Pashmina is world-renowned for its luxurious handfeel. It’s extraordinarily soft, warm, and featherlight. But it doesn’t start out that way. Weaving pashmina is a meticulous art that has been perfected over the centuries by generations of artisans. In fact, it takes 12 different kinds of specialists to create a single shawl!
Learning about the weaving process will help you respect the hard work that goes into creating a pashmina. Below we’ll be sharing the 14 methodical steps that result in a stunning shawl.
The Art Of Kani Weaving
The pashmina weaving process is unique to Kashmir. Historians believe that it can be traced all the way back to 3000 BC! It’s a revered art form that is considered the highest form of weaving in the region. Named after the small, oblong wooden spools used in the process, kani weaving involves a team of specialist artisans.
It starts with the naqash, or pattern maker, who creates the initial kani design on graph paper. The next artisan, thetalim-guru, then creates a pattern for the weavers by instructing them on the exact number of warp threads that need to be used in the wefts. The warp, or vertical loom threads, are created by the nakatu or warp maker. Next, the warp is dressed by the pennakamgur, or warp dresser. The warp can then be threaded and put on the handloom, where the shawl is finally woven.
Genuine pashmina are known for their slightly imperfect weave, a wonderful reminder of their hand-woven journey. Here is the full process:
1) Initial Spin
Raw pashm is converted into yarn after being manually spun on a spinning wheel. Due to its delicate nature, all pashmina must be handspun.
2) Hand Reeling
The resulting yarn is ultra fine, and needs to be doubled or tripled in order to be usable. This process is done with a hand reeler. Even after the hand reeling process is complete, pashmina remains one of the finest fabrics in the world with a diameter of 14-15.5 microns.
3) Initial Wash
The thickened wool is washed in a clean river as a preparation for dyeing. Natural pashmina is only available in white or brown, just like the coats of the chyangra goats it derives from.
4) Dyeing
The vibrant colors that pashmina shawls are so often associated with come from dyes made out of natural ingredients such as indigo and saffron. The dyeing process must remain natural, as chemical dyes strip pashmina of its incredible softness.
5) Bobbin Creation
The dyed yarn is rolled into bobbins that become wefts, the horizontal threads on the handloom.
6) Maya - Starch Treatment
The yarn is dipped into starchy rice water as a strengthening treatment before it is officially woven. It is then left in the sun to dry naturally.
7) Tulun - Yarn Winding
The dried starchy yarn is wound on wooden spindles called prech in another form of pre-weaving preparation.
8) Yarun - Warp Creation
The pashmina is then manually wound across iron rods to create warps, the vertical threads on a handloom.
9) Barun - Warp Dressing
An artisan warp-dresser, the bharangur, stretches the yarn and fixes it in the heddles on a loom, or a saaz in Kashmiri. This is the final step before the yarn can be woven.
10) Wonun - Weaving
Artisan weavers, called wovur in Kashmiri, begin hand weaving the pashmina on looms from the 15th century.
11) Second Wash
The woven fabric goes back into the river for a second wash. This removes the starch from the pashmina.
12) Purz - Finishing
An artisan called the puruzgar goes over the dried pashmina to ensure there are no protrusive threads. The weaving process often results in broken threads that give shawls an uneven surface. The puruzgar clips any unsightly threads so that the finished pashmina is completely smooth.
13) Final Wash
The pashmina is brought to the river one last time to be washed with a mild detergent. A specialist washer gently beats the fabric against smooth stones to ensure any impurities are removed from the pashmina.
14) Andkadun - Fringe Creation
An artisan called the andgour, or finisher, creates a fringe along the edges of the pashmina to finally complete the shawl.
The Art Of Sozni Embroidery
Pashmina aren’t only treasured for their magnificent texture; they’re also world famous for their exquisite embroidery. Locally called sozni, this intricate form of needle embroidery is only practiced in Kashmir.
Like the weaving process, sozni embroidery also takes a team of highly skilled artisans. The initial design is first drawn on graph paper with a technical approach to ensure the pattern will correctly fit the pashmina. Next, a wooden block that will be used as a stamp is carved. The desired pattern is then engraved onto that block. A specialist artisan called a chapangur transfers the design onto the shawl by dipping the block in washable ink and stamping it onto the shawl. The stamped shawl then goes to the next artisan, the tarah-guru, who determines the colors of the embroidery.
The shawl must be approved by an artisan called the voste before it can actually be embroidered. This artisan may request modifications for the embroidery color, but if all is approved it can be sent to the naqash, or embroiderers, to complete the final product.
Are you ready to upgrade your wardrobe with high quality garments that have passed through the hands of numerous expert artisans? Browse our selection of pashmina for men today!