No. 1 Wild Silk and West Bengali Merino Wool Shawl – Obsidian Black

The first shawl we ever saw in a loom at Avani in the Himalayas - a masterpiece of handcraft.

A reversible large shawl/cape with two different expressions. The warp is in wool and the weave in wild silk. Avani have carded, woven and dyed the wool carefully with natural elements such as leaves, flowers, fruits and materials found around the mountains and forests. Combining wild silk and wool in the loom requires very experienced weavers. The wild silk is hand-picked in the Bihar area, and the soft and warm merino wool has been sourced from West Bengal in northeast India.

Material: 50% wild silk from Bihar, 50% merino wool from West Bengal in north-eastern India.
Size: 65 x 200 cm
Hem: 1 cm fringe

Natural dyes:
45 Pema Orange - Pieris Forest Flame shrub leaves
44 English Red - lac
60 Eucalyptus - natural indigo and pomegranate
65 Pine Green - natural indigo and pomegranate
99 Obsidian Black – Myrobolan tree

Origins: The yarn is hand-spun, hand-woven and naturally dyed at the Avani Cooperative in Uttarakhand, Himalayas.

Production Time: 55 days (sheep wool - 50 days; wild silk cocoons, hand spinning - 2 days; natural dyeing - 1 day; weaving, finishing, fringe cutting, labelling - 2 days)

Durability and care: The shawl is made entirely by hand from nature's vibrant materials and colours. Weaving and spinning by hand leads to the threads being wonderfully irregular, and the natural dyeing allows the colour to vary. Care for your new garment tenderly, and you will have a friend for life. Begin by hanging it out to air. When necessary, wash gently by hand in cold water and mild soap, then hang dry.

Read more about the Avani Cooperative here. Read more about materials and natural dyes here.