What Is a Pashmina Shawl?

Pashmina shawls are made from the fleece of wild Asian mountains goats.

Pashmina (or cashmere) shawls are made from the fleece of wild Asian mountains goats (Capra hircus) that are found at heights exceeding 14,000 feet in the Himalayan mountain ranges. The shawl is well known for its softness and is painstakingly hand woven by skilled craftsmen. According to Susi Dunsmore in the book "Nepalese Textiles," pashmina is the warmest of all animal fibers.

Background

Zayn ul Abidin, a fifteenth-century Kashmiri ruler, is accredited with the introduction of pashmina weavers into India from central Asia. According to Robert R. Franck in the book "Silk, Mohair, Cashmere and Other Luxury Fibers," pashmina was the winter fabric of choice of Indian maharajas (kings), maharanis (queens) and other nobles.

Production

Pashmina shawls are woven from the fleece of the wild Capra hircus goat. The Capra hircus goat is sheared annually, typically at the beginning of the summer. The goat has two coats of wool: an outer coat made of coarse, brittle hair and an inner, finer coat. It is the finer, inner hair that is collected to make pashmina shawls. Shearers use knives instead of scissors to avoid mixing the two types of hair. Raw goat hair is sorted according to fiber length and quality and washed with water to remove all plant matter, dust and other impurities.

Washed wool is then dried and combed to remove all tangles. A fine paste of pounded rice diluted in water is gently applied to the wool prior to spinning. The wool is dried again and then is ready to be spun into yarn, which ultimately forms the pashmina shawl.

The Indian regions of Kashmir and Ladakh are major centers for pashmina shawl production.

Size and Types

Basic pashmina shawls measure 36x80 inches. Pure pashmina is expensive but most commercially available varieties are affordable blends, such as cotton and pashmina, silk and pashmina and rabbit fur and pashmina

Shahtoosh Shawl

The Shahtoosh (ring shawl), or Shatush, is a special type of luxury pashmina shawl that is made from the fine, delicate down hair (measuring 9 to 11 micrometers in thickness) of the long-horned Tibetan antelope, or chiru--which is listed as an endangered species by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the World Conservation Union. Its warm, fine underwool can be obtained without killing the animal but poachers often kill the chiru in the process---a practice that has led to a drastic decrease in their population. As of June 2010, it is illegal to trade or import Shahtoosh hair in the United States.

Interesting Facts

According to D. N.Saraf in "Arts and Crafts, Jammu and Kashmir," it takes a year and a half to two years to complete a hand embroided pashmina shawl.

The best quality pashmina shawls comes from the soft fibers under the belly and neck of the Capra hircus.

References

• "Arts and Crafts, Jammu and Kashmir: Land, People, Culture"; D. N. Saraf; 1987
• World Wildlife Foundation: Wildlife Trade of Chiru Antelope
• News Monster: Slaughtered in the Name of Fashion
• "Silk, Mohair, Cashmere and Other Luxury Fibers"; Robert R. Franck; 2001
• "Nepalese Textiles"; Susi Dunsmore; 1993