PASHMINAS

Pashmina, from the Persian word for wool, is popularly known in the west as cashmere
wool, from the old spelling for Kashmir. The fine wool comes from the undercoat of the Himalayan mountain goat, which live in high altitude remote regions.

For over a thousand years cashmere has been woven into shawls and blankets, prized by
royalty and common people alike for its otherworldly softness, warmth, and long life.

Earlier these shawls were woven on the pashmina pile itself but now most are woven on a warp of spun silk for increased suppleness and strength. In recent years this silk and cashmere blend has become the darling of the western fashion world.

The pashmina fiber used by us is from the high arid regions of Western Tibet. It is considered to be among the finest in the world. The Himalayan mountain goat, raised by semi-nomadic herders, yields from 3-8 ounces of fiber per year. The Tibetan Plateau provides the ideal environment for pashmina growth. The fiber is exceptionally absorbent, and it dyes very easily and deeply.

Our weaving is all done by hand on looms specially made for our work. Most textile production has been converted to power looms, but pashmina yarn is too fragile for the force of the power loom.. It takes one person an entire day to twist and knot the ends of one shawl.

Dyeing is also done by hand, each piece individually. Our dyer has over 40 years experience and infinite patience. We use Sandoz metal-free and azo-free dyes. This is the Swiss company's new generation of eco-friendly dyes. The water we use for dyeing is pumped up from 80 ft beneath the surface. Pure Himalayan water. The Sandoz dyes are very fast to light and warm water washing. We dye at a temperature just below boiling for about 40 minutes. The woven item is first rinsed in hot water, then in cool water, and finally washed with an Aveda shampoo. We dye in a range of 170 colors, mostly based on nature: actual flowers, iridescent feathers, minerals, and autumn leaves, as well as current fashion colors including lip and eye colors.

The silk pashmina variety can be made in a number of combinations. After a lot of research and feedback from our customers , we ve realised that the best quality both in terms of durability and suppleness is the 70 - 30 quality. Thus all our shawls contain around 70 % pashmina and 30 % silk . Moreover our shawls are thickly woven making it more sturdy.

Craft bazar
Firdous coloney,
Aali masjid,Idd gah,
Srinagar-KASHMIR.
INDIA.
TEL-91194 424445



Craft bazar
A-25B,
2nd  FLOOR,
LAJPAT NAGAR-2
NEW DELHI.110024.

INDIA.

TEL-9111 29840610.

Mobile-9810970242 
EMAIL:
craftbazar@reddiffmail.com

craftbazar@hotmail.com