Cashmere Pashmina Weaving
The word Pashmina comes from Persian: Pašmina which literally means “Made from Wool”. The textiles made from this fiber were first woven in Kashmir. Since Pashmina was first encountered by the Europeans in Kashmir, It came to be known as the ‘Cashmere’. The rough outer coat under the goat is soft Pashmina. The wool is mowed from the underbelly of goats which are native to the sky-high, far-flung and frosty regions of the Himalayas in Tibet, Nepal and Central Asia.
There are three major processes used to make these handloom pashminas:
Spinning / Weaving/ Dyeing
The Journey of Cashmere: Step-By-Step Guide to How Pashmina Is Made
Pashmina Goat
Changthangi Goats are exceptionally strong, active and acclimatized animals. Being a cold hardy animal, they can only survive in the grass in Ladakh areas where the temperature is as low as minus 20 °C .
The wool from these goats is obtained once a year, usually in the month of June or July. The hair is usually harvested either by combing or shearing.
Combing
While combing the goat, professionals never hassle, they wait until the cashmere is fully loose and comes off easily in several areas. In order to preserve even the micro-samples, they for the full shedding of the Cashmere, and keep a zip-lock bags at the barn with each goat’s name.
Raw Pashmina (Fine Hair and Guard Hair)
The Raw Pashmina describes the fiber obtained under the fleece of mountainous goat. Once removed from the goat’s skin, it’s packed and then parceled to different countries for the final processing which is time taking and requires skillful labor to create high-quality material.
Playing on Charkha
Considering the small availability, rarity, and exclusivity of this material, most of it is utilized locally with the help of locally designed and manually operated traditional Charkha.
Yarn
With the help of parota, the pashmina yarn is wound on a small flange ribbon. The sizing of the yarn is done in the form of hang by employing the Saresh as an adhesive in order to boost the strength and weave ability of the yarn. As far as the wrapping of yarn is concerned, it is manually done with the help of sticks.
Weaving of Shawl
The weaving of the Pashmina yarn into the shawl is performed in a special kind of handloom. Before initiating the weaving process, the pashmina yarn is carefully sized with the special type of resin.
Washing
The washing method is applied after following the sorting procedure whereas the fiber is washed to remove the grease, dust, and other sorts of available impurities. In this process, the experienced labor cross check the whole bunch of fiber and ensure that it is free of all sorts of mixed harmful substances
Dying
The dying procedure is also carefully executed by the experienced and professional people who have been into this art through generations. The overall journey requires a lot of patience. The people who dye the scarves or shawls use the natural dyes to ensure the quality and beauty of the final product.
Gluing
Gluing is one of the most quintessential procedure before the Pashmina strings are processed onto the hand loom for weaving. If strings are not properly glued, they won’t be strong enough to bear the weaving. Professionals use the natural glue which contains zero chemical content and later on, it is properly washed after the completion of the shawl.
Making of Warp
Right after the hanks of wool contort into the bobbins, they are made ready for the warping. One warp of each shawl at a time is the usual way. The warp is a wound straight, that articulates a bobbin and stans on the ground, with the help of a warping stick, which ends in a hook. Then in the next step, this passes through the ring which is attached to the ceiling, in order to keep the flow smooth, the warp winder goes around and winds the warp around the four pegs crag fast into the land. Right after the fastened warp is connected directly to the loom. A bamboo stick is inserted in the lease. The warps are properly sized
Kashmiri embroidery
Kashmiri Kashida
Kashmiri embroidery (also Kashida) is originated during Mughal period and used for phirans (woollen kurtas) and namdahs (woollen rugs) as well as stoles. It draws inspiration from nature. Birds, blossoms and flowers, creepers, chinar leaves, ghobi, mangoes, lotus, and trees are the most common themes. The entire pattern is made with one or two embroidery stitches, and mainly chain stitch on a base of silk, wool and cotton.
The craftsmen use shades that blend with the background. Thread colors are inspired by local flowers. Only one or two stitches are employed on one fabric.
Kashmiri embroidery is known for the skilled execution of a single stitch, which is often called the Kashmiri stitch and which may comprise the chain stitch, the satin stitch, the slanted darn stitch, the stem stitch, and the herringbone stitch. Sometimes, the doori (knot) stitches are used but not more than one or two at a time.
A shawl fully covered with designs can take even up to 6-8 months.