Mother's Day 20 OFF!

Spring is almost blooming and Mother's Day is just around the corner so we would be happy to help you pick the best gift for her! Our light and colourful ring shawls are the perfect choice! So are the beautiful cashmere sweaters! And if we think of it, all our items! And that is precisely why we are offering 20% OFF EVERYTHING until the 15th of March! Please use the code MUM20!

Will look forward to your orders on http://www.mypashmina.co.uk/

Products Labeling Act of 1939 with more precise definitions of cashmere and superfine wool.

This is in the US. But pretty sure the standard will be adopted glbally soon.. The new law will not only protect consumers from deceptive labels, but manufacturers also benefit in having clear guidelines to prevent potential violation or product recall by the Federal Trade Commission. All the cashmere and wool products manufactured on or after 1st January, 2007 must comply with the act.

Cashmere was previously defined simply as "hair or fleece from the genuine Cashmere goat". In the latest regulation
additional diameter measurements were set: the mean fiber diameter must be less than 19 microns; the coarse hair (exceeding 30 microns) must be less than 3% by weight of the product; and the coefficient variation of diameter has
to be less than 24%.

So for real cashmere , just visit www.mypashmina.co.uk .

Cashmere Sale

and the boat neck is only £35 ... there are only 4 left !

www.mypashmina.co.uk

Last few Cashmere Round Necks for £29

Just checking through our website and noticed that we have about 8 cashmere jumpers left - like that in the picture. They are £29, which is a complete steal. Normally we would sell these for at leat £59 , but these are the last few and for the sake of keeping things tidy, you can grab a bargain (or 8!) .

see www.mypashmina.co.uk , click on cashmere for her , cashmere round necks and you will find it.

Last Minute Valentines Day Pashminas

Well I wonder how many people will leave it to the last minute to order a lovely valentines gift this year.

Royal mail special delivery is probably the best and most reliable guaranteed next day service there is.

So because of this, i think people leave gift ordering later and later. The mail system almost gave up this Christmas, but everyone still got their pashminas in time.

www.mypashmina.co.uk

Bamboo & Cashmere V-Neck

Here is a ladies v-neck made from 80% Bamboo and 20% Cashmere.

It is not available yet, but will be soon.

It feels amazing.

The yarn is very fine - 60 count. That means that 60 meters of the yarn weighs just one gram.

There are so many benefits to wearing bamboo, you will have to read about them at www.banavata.com !

Plane crashed on the road we drive home on !

Lucky we went home a bit early yesterday, otherwise Mypashmina.co.uk might be no more, and everyone would have to buy their cashmere and pashminas from somewhere else.

This little plane crashed on the E45 , the main road from Gothenburg in to the north of Sweden at 19:48 yesterday. It hit a car. We had driven passed the exact spot just 30 minutes earlier.

Incidentally, the E45 starts (as the A45) at Bedford in England, and after Harwich , it contines in Denmark and then in Sweden to the very north. How dull is that ?

New Designs of Swarovski Crystals on Pashminas

On www.mypashmina.co.uk , there is now the option to add Swarovski crystals to your pashmina in any of 29 stunning designs.

Delivery takes 3-4 weeks and the price depends on the complexity of the design.

These can be made on any colour of pashmina., but the pashmina should be 70% Cashmere and 30% Silk . It is not possible to get the crystals to set nicely on the pure cashmere pashminas.

Visit www.mypashmina.co.uk to find out more.

New - 100count superfine pure cashmere pashmina

Here is some advance notice of a very exciting new product.

It is made form 100count cashmere. Basically the number of count is the number of meters of fibre that weighs 1 gram. So 100count means that 100 meters of cashmere fibre weighs 1 gram. i.e. it is a very thin fine thread indeed.

The usually count for knitwear is 28count, or on fine lightweight knitwear for summer we often use 60count.

Anyway the scarf shown above is made from 100 count. It feels amazing and even has a sheen (it is pure cashmere). And by a clever combination of warps and wefts we have made some lovely colours and subtle effects. These will be available in 5 colour combinations and the price will be approximately £85. - see www.mypashmina.co.uk on 15th March

St. Valentines day - Cashmere makes a romantic gift

Well, what could be more romantic than a pashminas covered in hearts ? Lots of things, but this is still very nice.

This pashmina has a baby blue background and bright fuschia hearts all over it.

It is 70% Cashmere and 30% Silk and measures 45x200cm. The price ? Only £38.50 with free delivery.

Where from ? www.mypashmina.co.uk of course !

Personally , i think that because cashmere just makes you want to cuddle .. it is one of the romantic gifts around for St. Valentines day.

Pure cashmere dyed with vegetable dyes

Here are some pure cashmere hats and scarves dyes with vegetable dyes.

The range of colours available in cashmere dyed with vegetable dyes is limited at the moment, but with practice and some experimientation it should grow.

The exciting thing about these colours are how well they complement each other. They all have a wonderful depth which somehow seems superior to the sythetic dyes.

All items on mypashmina.co.uk will soon be available in a range of 10 natural colours.

The main benefit of using vegetable dyes (and the driving force behind the idea), is environmental. An incidental benefit is that the cashmere feels even softer than usual, which is quite incredible.

There are a couple of minor disadvantages. Namely, the items should be dry cleaned only. Wet washing may lead to some loss of colour.

Wholesale enquiries are more than welcome.

Pantone - a monopoly on colour ?

Wow - $4200 for 1900 colour swatches in pantone colours. Truly expensive!

These are pretty useful in the cashmere business.

You can order them at www.pantone.com .

I'm surprised that a low cost competitor hasn't emerged.

Nepal Strike and Corruption

Well, Kathmandu is completely shut down again. There is a general strike and people are out protesting about the rise in the price of petrol.

It was 67 rupees and is now 80 rupees .. (about 60p up to 75p) , a big deal when a typical monthly flat rental is about 800 rupees.

This must be very frustrating for the people of a country which has enough Hydro-Power to provide electricity to India , and become as rich as some of the middle east states on the back of this.

On another level , it means that our incoming shipment of cashmere for mypashmina.co.uk is delayed by 3 or 4 days, a few customers will get probably get grumpy about this and of course in a small part it harms our business and the lively hood of the workers in the factory in Kathmandu.

the root cause .. corruption and greed .

Pure cashmere dyed with vegetable dyes

This is me , doing a bad impression of Marge Simpson..

The hat is a silly shape .. but i have to say it was not our design..

The important thing is that the wonderful colour comes from natural dyes, not synthetic swiss dyes. This gives it more depth. The other great thing about natural dyes is that they naturally complement each other. So wearing cashmere in a few different colours at the same time is easy.

This hat is pure cashmere, amazingly soft, and not available yet.

the vegetable dyed range of cashmere is available to wholesale customers and will be avilable to the public very soon at www.mypashmina.co.uk

New Stripey Cashmere Scarves

Mypashmina.co.uk has now made available these stylish pure cashmere scarves.

Only £44.50 with free delivery which represents excellent value.

All the pure cashmere items are hand made in Nepal, and the production facility in Kathmandu now employs over 60 people.

Cashmere is one of Nepals few successful exports and is important for the Nepalese economy.

Pure Cashmere Wristwarmers now avilable

These 100% Cashmere wristwarmers are now avilable to buy online at www.mypashmina.co.uk.

You can also buy a cashmere scarf to match perfectly.

not only that... if you dont like the colours available on www.mypashmina.co.uk , you can choose your own two colours and have them especially made. It only costs a few extra quid.

Pure Cashmere 4ply Berets in any colour.

Pure Cashmere 4ply berets in 10 colours from mypashmina.co.uk . Warm, Stylish and amazingly soft.

£32 , and delivery is free as always !

You can also have one made to order in any colour you like...

Cashmere Top - Leopard Print Round Neck

New at mypashmina.co.uk , a pure cashmere ladies roundneck with leopard print. This style was inspired by the popularity of the leopard print pashmina stole (£57 delivered). It will be for sale at £84 which is a complete bargain, and not only that you could have it made with any background colour for just £108 .. so how about leopard print on a bright yellow background. Only in pure cashmere of course !

BANAVATA - 80% Cashmere / 20% Bamboo

With our new range of 80% Bamboo / 20% Cashmere clothing about to be available - we have decided to use only natural dyes. (this is interesting in light of the project kilims..see next post). The problem with natural dyes is that to dye 1 kg of fabric, it costs more than twice as much as it costs with swiss dyes. However for the BANAVATA range, we think it is important to use the most ecological methods. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant around and extremely renewable ... maybe the cashmere goats could eat it also. !

Banavata.com and Banavata.co.uk Websites Launched

Wholesale enquiries are welcome - Any style , any colour and any size. 0208 123 0557 / paulking@mypashmina.co.uk

BANAVATA is our exciting new brand of clothing and shawls that are 80% bamboo and 20% cashmere - dyed with natural vegetable dyes. All items are handmade in Nepal.

What is the benefit of bamboo?

Comfort & Feel: Due to bamboo fiber’s cross section which is composed of a matrix with various microscopic gaps, bamboo fiber is more breathable, comfortable and thermal regulating than cotton, wool or any other synthetic fiber thereby keeping you cooler, drier and more comfortable all day. This unique micro-structure allows bamboo apparel to absorb and evaporate perspiration faster than any other fabric. It’s nice not to have your clothes sticking to your skin in the hot summer or during exercise!

Bamboo apparel is hypoallergenic. Bamboo’s organic and natural fiber properties make it non-irritating to the skin making it a pleasant alternative for anyone with skin sensitivities or other allergies and dermatitis. Bamboo apparel also protects you from UV rays, naturally.

Environment. Our Bamboo apparel is good for our ecosystems because Bamboo does not require pesticides, insecticides, or fertilizers, and does not involve the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In contrast, cotton crops are one of the most intensely sprayed crops in the world receiving 3-5 times greater application of pesticides per acre than other crops like corn or soybeans. The chemicals used on the cotton crops are linked to ground and surface water contamination, and even the pollution of drinking water (such nitrates from nitrogen fertilizer are known to cause methemoglobinemia, or “blue baby syndrome” in infants). Cotton crop pesticides are also the greatest crop contributor to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which contribute to low level ozone and smog formation, increasing the green house effect. These chemicals are also documented as causing death and loss of reproductive ability in fish and wildlife. It may surprise you to know that it takes about a pound of chemicals to grow the cotton contained in a cotton t-shirt and pants.

Biodegradable. Further, Bamboo fibers are biodegradable, unlike synthetic textile fibers. Synthetic textile fibers are also made from non-renewable petroleum, and can even emit harmful gasses when incinerated. Almost all polyester/cotton blend fabrics are finished with formaldehyde, a carcinogen, added to make fabrics wrinkle or flame resistant. Our bamboo blends have no such chemical applications, and are all in compliance with, and have passed, the Class 1 flammability requirements for JCPenney, PPS#10-0804, under JCP-FL04-0902 and the Flammable Fabrics Act, 16 CFR, Chapter 11, Part 1610, Standard for the Flammability of Clothing Textiles.

The BANAVATA range only uses natural vegetable dyes. This is why black is not available.