Day 04 of 21
Craft of Cloth · Wool family · Reading a shawl by its yarn
Pashmina, Cashmere, Toosh
Day 4 of 21. Three names. Three goats. Three very different prices. Cashmere ≈ 16-18 microns.
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Questions
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Today's Lesson Begins
Three Himalayan fibres your customer keeps confusing
🐐
READING A SHAWL BY ITS YARN
Day 4 · Wool family
Pashmina, Cashmere, Toosh
Goat to shawl. The fibre, the finish, the law.
The Idea
Three names. Three goats. Three very different prices.
Pashmina, cashmere, and toosh are not the same thing — even though shopkeepers often use the words interchangeably. Each comes from a different goat, in a different altitude band of the Himalayas. The single number that tells them apart is fibre diameter in microns. Lower micron = finer = lighter = pricier.
Cashmere ≈ 16-18 microns. Pashmina ≈ 12-15 microns. Toosh ≈ 8-10 microns — and toosh is illegal because its source, the chiru antelope, is endangered.
The depth ladder
Three Himalayan fibres, ranked by fineness
From regular wool at the warm end to toosh at the rarest end. The finer the fibre, the lighter and warmer the shawl.
Fibre diameter (microns)
Daily winter wear · warmest weight
Everyday
Inner Mongolia, Kashmir · soft hand
Premium
Ladakh highlands · hand-spun, GI-tagged
Heirloom
Banned — Tibetan antelope is endangered
Restricted
Toosh trade is illegal in India · do not stock under any name
Side by side
How to tell them apart at a glance
Same word — shawl — three very different fibres. Each has a tell your customer can learn to spot.
🐑
22µ
Mark
Merino wool
Warm · widely available
Winter
🐐
17µ
Mark
Cashmere
Inner Mongolia, Kashmir, Nepal
Premium
🏔️
13µ
Mark
Pashmina
Ladakh · Changthangi goat
Heirloom
🚫
9µ
Mark
Toosh
Banned · do not stock or sell
Illegal
In a customer DM
How to explain it
When she asks "is this real pashmina?"
Don't say "yes ma'am" out of habit. Give her the test she can do herself — the ring test, and the warmth-on-skin test.
"Ma'am, real pashmina passes through a wedding ring — the fibre is so fine. And when you hold it close to your skin for a minute, it feels warmer than any other wool. Both tests will tell you in 30 seconds."
Today's anchor: Wool, cashmere, and pashmina are three different fibres at three different microns — 22, 17, 13. Pashmina is the finest of the three, from a goat that lives only above 14,000 feet in Ladakh. Toosh is illegal — the antelope it comes from is endangered. Never stock it, never call something else by that name.
Day 4 Quiz · 3 Questions
Answer to mark your attendance
Get all three right and you stay in the running for the top-3 craft gift.
Question 1
Which of these fibres has the smallest micron count (finest fibre) among the LEGAL options?
A
Sheep wool
B
Cashmere
C
Pashmina
D
Polyester
Question 2
Why is toosh / shahtoosh illegal to stock in India?
A
Because it is too expensive to insure
B
Because the Tibetan antelope it comes from is endangered and legally protected
C
Because it does not pass quality checks
D
Because it cannot be GI-tagged
Question 3
A customer asks "how do I know this is real pashmina?" — the honest, on-brand reply:
A
"Pull it through a ring — real pashmina passes through. And hold it on your skin — it warms in seconds. The fibre is only 13 microns, so both tests work."
B
"Because the price is high."
C
"Because the label says pashmina."
D
"All Kashmir shawls are pashmina."
WhatsApp Number
+91
Same number you used on Day 1 — your ranking and Craft Depth certificate go here.
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