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Size Guide

Fabric Guide

Cashmere and Silk

A classic pashmina stole is usually made from 70% Cashmere / 30% Silk which is spun in to 28count yarn and woven in to the luxurious pashmina you can buy. Apart from classic pashminas, we offer many variations and this guide is intended to explain and describe some of the different fabrics and the terms, so that you get exactly what you want.

100% Cashmere Pashminas

Compared to 70% Cashmere / 30% Silk

The pure cashmere classic pashminas are made from 2ply 28count yarn. They are a bit lighter and more floaty than the ones with 30% Silk. They feel even softer and marginally warmer. They have a tiny sheen, but not as much as the 30% silk ones. One more thing is that the pure cashmere ones get better the more use use them, like a good carpet. With use, the cashmere fibres get slightly brushed which makes the pashmina appear thicker and softer with time.

Angelweave

90% Cashmere / 10% Silk

Angelweave has to be my favourite fabric. It is so incredibly soft. If customers could feel the fabric through the screen they would all buy this one. The Warp (length ways fibres) are made from silk. The Weft is made from handspun cashmere. The cashmere fibres are spun between finger and thumb by the expert ladies who work in Kathmandu. Many hours go in to each Angelweave pashmina.

Pure Silk Scarves

210 Count

210 count simply means that 210 meters of the fibre weighs 1 gram. For silk this is the highest and finest quality. Using this silk to weave scarves results in a light and floaty scarf that feels soft and not scratchy. The tassels on these scarves are hand twisted in the traditional way. It's hard to do, I have tried it myself!

What is 'count' ?

28 count, 60 count, 100 count

Count refers to the thickness of the spun yarn. Specifically it refers to the number of meters of the yarn that weighs 1 gram. The raw cashmere is the same regardless of the count, it is simply spun to different thicknesses for different uses. The pashminas woven with higher count, finer are lighter and more floaty and have a more silky feel. They take longer to make and are more expensive.

80% Bamboo / 20% Cashmere

Cool and Silky

Our organic BANAVATA bamboo/cashmere range is 100% natural, non-allergenic, and free of added chemicals, toxins or dyes. They are dyed in natural dyes which makes the garments softer and the colours look beautiful. We knit garments and weave pashminas from this amazing material.

The Pashmina Factory

A great team makes great products. We are very fortunate to have a fantastic team of people working hard to make your cashmere knitwear and pashmina shawls. Anyone who has run a business knows that when you find good employees, you make sure you hang on to them, and many of the 69 employees in our pashmina factory have stayed in their jobs for years. Caroline and me have spent months in Nepal visiting the factory every day. It is a very nice working environment with a friendly atmosphere where people like their jobs and take pride in what they do.

The Team From Kathmandu - Great pashminas require a great team.

Here are a few facts about the working conditions, as of March 2017 - Updated May 2019

Since 2009, we have tripled the lowest wages in our factory in Kathmandu. This is just one of the reasons why staff turnover is so low.

(2019) Wages start at about 900rs per day plus 2 months bonuses and holidays are paid.

(2019) The legal minimum wage in Nepal is 8000rs/month. Our staff earn more than that in just 9 days. That is one reason why we have very low staff turnover.

Most numbers below are from January 2017:

Inflation in Nepal has been running at about 4% since then (source)
17th May 2019 100nprs = $0.89 = £0.70

Source: http://www.thelongestwayhome.com/blog/nepal/how-much-money-does-a-person-from-nepal-earn/

Cost of living in Nepal - January 2017

100 rupees (NPR) = USD$1.15 = £0.92

45 minute bus ride NPR 30
Taxi across capital NPR 100-150
1 litre of fuel NPR 125
Non meat meal NPR 100- 150
1 litre of clean water NPR 5-10

Typical Low income jobs in Nepal - January 2017

A housekeeper in Nepal gets paid 100 rupees per day. Sometimes nothing if they are plucked from a village and promised food and lodging.
An average guest house cook/cleaner/worker gets paid 100 rupees per day. Food is usually included here too.
Chefs earn 150 rupees per day, plus food.
Manual construction workers get paid NPR 300-500
It should be noted that at this level, contracts are rarely written. Word of mouth is used to agree terms. Some tourist industry staff pay unions to represent them should a grievance occur.
The government states that the minimum wage in Nepal should be NPR 8000 per month. (2019)

Middle income Jobs in Nepal - January 2017

A waiter gets paid 100 rupees per day, plus 10% of the service charge added to meals, tips, and food.
A taxi driver earns NPR 200 – 300 per day after car rental (700-800) and fuel.
Public primary school teacher gets paid NPR 5,000 – 10,000 per month depending on area. Rural teachers get paid less.
A starting bank staff member earns NPR 10,000 per month
Secondary and tertiary teachers NPR 20,000 per month
A starting level government worker gets NPR 7,000

Note: There are often hidden extras here, including monthly bonuses, food and fuel allowances.

Upper income salaries in Nepal

A parliament member earns NPR 45,000 per month
A bank manager can earn up to NPR 100,000 per month
Senior telecommunications engineer NPR 100,000+

Government salaries in Nepal

As of 2009 the Prime Minister of Nepal earns NPR 35,000 per month base + NPR 252,000 per month expenses/salaries for their team.
Deputy prime minister expenses for their team NPR 175,000
Minister expenses for their team NPR 132,000

Example of ministers salary system:

25 ministers on average in a fiscal year = NPR 4.47 million each month, including salaries and fuel, travel and daily allowances for all cabinet members.

Note: The above is for the ministers “teams” per month. And does not include additional expenses or “additional” funds. eg. transport out-of-town/country, out of hours work etc

Expats, NGO and overseas workers

Here we go into the strange world of incredibly high earnings of overseas worker in Nepal.

Many diplomats are paid here on a two tier system. Base salaries are paid into their home accounts while a live in country salary is paid in Nepalese rupees. Plus additional expenses for staff such as drivers, cooks, etc.

The scale of NGO workers salaries here is dependent on the organization.

UN messenger (grade 1) per year earns NPR 454,849
A senior UN Admin (grade 7) per year earns NPR 2,253,914
A senior UN national officer (grade 7) earns NPR 4,957,280

Many senior positions, again, get a base salary + expenses + spouse allowance + child allowance + 1st and/or 2nd language allowance (source).

Of the 69 staff , 27 are women.
We use AZO free dyes which are harmless to the environment.
The longest serving staff member has been there since the beginning.
The average employee will stay in their job for at least 5-7 years.
Additionally, our workers get two bonus months pay each year. One month for Dashain bonus and one month additional. Maternity leave is 4 months.
The picture above shows most of the team at the yearly works picnic in the Himalayas. You could see Everest from this location.
Nepal is a beautiful country and well worth visiting. It is still poor, but with some free trade and businesses like Mypashmina, the standard of living is increasing.

This picture shows the machines used to join seams on knitwear on the right, and the tables where the final touches are done by hand. The factory is clean and light.

This shows an employee carefully joining the seams on cashmere knitwear in the factory.

This shows my son and the ladies who finish off the knitwear. They check and tidy up any stray fibres, they attach the labels and the buttons.It's a nice atmosphere with everyone chatting while they are working, it's almost like their hands do the work automatically. I guess that's the benfit of experience.

I'll give you two sets of washing instructions... Firstly, the official recommended instructions, and secondly what I personally do. These instructions apply to both knitwear and pashminas.

Scroll past all the pictures to get to my easy but riskier method that i can't really recommend. CLICK HERE for a printable (PDF) version.

The things you will need

Clean bowl, some baby shampoo or cashmere detergent, cold water.

Fill up the bowl

Use really cold water. Cashmere and pashminas prefer cold water !

Pour in the detergent

Just a cap full should be enough

Mix it up

Mix in the detergent so it is equally spread in the water.

Add your pashmina

Or jumper, or blanket etc.

Gently does it..

Move it around gently. For any stains you should get a dry-cleaner to help. Or let it soak a bit and then mix it up again.

Drain it

Empty out the soapy water.

Rinse it.

Using a shower and cold water rinse out the soapy water. Do not twist, pull or scrunch the pashmina.

Rinse again

Rinse it again in clean, cold water.

Dry it flat

Either hang it up or lay it out flat to dry. This will remove most creases.

Iron it

Put a cloth on top of the pashmina or cashmere, and iron it with plenty of steam. If you don't use a cloth, you might leave shiny patches. After ironing it will look fresh like new.

The quick and easy way. Completely your own risk...

Cashmere is not as fragile as many people think. We used cashmere baby blankets with our kids when they were babies and they often got dirty. Washing those in the washing machine was fine except for the time I put it on at 60c and they came out small and thick!

Generally with cashmere knitwear and pashminas, I just bung them in the washing machine on the 30c wash or 40c wash with my other laundry and regular detergent.

I always hang them up to dry being careful that the item is nicely spread out so that no creases are formed.

If I want it looking nice and fresh and new, I will iron it with plenty of steam. I am careful not to iron on any seams on knitwear and to make sure a pashmina is completely flat, so I don't end up with any shiny bits.

Fabric Guide

What is 'count' ?

28 count, 42 count, 60 count

Count refers to the number of meters of the yarn that weighs 1 gram. It describes the thickness. The raw cashmere fibres are the same regardless of the count, it is simply spun to different thicknesses for different uses. Cashmere knitwear made with a higher count yarn are thinner and lighter weight and have a more silky feel and appearance. They take longer to make and the finer yarn is more expensive.

100% Cashmere

The softest, warmest and lightest.

Nearly all our knitwear is made from pure cashmere. It really is an incredible material. It feels soft and warm and will not itch. This is why a cashmere polo neck is much better than a wool one. The cashmere fibres come from the inner layer of fur from the capra-hircus.

80% Bamboo / 20% Cashmere ?

Benefits of both

This feels soft and silky against the skin. It actually feels cool when you first put it on, but it will keep you warm, although not as warm as pure cashmere. IT is extremely comfortable. The fabric has a slight sheen, but is not shiny. Nearly everything we have made with this material, we chose to dye with vegetable dyes.

Finishing Guide

Tassels

This is the traditional way to finish off a pashmina. It is the style most customers prefer most of the time.

At each end of the pashmina there are tassels measuring about 7cm or 3inches. It looks elegant and adds weight to the end of the pashmina so it hangs well.

The tassels are skillfully hand rolled with a knot tied in the end. It's actually not so difficult learn how to make them, but it takes incredible skill to do it quickly, evenly and consistently.

Open Fringe

As you can see in the picture, an open fringe is where the ends of the pashmina are simply left open. It is trimmed to be even. There is no risk of it coming undone.

The open part can range from 0.5cm up to about 4cm depending on the style of pashmina.

Some delicate pashminas such as the angelweave also have a silk locking selvege before the open fringe to make sure the fabric doesn't come undone.

Many people prefer this style. I have also noticed that men seem to prefer this over the tassels when buying pashmina scarves.

Size chart for ladies v-neck cardigan.

All the measurements of the actual piece in centimeters. If in doubt compare these to a cardigan that you already own.
Scroll down for a chart in Inches.