Pashmina or cashmere scarves

What is Pashmina?

Capra hircus

Pashmina is a kind of fine cashmere wool and is known for their softness and warmth. To stay alive, the freezing temperature at 14,000 feet height, pashmina- wool producing goat (Capra hircus ) creates an exclusive, extremely soft fur (inner coat) six times finer than human hair. One goat sheds about 80–170 g of fiber. Since it is only 14-19 microns in diameter, it cannot be spun by using machines, so the wool is hand-spun and woven into cashmere products containing, scarves, wraps, throws, stoles, shawls, etc.

Raw cashmere wool obtained from Capra Hircus

If we study the above table, there are several parameters by which we can quickly identify yarn. Like, wool completely dissolved on a 5% volume of caustic soda solution on the weight of yarn. For example, if we perform a burning test, it also defines by flammability actions and the smell of burning hair. Similarly,  Wool feels warm, springy, rough, and dry upon touching.
After confirming it is wool, to know whether it is pashmina or not, we must perform a diameter measurement test. If the microscopic measurement result is between 14-19 microns, then we can say it is pashmina.

How Pashmina scarves are made?

The process starts with fiber extracting, carding, combing, spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing, printing, and finishing. This flow chart listed below describes the wool processing

How pashminas are made in Nepal?

Exporters of pashmina scarves in Nepal imports different type (count and ply) of wool, pashmina, and silk from China. They make the product as per their buyer’s specifications. First, either the yarns are dyed for making patterns like a stripe, or jacquard or go for warping, drafting, and weaving as per the specified reed, picks. Reed number and the number of filling yarn (picks), yarn count, and yarn ply define the weight of scarves after

 weaving.

wool spinning wheel

What is 100% pashmina?

A scarf made by using only cashmere yarn, in warp and weft (filling), is called 100% pashmina scarf

warp and weft

If the warps are silk and the wefts are pashminas (cashmere) then the scarf made from this combination is called a "silk pashmina scarf (see above-illustration)
The reason behind adding silk yarn as warps are to give strength, by doing so, it looks good and makes it durable as well.
Here is the video which shows the making of pashminas. 

What are 70:30  and 80:20 (summer or water) pashminas? And how to identify them?

If it is the case of blended yarn, the ratio can be correctly calculated at the time of mixing both pashmina and silk. For example, if we are making a 100 kg blended lot then add 70 kg pashmina fiber and 30 kg silk fiber and mix by carding machine, and then spinning gives the perfect result. But in the case of warps and wefts weaving is a bit difficult, that is, it is not as perfect as blended yarn, so as to calculate the ratio. The commonly known count of silk is 140, 210, and 20/22 which defines the silk thread diameter. So generally it is understood or seen that when we use 140 silk, then the ratio of pashmina and silk is 50:50Similarly, using 210 silk it could be 70:30, and using 210 it could be 80:20 pashmina and silk ratio respectively. It is usually understood by Reed number and filling yarn in an inch in Nepal. If a sample made by a particular reed number and filling yarns in an inch is a 70:30 ratio, then it is noted, and if it has to be done again, it is made as per those noted data.

What are the sizes?

• 12x60 or 18x72 inch       Scarf
• 28x80 inch                     Stole
• 36x80 inch                     Shawl
• 54x108 inch                   Blanket

Weaving

Power Loom

initially, pashmina used to weave in a handloom. When the exporter started to get a bulk order, handlooms are not enough to meet the targeted production. Therefore, power looms are operated to produce in large quantities. Some buyer prefers hand-loomed scarves, so hand looms are still operated as well.

Because of the size and diameter of cashmere raw wool, it is initially believed that it can only be made handcrafted method. As textile technology is developing rapidly machines are also been customize as per the need.

The standard process is warping, drafting, weaving, dyeing, printing, fringe making, ironing, and packing

warp making

weft making

Cone to Hank making

Handloom

mending

Hand made fringe

Dyeing

As a pashmina is a kind of wool, It has to be dyed using "Acid Dyes."Acid dyes are made for dyeing wool, silk and other protein fibers, and nylon.
Multinational manufacturer companies like Huntsman brand name Lanaset, Clariant, brand name lanasyn Dystar  brand name Isolan
These companies have manufacturing facilities in different countries and distributors and dealers in prime places in every country.
All the above-mentioned dyes manufacture metal complexes and Metal-free acid dyes. Metal complex dyes are somewhat dull but have excellent fastness compared to metal-free dyestuff.
Almost all acid dye has the same dyeing process. 

 

How the desired shade is developed?

First, the given sample is matched with a small piece, like 5-10 grams in Laboratory. After perfectly matching it with the given sample, the derived dye formula or recipe is noted for bulk production.
Here is the youtube video, which typically explains the dyeing process. 

Standard dyeing process

x% Dye

1% leveling agent

5% Glaubers Salt anhydrous,

 PH 5.5 to 4 depending upon the depth of the shade

Start dying at normal temperature, raise the temperature to 1-degree centigrade per minute to boiling point. As this dying is an exhausting process check the shade at the end.

How the desired shade is developed?

First, the given swatch is matched with a small piece like 5-10 grams in Lab. After perfectly matching the dye formula or recipe is noted for bulk production.

Here are pictures of some special dyeing like tie-dye, batik, etc.

TIE Dyed

Hand-painted

Hand-painted

Printing

As per the given design, it is printed by screen printing, hand painting, and digital printing method. These processes are carried out as per the buyer’s instruction. In such cases, the buyer provides digital images, sizes, the number of pieces to be printed per design, etc.

digitally printed cashmere scarves

block printing

typical print pattern

digital print  pattern

screen printing frame

Export statistic 

Pashmina goods have become the third main foreign export item of the country after garments and handmade woolen carpets. Nepalese Pashmina goods are a type of handicraft, which can be considered handmade high-quality goods of versatile use. Pashmina goods have been exported using HS Code 62.14.20.

In the case of packing, each product, by folding properly, is kept in single plastic bags and these plastic bags are filled in carton boxes. Nearly all Pashmina products do arrive in international markets from International Airport by Air Cargo and into India by Land.

Price

The price of Nepalese Pashmina products mostly is determined by their quality, size, color, and design. all Pashminas are produced in the Kathmandu Valley. They are mostly export industries. However, it has been assumed that as many as 5% of its products may be sold within the country. Pashmina products occupy more than 50% of the total export quantity of handicraft goods. So,  it is the main export section under the handicraft goods class. The figure of international export marketplaces of Nepalese Pashmina products beats 40 out of which, Italy, Canada,, the USA, the UK, France, Japan, Germany, and India are the main ones.