The only source of true pashmina is the Changthangi goat, a special breed of cashmere goat native to the high valleys of the western Himalayas. Changthangi goats are raised in small numbers by the nomadic herders that inhabit a crescent stretching from the valleys of Ladakh in northern India, across southwestern Tibet, and into the Dolpo and Mustang valleys of Nepal. In India they are raised by the Changpa, a nomadic Buddhist people who speak a Tibetan dialect. The Changpa rotate their goats across a series of high-altitude grazing grounds each year, and only small herds can survive on the sparse vegetation. Their fiber is collected in the spring when the goats begin to shed, and each adult goat produces only about 3 or 4 ounces of pashmina. This special fiber is celebrated as pashmina, “soft gold,” the finest and rarest form of cashmere.
Our Changthangi Pashmina is imported direct from northern India. It comes in loose batts of hand-carded fiber rather than as commercially combed top, because it is entirely processed by hand instead of at a mill. It is exceptionally soft—sticking your hand in it is like sticking your hand in a real cloud. The micron count is approximately 14, although expect some natural variation. Natural cream/ivory color, 1-2 inch staple length. Please note that since pashmina is carded by hand, there will be a small amount of vegetable matter (specks of grass) and some dark-colored guard hairs which can be picked out while spinning, as well as a slight goat smell that will disappear after a wash.
The only source of true pashmina is the Changthangi goat, a special breed of cashmere goat native to the high valleys of the western Himalayas. Changthangi goats are raised in small numbers by the nomadic herders that inhabit a crescent stretching from the valleys of Ladakh in northern India, across southwestern Tibet, and into the Dolpo and Mustang valleys of Nepal. In India they are raised by the Changpa, a nomadic Buddhist people who speak a Tibetan dialect. The Changpa rotate their goats across a series of high-altitude grazing grounds each year, and only small herds can survive on the sparse vegetation. Their fiber is collected in the spring when the goats begin to shed, and each adult goat produces only about 3 or 4 ounces of pashmina. This special fiber is celebrated as pashmina, “soft gold,” the finest and rarest form of cashmere.
Our Changthangi Pashmina is imported direct from northern India. It comes in loose batts of hand-carded fiber rather than as commercially combed top, because it is entirely processed by hand instead of at a mill. It is exceptionally soft—sticking your hand in it is like sticking your hand in a real cloud. The micron count is approximately 14, although expect some natural variation. Natural cream/ivory color, 1-2 inch staple length. Please note that since pashmina is carded by hand, there will be a small amount of vegetable matter (specks of grass) and some dark-colored guard hairs which can be picked out while spinning, as well as a slight goat smell that will disappear after a wash.
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