History and origin of Kashmir goats

The cashmere fibers are collected by brushing the goats; Capra Hircus that lives in the Tibetan highlands, in the Himalayas and mainly in Mongolia, during the shedding period and from collecting things that stick to bushes and on the ground.

The cashmere goats produce a particularly fine wool that is soft and warm, which protects it from the harshness of winter (-40 ° C). After the animal has shed, or after shearing, hairs are selected (depending on the choice you get a higher or lower quality cashmere), cleaned and then woven into threads. The number of threads used generally gives a fairly accurate idea of ​​the thickness of the yarn: from thin (2-ply) to very thick (10-12-ply).

Cashmere is much softer, warmer and more isothermal than sheep's wool. You can wear it directly against the skin (it doesn't itch, unlike wool). When you try on a nice cashmere sweater for the first time, it will be very difficult to go back to regular wool because cashmere is so silky.

It is said that in the thirteenth century Marco Polo discovered in some caves in Mongolia representations of wild goats , tamed by man. It is therefore likely that some shepherds raised these goats, which could provide a particularly warm wool, a long time ago.

A blessing for the regions that have very harsh winters. It was not until the nineteenth century that the Europeans discovered to their surprise the precious wool that would later be called cashmere. The uplands of Ladakh and Tibet in the Himalayas are the regions of authentic cashmere wool.

Capra Hircus lives at an average altitude of 4000 meters, an animal that was now domesticated is also known as Pashmina goat. To cope with the long winter, which lasts for six months, and to cope with temperatures that can reach -40 ° C, the animal is covered with a thick woolen coat consisting of long hairs. It is this animal, which is between the European domestic goat and the pygmy goat in size, that produces the extraordinary wool that has made the term "cashmere" famous throughout the world.

The word cashmere is an old spelling of Kashmir. Common usage defines the fiber as wool, but it is finer, stronger, lighter, softer and about three times more insulating than sheep's wool. ... one such wool product is the fine (shed) undercoat fibers produced by a cashmere buck (Capra hircus laniger)