Handmade Woolen Shawls for Women
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Himalayan Weavers make hand-woven woolen shawls.
What Makes our Woolen Shawls Special?
All our shawls are handwoven on traditional looms. We use fine pure sheep wool which is very soft and warm. Many of our shawls are made with wool hand-spun by Bhotiya women in the Himalayas; these are especially soft and warm.
Bhotiya people have a long and rich tradition of working with wool. Until the early1960s they lived in villages situated near important trade routes between India and Tibet. The men were mainly engaged in trade with Tibet and were away from theie villages for long periods. The women stayed in the villages and used their sheep wool to make articles such as blankets and carpets. After India’s border war with China, the trade with Tibet was discontinued, but the women have continued to work with wool. As many families still own large flocks of sheep, they have good supplies of wool for their weaving.
We have been working with Bhotiya women in the Dunda and Bagori villages for almost twenty years. Using traditional charkhas they prepare and hand spin wool which we dye and then make beautiful shawls.
Natural Dyes
Our woolen shawls are also special because we don’t use chemical dyes; we only colour with natural dyes. In fact, one of our reasons for setting up Himalayan Weavers was to revive the use of natural dyes in mountain areas where their use in the past was common. The current availability of cheap chemical dyes means, the use of natural dyes is now rare. We are trying to reverse this.
We have a small facility near Mussoorie in the Himalayas where our yarn, (both wool and pashmina) is hand-dyed. Madder, indigo, shellac, tesu flowers, tea and harada are some of the dyes we use.
Our shawls are for both women and men. The main difference between the two is that of size. The women’s shawl is 90 inches (229 centimeters) long and 36 inches (91 centimeters) wide. The men’s shawl is bigger: 100 inches (254 centimeters) long and 52 (132 Centimeters) wide. Although we sell the larger ones as men’s shawls, they are suitable for both men and women, especially to wrap around yourself and feel cozy and warm in cold weather.
Throws
We also have throws made from a Himalayan wool called Harsil Cross. This is processed by hand by the Bhotiya women. Compared to our shawls, these throws are coarse but have a lot of character. They have simple designs made from various shades of grey, while, brown and black wool. They are woven in Dunda, on traditional looms, by weavers from Kinnaur, who migrated to these villages a few generations ago.
