Shawls were either embroidered or woven using the twill-tapestry technique known as Kani for which Kashmir is world-renowned. In the tapestry technique a large number of bobbins, each loaded with yarn of a different colour, are used instead of a shuttle.
In this post
Which state is famous for shawl weaving?
The Kashmir shawl, the predecessor of the contemporary cashmere shawl, is a type of shawl identified by its distinctive Kashmiri weave, and for being made of fine shahtoosh or pashmina wool.
What is the purpose of shawls?
Shawls are used in order to keep warm, to complement a costume, and for symbolic reasons. One famous type of shawl is the tallit, worn by Jewish men during prayers and ceremonies. In Christianity, women have used shawls as a headcovering.
What is Pashmina weaving?
Weaving: Pashmina shawl is weaved by an artisan called Wovur in Kashmir and the process is called Wonun. The weaving is done using the 15 Century Handlooms. Washing: Once again the fabric is washed in running river water to remove the starch. Finishing: While weaving the Pashmina thread breaks many times.
Can you weave a shawl?
Shawls are wonderful items to weave! Because they are wider than scarves, as you throw the shuttle, you get to see and touch and admire a lot more fabric than you can with a scarf. But shawls, like scarves, are rectangles, and therefore they require no sewing.
What are shawls called?
The term stole today is usually used to describe a formal or evening shawl, made of an elegant fabric, often not as wide as a shawl, but long enough to drape around the body.
Why are shawls so popular?
They are popular because they are used as wedding gifts. They are worn by brides as by men of elite class over their shoulders. Shawls have become the livelihood of many people across the world.
Who introduced shawl in Kashmir?
Zayn-ul-ʿĀbidīn
kashmir shawl, also spelled Cashmere, type of woolen shawl woven in Kashmir. According to tradition, the founder of the industry was Zayn-ul-ʿĀbidīn, a 15th-century ruler of Kashmir who introduced weavers from Turkistan.
How would you describe a shawl?
Definition of shawl
a square, triangular, or oblong piece of wool or other material worn, especially by women, about the shoulders, or the head and shoulders, in place of a coat or hat outdoors, and indoors as protection against chill or dampness.
How many types of shawls are there?
The base fabric of Kashmiri shawls is of three types – Shahtoosh, Pashmina and Raffal. Shahtoosh is called the king of wool. It is often known by the name “ring Shawl” because it is so fine that it can pass through a ring.
What are Indian shawls called?
The dupattā is a shawl traditionally worn by women in Indian subcontinent to cover the head and shoulders. The dupatta is currently used most commonly as part of the women’s shalwar kameez outfit, and worn over the kurta and the gharara.
What material is Pashmina?
cashmere
Pashmina (/pʌʃˈmiːnə, pæʃ-/, also US: /pɑːʃ-/) refers to a fine variant of spun cashmere, the animal-hair fibre forming the downy undercoat of the Changthangi goat. The word pashm means “wool” in Persian, but in Kashmir, pashm referred to the raw unspun wool of domesticated Changthangi goats.
What is the difference between a shawl and a Pashmina?
The same difference is between a shawl and a pashmina shawl or a cashmere shawl. Both pashmina and cashmere refer to the same quality of wool however pashmina is the Indian colloquial word whereas cashmere is the anglicized word. Shawls can be made of wool, silk and even blends of viscose, polyester, acrylic.
Who invented Pashmina shawl?
It was in the 16th century when the birthplace of Pashmina – Kashmir – was under Mughal rule, that Pashmina was discovered. And the then Mughal kings were swooned by the mere looks of it. Later the aesthetics of this art spread more and French monarch Napoleon Bonaparte gifted his wife, Josephine, a Pashmina shawl.
How long does it take to weave a shawl?
It takes about three to four days to weave a single Pashmina stole or shawl. The warp is made by manually winding the pashmina yarn across 4 to 8 iron rods erected on the ground. This process is called Yarun in Kashmiri. Approximately 1200 threads are stretched across 10 mts to complete a warp.
How long does weaving on a loom take?
On my Rigid Heddle Looms it takes about 6 hours to weave a scarf from basic design to warp to weave. On my larger floor loom it can take 4 to 6 hours to just warp up the loom but then only 4 or 5 hours to weave the scarf.
What is a pin loom?
Pin loom weaving is easy and addictive. You basically arrange the thread over the pins in three layers and weave on the fourth. For each new layer you turn the direction 90 degrees. When you reach the fourth layer you weave it all together. This locks all the threads together in a tabby-like weave.
What is the opposite of shawl?
ˈʃɔl) Cloak consisting of an oblong piece of cloth used to cover the head and shoulders. Antonyms. undergarment uncover. tallis.
What is the difference between a wrap and a shawl?
The wrap is used casually. While most of the shawls are made of natural fabric like wool, Pashmina, or silk, the wraps are made of fancier fabric. Most of the time; the wraps come up with the contemporary design as per the trend while shawls are the classic item of the wardrobe.
What size should a shawl be?
Shawls are typically in 30 to 45 inches wide to 70 to 85 inches long.
Which shawl is known as ring shawl?
Shahtoosh shawls
Shahtoosh shawls are so fine that a large shawl can be passed through a wedding ring, leading to them also being known as “ring shawls”.