Pashmina is a fine type of wool also known as ‘Cashmere’ in the West because the Europeans first encountered it in Kashmir. The textiles made from it were first woven in Kashmir. The name comes from Persian word pašmina, meaning ‘made from wool’. The wool comes from a number of different breeds of the cashmere goat; The Changthangi, ‘Changra’ or Pashmina goat, a breed of goat inhabiting the plateaus in Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir and neighboring Tibet and Nepal. The procedure of making handloom pashmina includes three processes- spinning, weaving, and dyeing.

Spinning

The goats’ fleece is combed out by hand in the spring by the shepherds, its not done by shearing. The heavy coarse outer hair is then separated from the fine soft Cashmere under coat. From here, it will be brought over to the fertile Kashmir valley, as it is only here that exist the talents to prepare and weave it into wonderfully soft luxurious shawls. The fleece arrives in Kashmir valley in untidy bundles, which are then handed over to the highly skilled craftsmen and craftswomen who have centuries of expertise behind them. Dust and stray hairs are cleaned away with a wooden comb fixed on a stand. The carded soft Cashmere is then made into loose little fluffy balls in preparation for spinning. The creation of a Pashmina Shawl begins with these loose fluffy balls to spin.

Spinning is done by hand on the traditional “charkha” wheel whereby the fibre is spun to a fine yarn. This process is mainly done by women of Kashmir who have the traditional skill of spinning the incredibly fine yarn which must be done by hand to avoid any breakage. The spinning process uses very simple, down to earth wooden instruments that are usually homemade.

Weaving

The woven yarn in its natural colours is fit into spindles for weaving. Weaving of the Pashmina Shawls is done on handlooms. This procedure has been passed over from generations to generations. A single shawl takes about four to ten days to weave on a handloom.

Dyeing

Like spinning, dyeing is also performed by hand. Natural dyes are used during the process to make the complete eco-friendly shawls. Pure water is pumped up from deep under the surface. The dyeing is done at a temperature just less than the boiling point for around an hour. There is a large array of colours available to dye the base shawl. Then the shawl goes for embroidery, there are several types of embroidery with each having its different techniques.