What is a pashmina shawl?

The following notes are drawn from an account of Kashmiri shawl production in Anamika Pathak's Pashmina. Our understanding is that methods are similar in Nepal.

• The primary source of wool is the domesticated goat Capra hircus. This wool is called pashm.
• The word shahtoosh derives from shah (king) and tus (wool), and refers to the highest quality fabric, which was reserved only for royalty. Although historically (and perhaps currently) other wild species are used as well, shahtoosh wool is derived primarily from the endangered Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii), more commonly known by the Tibetan name chiru. It is illegal in most countries.
• The domesticated shawl goats have an outer coat composed of short and relatively brittel guard hairs, and a softer inner coat. The best quality fiber comes from the area under the neck and belly.
• The goat is sheared once a year, at the beginning of the summer. A knife is used rather than scissors, because the scissors allow the inner and outer layers of fleece mix. A knife is used to remove the outer coat first, and then the inner fleece is combed toward the head and carefully cut off.
• Despite the care and skill of shearers, there is always some outer hair mixed into the finer fleece, and this has to be removed by hand.
• The raw wool is sorted according to quality and fiber length. Individual hairs may be as long as 40 cm (16").
• The sorted fibers are washed with plain water to get rid of dust and plant matter. Soap is not used, as it makes the wool harsher.
• The cleaned wool is teased between two wooden combs to loosen and separate tangled fibers.
• Prior to spinning, the cleaned wool is spread out and rubbed with a paste of pounded rice and water. Once dried and teased again, the toughened wool is ready for spinning into yarn.
• Two qualities of thread were spun. The warp thread, which is subject to more tension than the weft, is prepared with a greater number of twists. The weft thread is less intensively twisted, so that it retains a fluffier texture.

20 Myths about pashmina

20 Myths about pashmina

Pashmina is different from, and better than, cashmere.

Briefly, pashmina is cashmere, which is the fiber or fabric woven from fiber deriving from the undercoat of certain high-elevation (and therefore long-haired) breeds of domestic goat.

Pashmina is produced only by a special goat known as Capra hircus.

Capra hircus is just the scientific name for domesticated goats in general. The caprids are those animals belonging to the goat and antelope genus. Wiktionary gives three meanings for hircus: 1) a buck, male goat; 2) (by extension) the rank smell of the armpits; 3) (figuratively) a filthy person. Cashmere goat breeds have been referred to as Capra hircus laniger (laniger means wool-bearing), but this is not an accepted scientific grouping.

Pashmina is produced only in the high Himalayas.

There are many goat breeds with fine undercoats, and they are raised in China, Mongolia, Australia, the United States, India (particularly Ladakh), and elsewhere. The huge preponderance of cashmere yarn fabric now comes from China.

Pashmina wool is plucked only from the undercoat of the throat and chest of the animal.

Just not true. The undercoat extends around the whole animal, more or less, and none of it is intentionally wasted.

Real pashmina is produced only in Kashmir.

Kashmir (in India) has prevailed in an epic trade dispute with the result that the word "pashmina" is considered to belong to Kashmiri cashmere producers. Nepal had to settle for "chyangra pashmina," which means "goat cashmere." Potato, potahto.

A fullsize pashmina is too big for a petite woman.

Pashmina shawls are customarily quite large. The usual fullsize is 95 X 203 cm (36" x 80"). But even Asian women, who are typically rather small, wear fullsize shawls quite comfortably; because of the light weight of the fabric, the shawls can easily be folded lengthwise and/or widthwise, so that the generous dimensions are never a liability. What we call "medium-size" is not much smaller: the same length, and only 20 cm (8") narrower.

In pashmina, more plies is better.

Threads can be twisted together to make thicker threads, which can then producer thicker fabrics. On the other hand, there is no need to twist threads together, when the individual thread can be made any desired thickness. Furthermore, fabrics can be made more dense by packing the threads closer together (i.e., using four paddles instead of two). These days very few shawl producers in Kathmandu are using true double-ply yarn. In fact, multiple-ply yarn is now used almost exclusively for knitted goods. One further remark: in pashmina shawls, more is not better. If it were, you guys would be wearing bed-spreads or horse-blankets, rather than shawls. The modern pashmina shawl has evolved to meet women's need for a warm AND light wrap. The paddle-adjusted shawl may be a shade less dense than a double-ply, but it has undoubtedly achieved its international success due to the fact that it so successfully achieves the desired balance of warmth and weight.

Water pashmina is a special, highly luxurious, type of pashmina.

That shimmery look can come from anything but pashmina, which has a dull matte finish. Usually it's from some synthetic derived from petrochemicals. Yuck.

True Nepalese pashmina, known as chyangra pashmina, is different and better than ordinary pashmina.

No. It's the same as pashmina, or cashmere. Kashmiri interests lobbied successfully for the "pashmina" trademark, and in 2011 the Nepalese production group settled for "chyangra pashmina." With no laboratory capable of monitoring quality anywhere in the region, the entire issue is bogus.

Pashmina should only be drycleaned.

Drycleaning can be tough on delicate fabrics. Best bet: hand wash in mild soap. See How to Wash Pashmina.

In pashmina, as in all luxury goods, you get what you pay for.

Au contraire. You pay mostly for the brand name, and the advertising that props it up. Pashmina yarn is not cheap, and you can be sure that anything you get for ten dollars outside of Port Authority bus terminal in NYC is synthetic. Likewise, all those cheap e-Bay and Amazon pashminas. Our stuff isn't the cheapest on the market, and some of the cheaper stuff may be just as good (not better). We try to give our producers a fair return on their labor and their capital, and we're trying not to go broke ourselves. If we do get rich (unlikely!) we'd like it to be because of our volume, not our profit margin.

Real pashmina must have twisted and knotted tassels.

Not true. In fact, the ragged look ("eyelash fringe") is gaining in popularity, and probably more authentic, historically.

Machine-loomed pashmina is superior to hand-loomed pashmina.

Machines can produce straighter lines, and fewer "mistakes." But the warp threads have to be strung at a lower tension in order to prevent disruptive breaks, yielding a looser fabric. Also, as with carpets, the soulless machine-made version of the traditional pashmina shawl is considered inauthentic. Does authenticity matter?

Hand-loomed pashmina is superior to machine-loomed pashmina.

Depends on the skill of the weaver. Weaving pashmina is a skill that takes some time to perfect. Quality control is key. If a producer is just trying to increase output, the quality is going to reflect that.

High-quality pashmina doesn't pill.

Those little bugger-size balls are caused by abrasion (rubbing). If you wear your pash under a heavy coat, you're probably going to get pill issues.

The best quality pashmina is fluffy like a kitten.

No. Pashmina gets softer with use. Producers recognize that Westerners doen't understand this, so they use chemical softeners and some of them brush the pashmina to make it fluffy. Brushing weakens the fabric.

The best quality pashmina at the best price is found in Kathmandu.

You might find a good deal, but the competition among pash dealers is intense, and the result is a race to the bottom. Most of the stuff is mediocre quality, adulterate, mislabeled, and overpriced. Sorry. You really need to know the product, or at least know someone who does.

Ritzy New York department stores can be trusted to have the best quality pashmina.

Nah. They need quantity and consistency. The only way they can do that is with machine looms. So they get regular-looking fabric, but it's never the best.

100% pashmina means pure pashmina.

American import standards (never enforced!) allowed about 3% impurities. Chinese manufactures admit a similar rate of adulteration, and cheating is rampant. Can you feel the 5% sheep wool content? Probably not. But you can see the stiff guard hairs and straw in some fabric.

A sewn-on tag is proof of pashmina quality.

Yeah, right!

Indian Council of Agricultural Research notifies for recruitment

TAGS:ICARIndian Council of Agricultural ResearchRecruitmentGovernment JobsJobs

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has invited applications for the recruitment of candidates to various posts in Indian Institute of Natural Resins and Gums. The interested candidates must send in their applications on or before April 24.

Post details
Total no. of posts: 14
Name of the post
Subject Matter Specialist: 6
Farm Manager: 1
Programme Assistant (Computer): 1
 Programme Assistant (Technician): 1
Stenographer Grade-III: 1 
Driver: 2
Skilled Support Staff: 2

Eligibility criteria

Educational qualification
Subject Matter Specialist: The eligible candidate must have a Master's degree in relevant field of agriculture
Farm Manager: The candidate must have a Bachelor's degree in Agriculture, Horticulture or any other relevant field of agriculture. 
Programme Assistant (Computer): The candidate must have a Bachelor's degree in Computer Application or Computer Science.
 Programme Assistant (Technician): The candidate applying for this post must have a Bachelor's degree in any branch of Science or Social Science with a relevance to Agriculture.
Stenographer Grade-III: The candidate must have intermediate examination from a recognised board or university.
Driver: The candidate must have passed matriculation examination from a recognised board or university.
Skilled Support Staff: The candidate must have passed matriculation examination from a recognised board or university.
Age limit
The age limit for all candidates applying for the above post is between 18 to 30 years.

Selection procedure
The candidates will be selected on the basis of their achievement and the performance in the personal interview

How to apply
The candidates must send in their applications through a proper channel.

Important datesThe candidates must send in their applications on or before April 24