The Creation of The Cashmere Scarf
Cashmere scarf is, simply put, luxurious. As a material, it is both overwhelmingly comfortable and spectacularly light and soft; which makes it the perfect material for keeping warm. What follows is a short introduction as to sources and different methods of creating this wonderful item.
Cashmere is wool obtained from certain breeds of goat, with the exquisite touch and feel originating from fiber at least six times finer than human hair. These goats produce two coats – the soft, fine under-down that is used in production, and a much coarser outer-coat which must be removed or dehaired, often by hand, before it can be spun and woven. The most sought after under-down is found on the chin of the goat, where there is more protection from the elements – each goat only produces a few ounces of this a year. Cashmere scarves and other accessories can then be crafted from this yarn which provides natural, lightweight, soft insulation without any bulk. It is not unusual to see silk being blended into the creation of cashmere scarves, as this add a sheen that perfectly complements the softness, and increases the strength of the finished material too.
Woven and knitted cashmere scarves are more likely to be manufactured by machines that can create these high quality articles at a much faster rate. Certain producers in the United Kingdom utilize the soft, naturally filtered, water from the local springs to carefully wash the delicate fiber without using any artificial cleaning agents or soaps. This significantly improves the handling and finish of the fabric. Different types of weaves and knits can be achieved, adding yet more warming properties, as well as interesting and stylish designs.
Cashmere scarves also come in another form called pashmina. Pashmina technically refers to exceptionally fine cashmere wool from a specific type of goat woven into shawls in the Kashmir region of India. Here, the fiber are too thin to be utilized in power looms and other machinery and must be hand-spun and hand-woven. These scarves and shawls can take upwards of 12 days, and the hair from four goats to craft using traditional techniques and practices that are have been utilized since the 18th century. These types of cashmere scarves are often so fine that a shawl measuring 200 cm by 100 cm can pass through a small finger ring, which led to the colloquial name of ‘ring shawls’. Moreover, the 1.5 km of wool used in such an item weighs less than 75 grams in total, creating a piece of exquisite luxury.