Today there are more
than 60 breeds of goats in 12 countries that produce
fibers of less than 19 microns. The finest quality
cashmere still comes from the cashmere goat and the
higher the elevation where they live, the finer the
wool. Most of these Goats live in China, Mongolia,
Nepal and Tibet.
In the spring, when the goats start
to shed their winter coats, herders climb the mountains
to comb the downy undercoat and collect the wool. The
wool is then separated and cleaned of dirt and
coarse fibers. Because it is so fine, it must be spun
by hand into yarn.It takes one goat three years to
produce enough wool to make one high quality wrap!
Pashmina is a greatly misused term.
It comes from the Persian word “pashm” which means “wool” In
fact, cashmere and pashmina refer to wool from the
same goat, except pashmina is the very finest of the
separated wool, having a diameter of 12-14 microns,
and the goats mostly live in the highest altitudes
in Kashmir and Tibet. |
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