FIBER

 

That soft, fluffy fiber known as 'Cashmere' is nothing more than the warm, insulating undercoat of a goat.   With the exception of the Angora goat, all goats can produce miniscule quantities of Cashmere, but what we call a 'Cashmere Goat' is the result of many generations of genetic selection aimed at increasing the quantity of fiber produced by that animal.   The Cashmere goat produces fiber for its entire life, begining with it's first spring season;  some of our goats are close to 20 years old, and are still included in our breeding program.

By definition, Cashmere is a wavy, opaque fiber of a thickness of 14-18 microns (Merinos, the best quality sheep's wool for example, is over 24 microns thick), and is 10 times lighter and warmer than wool.  The cashmere fiber - as well as the hair (or 'guard hair') that protects it - can be one of several colors:  from almost white to almost black, with all the natural shades and variations between.  Because it can be dyed pastel colors, the cashmere industry pays more for white Cashmere, but on our farm we select for natural colors - cream, hazelnut, brown, grey, charcoal - to be used in our hand-woven products.

The fiber is harvested in the spring, either by shearing or combing:  it is first 'dehaired' (the fine fiber is separated from the coarser hair) and then spun.  We weave with either 100% single ply (or several ply) Cashmere,  or else Cashmere mixed with other natural fibers, such as silk, Merino wool, linen, hemp, etc.

The beauty of Cashmere is its lightness and  softness - these caracteristics are enhanced by the final 'finishing' process - a special washing procedure which makes the fiber 'bloom' and brings out its exceptional softness.  Thus, the quality of the finished product, is due to the sum of: quality of the fiber + expertise in spinning and weaving + finishing.