If a Cashmere wrap is to be handspun on a classic Yinder, then the Yinder is prepared beforehand. The Thumb (pure tuft of Cashmere wool) is held between two fingers and the thumb. The spinner turns the charkha wheel with her right hand and keeps moving the tuft of fibre upwards and downwards with the left hand in a balanced rhythm. If the movement of the charkha is not in rhythm with the movement of the hand, the fibre will break. Thus spinning a charkha is a skill in itself and needs precision and careful attention. 

The yarn thus obtained from the Yinder is the Cashmere fibre. It is fine, delicate, and warm. This yarn is spun wound around a grass straw. Later yarn from two such wounds is transferred over a wooden reeler for more strength (double the strength of a single yarn). At last, this double yarn is made into hanks over another wooden reeler and sent to weavers. Weavers open the hank to load it over handlooms.

Machine Spinning

Spinning Pashm can even be done with the help of a machine, which is a modern alternative to hand spinning. To increase the production of Cashmere wraps, Cashmere wool is sometimes spun over machines (semi-automated). Pure Cashmere wool is first mixed with nylon (or any fibre with great strength) to make it able to bear the harshness of a machine. Later, when the wrap is complete, it is treated with acid to remove the added component fibre. The wrap thus prepared is pure too, but it lacks the traditional charm of handmade Cashmere. It is the handspun wraps that are often preferred over machine-spun pieces because they are more soft and lustrous. But handspun shawls take time to get manufactured because spinning a shawl itself takes months together.

It takes around 30 days to spin 100 grams of the pashmina yarn on Yinder, working for 7 hours a day. Hence it is now a days preferred to spin a shawl with the help of a machine and then weave it by hand. 

Weaving

As soon as the weavers get spun yarn from spinners, they begin the pre loom processes. Weavers get the yarn in the shape of hanks, thus the first activity that weavers perform is opening these hanks. The yarn is stretched over a thanjoor which is a large wooden stand consisting of two vertically standing iron rods. When it is stretched enough, then it is wound over a precz (wooden spindle) to be taken outdoors for Yarun. But before the process of Yarun, if the yarn needs to be dyed, it is dyed first. Natural dyes are used to dye Cashmere as it can't bear the harshness of chemical dyes. 

Yarun: Two wooden spindles are taken outdoors and wound around 4-6 wooden rods, dug into the ground vertically. Two men walk back and forth around these rods and continuously keep winding the yarn on the spindles around these erected rods. More than a thousand threads are wound around these rods. This process is considered crucial and labour intensive.

The Loom

From the iron rods, the yarn is removed after it is perfectly stretched. It is handed over to a professional warp dresser who fixes these yarns as warps in a loom. The process is not an easy one. It is believed to take more than 6 days to fix each warp into the heddles of the loom

The traditional Kashmiri loom is made of wood. It comes with a small bench enough for just two people to sit. The yarn has already been fixed into the loom as per the weave of the wrap that they have to start making. The process starts by the two men assisting each other. As one passes the yarn from behind, the other one pulls it through the loop. A 10% wastage during the weaving of Cashmere wraps is normal. It takes an average of around 4-5 days to weave a plain Cashmere wrap. 

The result of weaving Cashmere is a plain fabric called thaan. From this thaan, wraps of different sizes are cut out as and when required.

Finishing And Embroidery

crafting the pashmina shawl
The artisan embroidering the Pashmina shawl

The thaan is still incomplete and imperfections like superfluous threads, attached material and the like are to be removed before selling. It is then handed over to purzgar who carefully tweezes, clips or removes any waste or foreign material attached to the surface. Thaan is fixed in a wooden frame tightly with two rollers above and below. The rollers move the fabric up and down, giving the expert a close look at the fabric so that the finishing becomes flawless. 

The thaan is rubbed with the rough core of a gourd, bitter gourd, or maize cob to make the surface smoother and free from foreign materials and impurities. 

Next, it is taken for washing to a professional Cashmere washer, who washes the thaan in running water (spring water is mostly used). He continuously keeps striking the fabric with large stones or cemented surfaces

For drying, the fabric is wrung in a specialized spinner or just left in the sun for days together. Natural drying is preferred for Pashmina. Later the fabric is sent for calendering where it gets mechanically stretched and ironed.

The Cashmere scarf, now ready can be dyed at this stage also. Then it can be sent for embroidery to come to a final piece which can be purchased by patrons of the art

Embroideries done on Cashmere

The most popular embroideries done on a Cashmere wrap are:

Sozni Kari is the art of hand embroidering a Cashmere wrap with fine and intricate threads. This embroidery can be done profusely as it is light and doesn't harm the delicate base at all. The embroiderer uses a fine needle and thread and works 7-8 hours a day to prepare a wrap. At times, it takes more than 4 years to complete one wrap if the embroidery is spread all over the base

Metallic threads are used in Tilla Dozi which are coated in real gold and silver to make breathtaking motifs over a Cashmere wrap. However, while doing this embroidery great care needs to be taken. That's because the thick threads can cause the base Cashmere fabric to get perforated. As such, Tilla dozi is usually done just over the borders. Tilla embroidered shawls are usually worn for weddings.

Papier Mache embroidery uses thicker and colourful satin threads with bolder strokes to mark protruding motifs over a wrap. The final product looks nothing less than a live painting

Also read: Wedding Cashmere

More Styles for Cashmere

Kalamkari Cashmere scarf is another form of wrap which uses vegetable dyes to paint large motifs over a Cashmere scarf with the help of a stylized brush. 

Kani Cashmere scarf uses colourful threads wound around wooden sticks as warps to create marvellous patterns all over the wrap. A Kani Cashmere scarf was the one which was introduced in Europe for the first time. It was when Napoleon gifted his wife one.

Reversible scarves use special techniques of weaving. As such the wrap obtained can be worn both from the front and back side. 

Modern styles in Cashmere

Since embroidery and heavy woven Cashmere wraps aren't a day to day accessory, designers have come up with modern ways to style traditional Cashmere scarves & wraps.

Printed Cashmere

Modish prints, monograms, graphical prints are some of the in-vogue embellishments that Cashmere has gotten into. These ices can be worn every day with casual outfits.

Patterned Cashmere

Stripes, checks, abstract patterns, and more make a Cashmere scarf look chic and more casual

Lace Cashmere

Laced cashmere scarf looks more formal for weekly or monthly events especially if it hosts a pastel shade

Ombre Cashmere

Scarves of this type are coloured ombre to match modern outfits. It gives wearers a chic and casual feel. 


What is a 100% Cashmere scarf?

When the popularity of Cashmere rose to its zenith in the 19th century, many fraudulent traders started making cheap copies. This led to a downfall in the making of pure Cashmere wraps as cheap copies were sold for less. Hence customers got lured to them.
100 Cashmere scarf would be such a scarf which is made from 100% Cashmere only. No foreign strengthening material would be used in it.
After the advent of power looms, Cashmere wool would be mixed with strengthening nylon or silk to make it eligible for the wear and tear of the machine. The scarves, hence, would be an amalgam of a number of materials and not pure. 100 Cashmere scarf is 100% pure Cashmere scarf, which is handmade and there is no interference of machine.


Is Cashmere from Kashmir?

Cashmere production is the largest in China, which is followed by Mongolia. But the quality of Cashmere coming from these areas is nowhere close to the Cashmere from Kashmir. Kashmiri Cashmere is rare, finest and hence expensive than the others. One Cashmere goat of Ladakh produced around 150 grams of Cashmere wool per year


Properties of Cashmere wool

One Cashmere goat produces just 150 grams of Cashmere per year. Hence it takes three to four Cashmere goats to produce one Pashmina shawl. The diameter of Cashmere yarn is just 12-16 microns which makes it the finest fibre after Shahtoosh (whose diameter used to be just 8-10 microns) which is banned today. Cashmere fleece grows on the sensitive areas of the Ladakhi goat as a down hair which protects it from -40 degrees temperature of the Changthang plateau.


History of Cashmere | Where does Cashmere come from?

Cashmere was first discovered by a Sufi saint Shah I Hamdan, who visited Kashmir with 700 craftsmen. He discovered the fine Cashmere in Ladakh and ordered socks made out of the same. He presented the socks to the then king of Kashmir, Zain ul Abideen who liked the socks so much that he ordered factories to be set up for processing Cashmere and making Pashmina shawls. Hence factories were set up and the 700 craftsmen who Shah I Hamdan had gotten from Persia with him, started training locals. The craftsmen trained locals in many local arts, the primary being Pashmina making. This helped Kashmiri economy grow and Pashmina shawls made Kashmir further famous all over the world.

Kashmiri Shawl Industry

Hence factories were set up and the 700 craftsmen who Shah I Hamdan had gotten from Persia with him, started training locals. The craftsmen trained locals in many local arts, the primary being Pashmina making. This helped the Kashmiri economy grow and Pashmina shawls made Kashmir further famous all over the world.

Soon Cashmere spread all over the world and became the most cherished wrap accessory in Europe. It was given as a gift by Napoleon to his wife Empress Josephine who later ordered several hundred of the same and set Pashmina shawls to timeless fashion. Pashmina shawls were given to rulers of neighbouring countries as a sign of peace or gifted to kings and queens of royal courts. Pashmina crossed all national and international boundaries and visitors used to visit Kashmir only to buy Pashmina shawls


Cashmere and Pashmina

The best use of Cashmere in the valley was done by making Shawls out of Cashmere wool which came to be known as Pashmina shawls. These Pashmina shawls were made in a number of varieties like plain shawls, embroidered shawls and Kani shawls of Kashmir. Hence Cashmere was the wool used to make the shawls and Pashmina came to known as the exquisite art of making shawls from Cashmere.


Cashmere vs Shahtoosh

  • Cashmere is the down fibre of the Ladakhi Capra Hircus, also known as Pashmina goat, while as Shatoosh is the down fibre of the chiru goat or the Tibetan antelope.
  • The goats are domestic while as the Chiru is wild
  • Cashmere goats are ethically treated, but Chiru goats are hunted and killed for Shahtoosh wool
  • Shahtoosh is banned and Cashmere is not
  • Shahtoosh is finer than Cashmere. While Cashmere has a diameter of 12-16 microns, Shahtoosh has a diameter of just 8 microns.

Also read: What is so special about Pashmina shawls?

We, Pashmina.com, are the largest curators of pure and handcrafted Pashmina products in the online space. We are on a mission to revive this dying art by spreading our wings throughout the world by way of our online platform. Our website serves as a window to our range of products that are luxurious and have the highest quality. We offer the widest range, certified quality, luxurious packaging and free shipping to over 150 countries.

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