Pashmina or Pashm is a Persian word that means “soft gold”. It accentuates and emphasizes the weather of softness, featherlight and eternal warmth, making it truly as treasured and priceless like gold. It is a fine product attained from a breed of goats known as Chanthangi goat, which are reared within the Tibetan space of 4000 meters in winter. The wool from this goat is specifically obtained from the undercoat of those goats. It is six times finer than any animal hair, so fine the wool must be hand-spun by a skilled crafter, not by machines, which makes it rare and costly.
History
The Pashmina shawls existence has been from the Indus Valley civilization 3300 BC to Mohenjo Daro 2500 BC. What unfolded was when a famous priest of that period’s trefoil patterns was unveiled. Pashminas were worn by the royals and elites for centuries. Many common aristocrats who had been in love with this cloth, naming few had been Akbar, Jehangir and Josephine (spouse of Napoleon). It turned so well-liked when Napoleon discovered Pashmina, he gifted it to his wife Josephine. She was so pleased with the fabric that she asked her husband to purchase some more so she could reward it to her friends. She was known to have collected more than four hundred wraps over the span of 3 years. That is when it became a style statement among the many Europeans. Centuries later it got here into limelight when Princess Dianna began wearing them. And now, the Hollywood celebrities are spotted wearing this beautiful yarn.
The 15th century ruler of Kashmir, Zayn- Ul- Abidin who’s the founder of the Pashmina trade introduced weavers from central Asia where it was already in use as luxurious textile. Over time a big number of shawls had been introduced relying on the art, tradition and availability of handicrafts. A large part of this was dominated by the place this craft was being practiced at.
Undoubtedly its durability may be affirmed from the royal households that handed them down for generations. Nonetheless in today’s date, one does not need to be regal to own a pashmina shawl, and even go to the high altitudes of Indian Kashmir, Pakistan and Nepal. At right now’s date they are available at meritorious stores. The members of fashion fraternity around world use and own products made of pashmina ranging from scarves, wraps, coats, pashmina shawls and stoles. It is a mark of the social and financial status.
Process of Making Pashmina Thread
Fiber Harvesting
Animals shed their undercoat throughout spring molting season that’s when Pashmina is collected. Thee goats begin molting anytime from February to late Might relying upon the weather situations and region.
In India, the most important method of harvesting pashmina is combing . It is completed with the usage of a special type of comb. Pashmina is manually dusted to remove impurities like sand, dust, and many others that may be caught to it. The fleece is then sorted as per the color. The pure colours of the fiber being white, gray which is blended with darker shades like browns. The standard of the fiber primarily is dependent upon its fineness, length, shade and down fiber content. Finer, longer and white pashmina generates higher worth as compared to coarser, colored and shorter fiber.
The pashmina procurement is completed from all Changthangi Pashmina growers Association in Leh Ladakh in India. The major chunk of which is sold and sent to Srinagar and Kullu Valley for utilization. Therefore in India raw pashmina fiber is 10-15 times more expensive than crossbred fine wool.
Dehairing
Pashmina is collected in the course of the spring season when the goats naturally shed their winter coat. In dehairing, goats are combed to get the fine woolen undercoat hair. Goats typically produce double fleece which is mix of fine hair and guard hair. Fine hair are separated by either by combing out the down or by utilizing special equipments. The guard hair is removed utterly earlier than processing. The presence of more than 5% guard hair affects the looks, handle and quality of the ultimate products.
Spinning
The wool is collected and undergoes the hand spinning process. The fiber is spun on a spinning wheel also known as Charkha locally known as yander. Before present process the spinning, raw material is treated by stretching and cleaning with a view to remove all of the dirt. Then it’s soaked for a few days in a mix of rice and water in order to boost its softness. Hand-spinning is a time consuming and painstaking process which requires a whole lot of dedication and patience.
Weaving
Pashmina wool is a highly delicate material. The vibrations caused by the power looms might be damaging to its fiber. Therefore, weaving of the customary 100% Pashmina Shawls is completed available looms. Weaving, which in itself is an art kind, is done utilizing a shuttle. This artwork has been passed over from generation to generation. A single scarf takes about 4 to 5 days to weave on a handloom.
Dyeing
Like spinning, dyeing can also be performed by hand. Azo-free and metal free dyes are used during the process to make these eco-pleasant shawls. Pure water is pumped up from deep under the surface and dyeing is finished at a temperature just beneath the boiling level of water for around an hour.
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