Cashmere yarn is a textile fiber renowned globally for its exceptional softness, warmth, and lightweight qualities. Its unique characteristics make it a sought-after material. Understanding its origins reveals a specialized process, from the animal source to the final spun yarn.
The Cashmere Goat
Cashmere fiber originates from the fine, soft undercoat of specific goats, commonly referred to as cashmere goats. Unlike wool, which comes from sheep, cashmere is a type of fiber produced by various goat breeds. These goats possess a double fleece, featuring a coarser outer layer of guard hairs and a delicate, downy undercoat that grows during colder months to insulate the animal. This undercoat is the source of the highly valued cashmere fiber.
Cashmere fiber is exceptionally fine, typically ranging from 11 to 19 micrometers in diameter, making it significantly finer than human hair. This microscopic fineness, coupled with a natural crimp, contributes to cashmere’s exceptional softness and its ability to trap air, providing superior insulation without adding bulk. The fibers generally range from 2.5 to 9 centimeters in length.
Geographic Homes of Cashmere Goats
Cashmere goats are primarily found in regions with harsh, cold climates, which are conducive to the growth of their insulating undercoat. The main traditional areas include China, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Iran, and the Himalayan regions of India (Kashmir) and Nepal. China, particularly Inner Mongolia, is the largest producer of raw cashmere, followed by Mongolia.
Herders in these areas often employ nomadic or semi-nomadic practices, moving their goats to different pastures. This traditional lifestyle allows the goats to graze naturally, influencing the fiber’s quality and quantity. While other countries like New Zealand, Australia, and the United States also raise cashmere goats, the quality of fiber can be influenced by environmental factors, with the coldest regions often yielding the finest cashmere.
Harvesting the Fiber
The process of harvesting cashmere fiber is distinct from shearing sheep’s wool, primarily involving combing rather than cutting the fleece. Cashmere goats naturally shed their thick winter undercoat during the spring molting season, typically between March and May. Herders use coarse combs to gently pull tufts of the shedding fiber from the animal, a labor-intensive method. This hand-combing process allows for the selective collection of the fine underdown, minimizing coarser guard hairs.
While shearing is sometimes used, it tends to yield fleece with a higher content of guard hair, requiring more extensive dehairing later. The combing method, though more time-consuming, helps preserve the length and integrity of the delicate cashmere fibers. Each cashmere goat produces only a small amount of usable fiber annually, typically 150-250 grams (5-9 ounces) per goat.
Transforming Fiber into Yarn
Once harvested, raw cashmere fiber undergoes several meticulous stages to be transformed into usable yarn. The initial step involves sorting the raw material, often by hand, to separate low-grade fibers, contaminants, and to categorize it by color. Following this, the greasy fiber is scoured, a thorough washing process using gentle detergents to remove dirt, grease, and other impurities. This cleaning prepares the fiber for subsequent steps without damaging its delicate structure.
The next stage is dehairing, a mechanical process that separates the fine cashmere down from the coarser guard hairs. Dehairing machines use friction and air currents to ensure only the softest fibers, typically with a residual coarse hair content of 0.2% to 0.5%, remain for spinning. After dehairing, the purified cashmere is aligned through carding, where fine wire brushes disentangle and arrange the fibers into a continuous web or sliver. Finally, these aligned fibers are spun into yarn by twisting them together, creating a continuous thread. The spinning process, which can be either woolen or worsted, contributes to the final strength and texture of the cashmere yarn.