Changthangi Pashmina (14 μm)

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.

Shepherd Textiles is the exclusive source for raw pashmina fiber in the U.S. Our Changthangi Pashmina comes from goats raised by Changpa herders in the Rupshul and Chushul valleys of the Indian Himalayas. 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. Natural cream/ivory color, 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.