Shawls

Cashmere Handicrafts is a prominent Cashmere Shawls manufacturer and cashmere pashmina shawls exporter, presenting kashmiri shawls. Kashmir shawl is one of the most cherished acquisitions in the world. It is believed to be indigenous to Kashmir. Experts opine for it being as old as 3,000 years B.C the period which is attributed to Neolithic age. It adorned the Ceaser's court and was looked upon by Mughals and later by Nawabs as a mark of novelty. By way of techniques, the Kashmir shawl can be categorized in two main types- the loom woven or kani shawl and the needle embroidered or sozni shawl. Kani is the Kashmiri name given to a wooden spool which works most while weaving a shawl on the loom. Weaving is meticulously regulated by a coded pattern, known as the Talim drawn by the Naqash for guidance of the weaver.

The needle wrought design of the shawl called AmI Kari or Sozen Kari was introduced during Afgan rule by an accomplished Kashmiri craftsman Hamid Ali Baba. The embroidery however, is exquisite and is done in a variety of designs, mainly floral. Badam or Almond with subtle stylization often forms the dominant motif which sprang oflocal flowers and the Chinar leaf etc., also recur in embroidery patterns. Other types of the Kashmiri Shawl are hook embroidered and generally cater to a relatively lower purse.

The finest shawls are those of Pashmina and though banned by the Central Govt. for the reasons of Wild Life Protection, shahtoosh, a super soft variety meaning" the King of Wools". As a matter of fact it is not embryo by the extraction of which the shawl is woven. It is the under fleece of a mountain goat (with its habitat in Ladakh and Central Asia) shed by it on the high altitudes during winter months which is used for making of the shawls.

Kashmir Shawl which had once taken the entire Europe by a storm, is now mostly sold in domestic market. There is however, a trend that speaks of the shawl exports having come up again. The figure has crossed Rs 240 crores during 2005-06.

Pashmina is the name of the finest hand made woolen fabric made from the soft, downy undercoat that grows primarily on the neck and belly of the Himalayan Mountain goat, Capra Hiracus. Therefore Pashmina is Pashm in woven form. The word pashm is an adjective of a Kashmiri word 'Posh', meaning the animal. In the opinion of some oriental scholars the word Pashmina is of either Turkish or Persian origin. Pashm has a special luster due to its long fine fibers which are as thin as 12 microns. By contrast, the fibers from premium sheep's wool such as Merino Extra fine, are 23 microns thick and human hair ranges up to 200 microns thickness. Thus Pashmina is exceptionally light, soft and warm and feels luxurious against the skin. The natural colors of the fleece range from white to gray, brown, dark tan and black.