Overview
The softest, the warmest, the lightest and the most exquisite form of weaving in wool must surely be the pashmina shawl. Once created for only the royals, today pashmina shawls can be bought from boutiques and stores even by the common man, who can afford them. This tour is tailor-made to understand the making of one of the world’s most exotic, luxurious, expensive and desirable articles of clothing, which not only keeps you warm but is held in high prestige and is a social statement in many circles.
Why you will love it
- An introduction to one of the world’s most luxurious and desirable articles of clothing
- Interacting with the shawl weavers
- Learning the craft of pashmina making
What you will experience
Learning from the experts you will discover many interesting things about Pashmina while interacting with the weavers during your interactions. Pashmina, or cashmere, is wool (pashm) woven from the fibres from the undercoat of certain species of long-haired wild goats which live at high elevations of 9000 ft to 11000 ft. The soft wool is then hand-spun into thin and even pashmina yarn. This yarn is then handwoven into the loom, which has cotton, silk and pashmina warp. Depending on preference, shawls are usually produced in four colours: grey, white, black, and cream. Pashmina is available in the form of shawls (standard dimensions 30” x 80”), stoles (28” x 80”), scarves (24” x 72”), mufflers (12” x 72”). A quick trick to learn whether one is getting the genuine article by burning a single fibre; if it results in a black ball, there’s probably got some synthetic content; the fibre of a genuine pashmina, on the other hand, will be reduced to a powder, and has with a typical burnt-hair smell.