The magic of Orenburg Shawls

Since antique, shawls are knowned, with references even in the Bible, but the recent Shawls story came from the English's Kashmir discovery in the 18th century.

One of the specific features of the Kashmir shawls is the matter used to make them: the Tibet goat's down.
This down is produced by goats in severe conditions, only in very cold period (-40 °) and at a high altitude (+ of 4000m).

As an extreme conditions fiber(-40 °), goat's down is the finest of naturalfibers known .
Its diameter, 3 to 4 times as fine as a hair is less than 13 microns for the best quality.

This exceptional delicacy gives this fiber an absolutely exceptional softness in touch, and as it is naturally insulating (for good reasons), it allows to create very light and very hot cloths.

OK, but the Orenburg Shawls?

They both are made with the same fiber: Tibet goat's down.
In the Himalayas south is the Kashmir, and in the Himalayas North is the Kirghizstan, which feeds the Orenbourg Russian city with goat's down..

There is however an essential difference between two: Kashmir cloths are weaved on loom, which gives them a smooth and regular aspect, while the Orenburg Russian productions are knitted, which gives them an exceptional filling, as well as an incomparable softness.

In fact two techniques are used for the Orenburg Shawls.
The first one uses a needles knitting, either manual, or on a rudimentary loom, leaving the nice part in human activity, and the second technology, most searched, use a "forks knitting", which giving a wider stitches, gives an unusually esthetic aspect.

Thanks to the "Fork's method", the specialized workers get the "Spider web" aspect, which besides improving the esthetics and the filling, keeps a very good insulating capacity.

The Orenburg Shawls are reputed for their swelling, and their lightness.
These qualities are highlighted by the well-known test which consists in getting them in the hole of a wedding ring, which is amazing, at first.

It is as the elephant joke in a fridge: we can't believe it.
But every time the master trick works, and the shawl go through the ring without any problem.

To bring the final touch, the Orenburg Shawls incorporate an important proportion of silk, what gives them brilliance and still improve their esthetic qualities.

Where is it possible to find Orenburg Shawls?

To find a Shawl of Orenbourg is not always an easy thing, because these shawls being produced in small quantities, they aren't found everywhere.
Fortunately, thanks to Internet and to search engines, it is possible today to find specialized online stores, sometimes located in the world other side.
It's the web magic!