Kashmir, Pashm refers to the variant or material of Kashmiri Shawl that is made from it.
History:
Every spring Goats used for Pashmina shed their winter coats. In the moulting season,the goats naturally shed their undercoat. This undercoat is collected by combing the goat.In Srinagar,specialized craftsmen & women carry out all the steps & processes of Pashmina Production,from combing spining, to weaving and finishing by hand.
Major centre of Pashmina fabric production is in the old district of the city Srinagar. Approximate time put into producing a single plain traditional Pashmina stole varies from 180 - 360 hours.
Creation Of Pashmina :
Original Pashmina Shawl weaving is very tough, vigorous and laborious process. It takes months to years of dedication ,fine craftsmanship, hard work to create a single piece of Kashmiri Pashmina product. If weaving or needle embroidery artisan dies or suffers some health issue, the whole process stops, because each artisan creates unique handwork, so if any other artisan or craftsman takes the process forward, the rest of the shawl will be different from the other part of the shawl.
It takes around 2 months to spin 100 grams of Pashmina yarn on the traditional wheel while working 7-9 hours a day with full dedication and full efficiency.
There are at least 25-35 stages through which a simple Kashmiri Pashmina shawl or stole goes through.After ,it went through these chain of processes, it reaches to the weaver who takes at least 7-10 days to create 80*28 inches shawl depends upon the design of the shawl or stole.
Calculating together, each simple (80*28 inches) shawl needs at least 30 days of creation depending upon the pattern and design. A single Kashmiri Pashmina shawl or stole with fine hand needle embroidery is completed from months to years and cost can go up to 12000 dollars, that depends on the finesse of needle work.
STEPS
PROCESSES OF CREATION
1
Pashmina Goat
2
Combing
3
Raw Pashmina (Fine + Guard hair)
4
Sorting (Puch-nawum)
5
Fine Pashmina (Phumb)
6
Combing
7
Weighing
8
Seasoning
9
Combing
10
Top (Thumb)
11
Plying on charkha
12
Yarn
13
Washing
14
Dying (optional)
15
Gluing
16
Winding of thread
17
Making of Warp
18
Warp
19
Warper
20
Weaving of Shawl
21
Tweezed
22
Washing
23
Finishing of fabric
24
Shawl
Spinning Methods :
1. Traditional Loom
2. Handloom
Only Traditional Loom can be used to weave genuine original Pashmina. Studies and years of experience has suggested that the hand spun yarn developed on traditional loom is always better in quality than hand spun yarn developed on woolen handlooms.
Finishing of Kani and Sozni Work :
Kani is woven on loom and Sozni is needle embroidery work. Kani in Kashmiri language means small wooden bobbins or sticks. A Kani Pashmina shawl is woven with these Kani sticks and they require a high level skill to handle.
Sozni is a style of embroidery.Similar to Kani weaving, Sozni needle work is so fine, it is hard to believe that the design is not woven.
How to care for your Pashmina Shawls or Stoles :
Pashmina Shawls or Stoles are extremely delicate and can get damaged if not maintained well or washed carefully. Below are some important guidelines or tips that are needed to maintain and care for your Pashmina Shawl or Stole:
i) Never wash it in a washing machine or in hot water.
ii) Only handwash in lukewarm water using neutral detergent of silk,wool and cashmere.Dissolve the detergent throughly. Then put the shawl or stole into the water. Always wash per piece separately.
iii) Never wring it or twist it to remove water.
iv) Squeeze gently.
v) Never iron it directly. Use damp press clothes to protect the fibres, use a cool iron.
vi) As thin fibres of Pashmina are weaker when wet, never hang it to dry in direct sunlight.
vii) Store the Pashmina Shawls folded or rolled in the cupboard shelf wrapped in a muslin cloth.
Craftsmanship :
The skill of weaving high quality Pashmina shawls has been taught and passed down from generation to generation in weaver families who continue to ply the craft even today. This involves great skill and practice. The shawl weaver is called wovur and the process is called Wonum.
"Kani isn't just only a shawl, it is a piece of art,emotions and craftsmanship . When you wrap yourself in a Pashmina, you are not just draping a piece of cloth or shawl , it is the story of 1000 emotions behind that will grasp you in its warmth".
