PROPOSAL FOR CLUSTER PROJECT IN WEAVING

NAME OF THE CRAFT: KISHTWARI BLANKET/LOIE

PRPOSED AREA TO BE COVERED UNDER CLUSTER: BLOCK PADDAR OF DISTRICT KISHTWAR

Submitted by:

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, HANDLOOM KISHTWAR

 Brief Description of Proposed Concept
1 NAME OF PROPOSED Kishtwari Loie/ Blanket
CLUSTER
2 LOCATION/BLOCK Paddar
3 DISTRICT Kishtwar
4 STATE/UT UT of Jammu & Kashmir
5 SECTOR /CORE Handloom Weaving
PRODUCT/CRAFT OF
THE PROPOSED
CLUSTER
6 CURRENT PRODUCT Woolen Blanket, Woolen Loie, Woolen Pattu, Woolen shawls, Woolen
PORTFOLIO MAJOR socks , Woolen Gloves, Woolen Muffler, Woolen stoles, Woolen
CLUSTER PRODUCTS Waistband and other woolen products.
7 PRESENCE OF Traditional/Indigenous Craft ( no written record available)
CRAFT/CLUSTER IN
THE
REGION(NUMBER OF
YEARS)
8 CLUSTER SNAPSHOT No. of Artisans in the Cluster 100
No. of Household Units 100
Estimated Total turnover of the Cluster 30.00 lakh
9 PROJECT DURATION 3 Years
10 TOTAL PROJECT COST 1.00 cr
11 PRIOR Not applicable
INTERVENTIONS IN
THE CLUSTER/WITH
ARTISANS (BY ANY
GO/NGO/PVT)
INCLUDING
IMPLEMENTATION OF
ANY SCHEME,
PROGRAM, ETC.

12 PRESENT Framers engaged in the work of Traditional weaving, spinning and

LIVELIHOOD other allied works.
PATTERN OF THE
BENEFICIARIES
(ENGAGEMENT IN
CORE PROPOSED
ACTIVITY AS WELL AS
OTHER ACTIVITIES)
13 NAME & FULL Department of Handicrafts & Handloom Jammu Address:- 3rd floor
ADDRESS OF THE JLN Udhyog Bhawan, Rail Head Complex Jammu
INITIATOR
/FACILITATOR
 AGENCY
14 AGENCY BRIEF AND The Department of Handicrafts and Handloom Jammu is primarily
ITS ACTIVITIES IN aimed at to preserve & revive the ages old traditional glorious art of
LAST 3 YEARS weaving and to make weaving sustainable and economically viable to
the weavers. To achieve this, the Department of Handloom is running
03 No of Training Centre to revive and protect the craft of weaving by
providing training to the new generation in the craft of weaving also
and by identifying & registering traditional weavers. During the last
three years the department has registered 173 new Weavers/artisans
in District Kishtwar.

The Department is also forming new Cooperatives under J&K Self-

reliant Cooperative Act 1999 under which Financial Support is
provided to the newly registered Cooperatives and in last three years 4
No of New Cooperatives are registered with the Department in District
Kishtwar.

Moreover the Department is also implementing Centrally sponsored

schemes ( Pradhan Mantri Weaver Mudra scheme) and State
Sponsored Schemes ( Credit card scheme) wherein Financial
assistance is provided to the traditional weavers/artisans & trained
Weavers/ Artisans to set up their own units, and during the last three
years the Department of Handloom Kishtwar have sponsored 76 no
cases collectively.

The Department also organizes awareness camps from time to time to

make the weavers/ artisan aware about the various schemes
implemented by the Department
15 BRIEF OF THE CRAFT The District Kishtwar is bordered by Zanskar region of Kargil
district which is a part of Union Territory of Ladakh in the east
and north, Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh to the south,
and Anantnag and Doda districts to the west and the Handicraft &
Handloom of the district is interrelated to these neighboring regions.
The tradition and art of weaving Pattu, Blankets, Loies, Stoles, mufflers
and other woolen products in the whole Kishtwar region is a
remarkable practice since ages. But the glorious art of weaving
Kishtwari Loies is very native to Kishtwar valley. Kishtwar has a hilly
landscape with vast area of around 7737 square km and is surrounded
by lofty snowy mountains due to which most parts of the region
receive heavy snowfall during winters and undergo a chilling weather
for almost half of a year. Since centuries wool and woolen products has
always been a part of social, cultural, and economic aspects of the
residents of the district. Sheep rearing is very common in all the areas
of the district, from which wool is collected and then processed which
are later spun to make threads and then yarned to be used for making
various woolen fabrics. These woolen fabrics are then used for making
various woolen products using Looms and other accessories. The
common products include Socks, Gloves, Muffler, Scarf, Caps,
Waistband, Pattu (woolen cloths), Woolen Blankets, and Woolen Loies
and other locally used products.
16 BRIEF OF WEAVING The cluster has been proposed to cover the area of Block Paddar
CLUSTER which lies in the North-East of district Kishtwar which is a rural area
and is home of “Paddari Tribe” and “Bot Tribe” who from times
immemorial is practicing the art of weaving. The cluster is proposed to
cover 100 No of weavers of Block Paddar who are still practicing the
art of weaving.

As per Sheep Husbandry Department, the annual production of

4,06,600 kg of Wool, out of which 80% is finer wool and 20% is Course
wool, and only 5% of the wool is used locally.

The wool extracted from this sheep is used to produce Woolen Loies,
Woolen Blankets/ Loies, Woolen Pattus and other woolen products.
The Loies , Balnkets, Pattus are weaved on traditional Looms using
woolen fabric, which are extracted from the above mentioned breed of
sheep and are used in almost every household. Woolen blanket and
Loies are very popular and are also used in various occasion e.g as a
present in marriages, religious occasions, as part of traditional dress
among women in various interior part of Kishtwar. Apart from this
woolen yarns are used to produce woolen Socks Gloves All the woolen
products are
 Primarily the Loies are weaved using traditionally spun and
yarned wool with its natural color (white, black, brown and
grey) thus making it unique and highly in demand.

Picture showing a plain Kishtwari Loie

 Colored woolen Loies includes the use of dyed woolen threads

to make it more attractive and unique and is highly in demand
particularly among the females.
 Pictures showing colored Kishtwari Loies
 But now a days due to shortage of woolen thread, Raffal and
Cahsmillion thread which are easily available in various colors
in markets are also used in weaving Loies which are finer and
softer.

17 Description of the The art of weaving is practices in various parts of J&K and neighboring
Products and designs States & UT. However the weaving of Kishtwari Loies/ Balnket is very
native to Kishtwar District. The wool removed from the body of the
sheep, is collected in a bulk lot by the rural sheep owners. The flocks
are given a wash prior to shearing which removes some of dirt and
dust attached to raw material. Wool is the fiber of a living animal. It
forms the protective covering of the sheep, insulating it against both
heat and cold and keeping its body temperature even, and this intrinsic
property of wool make it unique and high in demand.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS-

1. Dimensions- From 1 to 14 inches or more in length. From

 1/600th to 1/3,000th of an inch in diameter.
2. Strength- Wool can be bent upto 20,000 times without breaking
so it is extremely flexible.
3. Elasticity- It can be stretched to an additional 25to 35% of its
own length without breaking.
4. Resilience- Natural elastic recovery causes it to return to
original position after being stretched or creased so therefore it
is wrinkle resistant.
5. Crimp- Natural crimp or waviness of the fibre gives it bulk,
enables it to trap air and so provide insulation.
6. Absorbency- It absorb up to 30% of its weight in moisture
without feeling damp. This explains its affinity for dyes. It also
explains why wool feels warm. Perspiration is absorbed and so
does not cool the body by evaporation.
7. Heat Action- It begins to disintegrate at 212°F.

OTHER CHARACTERISTIC

1. Woolen fabrics generally have a soft feel and fuzzy surface.

2. They have little shine, or sheen.
3. Woolens do not hold a crease well.
4. Their tensile strength is relatively low.
5. As a rule, woolens use less expensive yarns than worsteds.
6. Woolens take great depth of color in dyeing.
7. Woolens are generally heavier and bulkier than worsteds.
8. Woolens are more suited to casual fashions.

GOODS PRODUCED:
A variety of products is produced by the local weavers are enlisted
below:-
01: Woolen Blankets
02: Woolen Loies
03: Woolen Pattu
04: Woolen Socks , Gloves Mufflers, waist bands

METHODOLOGY OF PRODUCTION:
The step wise process of weaving in detail is as under:
(A) Raw material: Sheep rearing is not new to Kishtwar but has been
practiced from times immemorial. The sheep were reared in flocks due
to environmental condition, cultural habit and multitude of benefits
related to sheep. The sheep were mainly kept for mutton and wool
production. The number of sheep per farmer varied according to the
wealth and prosperity of owner. During summer, villagers were
dependent on the mountain meadows and shepherd for rearing and
during winters they are dependent on the Hay. The wool produced by
sheep have three colors: black wool, the white, and the dark brown.
The breed of sheep reared in Kishtwar is “Gaddi Breed”. Gaddies are
hill tribes who are traditional sheep breeders raising this breed. These
sheep are small in size but have sturdy legs with short tails and ears.
They live on scrub forest during winter and in summer they migrate to
Paddar and other neighboring ranges of District Kishtwar. The fleece is
generally white with brown colored hair on the face. The quality of
wool is medium fine with average fiber dia-meter 34.90 micron (u)
and staple length 10.10 centimeters. The wool in these sheep is
lustrous and under coat is used for manufacture of shawls and
blankets. As per Sheep Husbandry department, the annual production
of 4,06,600 kg of Wool, out of which 80% is finer wool and 20% is
Course wool, and only 5% of the wool is used locally.

Picture(a) Picture (b)

Picture (a) showing sheep reared in mountains of Kishtwar and Picture
(b) showing Raw wool obtained from Sheep.
(B) Spinning and Yarn Making: The Raw wool obtained directly from
the sheep is filthy and contains lot of dirt, sand, thorns, splinters etc
and is not fit for the process of yarning. Therefore, the raw wool is
initially cleaned by washing and drying in the sun thereafter the
washed Wool is processed either traditionally using a comb like tool
called as Hand Carders or at wool processing unit to remove all the
dirt, sand, and other micro impurities.

Picture(A) showing use of Hand carders for cleaning wool .

Picture (B) showing wool cleaned by hand Carders

These cleaned wools are then spun either by using a local tool called as
Hand Spindle or by charkha to make yarn.

Picture (a)
 Picture (b)

Picture (c)

Picture(a) showing the processing of spinning wool into yarn

Picture (b) showing hand spindle tool used for spinning wool into yarn.
Picture(c) showing Traditional wooden charkha used for spinning wool
into yarn.

(C) Dyeing: The Raw wool is obtained in three natural forms black
wool, the white, and the dark brown and these three basic colors are
generally used to produce Kishtwari Loies, but with the introduction of
dying the basic white color yarn is dyed into various color which are
mixed with each other to make a unique and colorful product.
Picture above showing use of various dyed yarns for weaving of a
Kishtwari Loie

(D) Warping: The warping is an arrangement of long threads of equal

lengths stretched over a loom kept parallel to the ground, this forms
the structure or skeleton of the material to be woven, and makes the
length of the cloth locally called as ‘tana’. A very important step prior
to weaving is the preparation of the warp yarn for the loom and its
installation on the loom. Weavers put in considerable labour in
arranging the warp yarn. The term is also used for a set of yarns
established before the interworking of weft yarns. Traditional looms
use a simple warp, in which the warp is made up of a single, very long
yarn either of plain color or of multiple color wound in a spiral pattern
around a pair of beams.
Picture showing the traditional process of warping done for colored
Kishtwari Loie

(E) Weaving: Weaving is the final step of Loie making, which include
many steps :
1. Preparation of Shuttle and Wodden Pirns: The woolen yarns
are wrapped around wooden pirns and are placed in the
wooden shuttle for the process of weft.
2. Threading the Heddles: This is a long-time taking process and
the job is done with patience. Normally the width of the healds
is more than the cloth to be woven. For preparing cloth of
shorter widths such as a muffler, more than half the heddle eyes
are left untouched. Threading is done in a way that the healds
are perfectly balanced. For this equal number of heddle eyes
are left unthreaded on both the sides and only the central
portion of the healds is used.
3. Reeding: It is the final stage of their journey from the warp
roller to the front roller or cloth beam. Actually, the threads
are tied to a thin front roller stick which fits close to the cloth
beam. Denting is usually done from right to the left. The threads
are drawn from the dents with a reed hook. The warp ends
threaded in about two inches of space in the reed are collected
in two braids and tied to a long wooden stick or an iron bar. The
bar is called the cloth roller stick. This way the threads are
prevented from slipping back. Bow knot is used in trying the
warp ends to the bar which can easily be undone. Denting reed
when denting is complete and tie up of warp threads in bunches
to the cloth roller stick is over, the weaver checks the tension of
warp and the correct order of the threads. Care is always taken
that the ends are tied evenly to the cloth roller stick so that all
the warp threads lie in uniform tension.
4. Preparation of weft: The weft is known as 'bana' in the
weaver's terms. The threads of weft yarn are interlaced at right
angles through the opening of the warp in an unbroken single
 thread. The thread is carried either by a cylinder shape or by
some other form of shuttle.

Picture A

18 Objective of the
cluster. Picture B
Picture (A) showing a plain natural color Loie weaved.
Picture (B) showing a Traditional Loom
The Handloom activity in Kishtwar district is almost done in every
household particularly in the rural areas. Women are generally
indulged in the processing of cleaning the wool, spinning, and making
yarn and males collects wool by trimming it from sheep and weaves
the Blankets, loies and pattus. Handloom activity is carried out along
with their day-to-day domestic work, to generate additional income
apart from other daily activity.

The Handloom sector is a vital part of rural and semi-rural

livelihoods, who are engaged in the work of weaving, spinning and
other allied works which includes all the steps from extraction of wool
to Final weaved Blanket.

The proposed cluster is aimed to cater the unorganized traditional

weavers of Block Paddar of District Kishtwar who are practicing the
ages old traditional art of weaving. The aim is to provide skill
upgradation, design innovation, knowledge of Dyeing & Printing,
financial assistance by upgrading the looms/ accessories, installing
new lighting units, construction of work-shed and providing market
linkage by providing market through various Handloom exhibitions
(domestic Expos, State level expos, National Level expos).
The objectives of a Handloom Cluster in weaving are multifaceted,
aiming to support and develop the handloom industry, which is a
significant part of cultural heritage and rural economy.

1. Infrastructure Development: To improve infrastructure

facilities like better storage, weaving sheds, to meet market
demands.
2. Technology Upgradation: To enhance pre-loom, on-loom, and
post-loom operations through technology upgradation,
ensuring products meet quality standards for domestic and
international markets.
3. Skill Upgradation: To provide design inputs and skill
development opportunities for weavers, enabling them to
create products that cater to changing market trends.
4. Design Innovation: To incorporate new ideas as per the
market such as color combinations, introducing latest patterns,
to keep the product relevant & appealing to the consumers.
5. Market Linkages: To establish close linkages among key players
in the cluster and develop specific products that can be
identified with geographical locations.
6. Empowerment: To empower weavers economically by
ensuring better remuneration for their products and providing
an assured market.
7. Women Empowerment: Since a significant number of weavers
are women, the clusters also aim to empower them
economically.
8. Sustainability: Promoting environmentally sustainable
practices in the handloom industry, such as using natural dyes
and organic fibers e.g Wool, silk to reduce the and encouraging
ecofriendly production methods
These objectives are designed to help handloom weavers overcome
challenges and capitalize on opportunities in a globalized
environment, ultimately improving their living standards and
preserving the handloom craft.
Picture depicting a shepherd rearing sheep’s in the mountains of district Kishtwar

Picture showing Kishtwari blanket/Loie and a local wearing Blanket

 Pic (A)
Pic(B)

Pic(A) Picture depicting Looms on which the Blanket has been weaved Pic (B) Picture
depicting blanket which has been weaved on Loom shown in Pic (A)

Picture depicting a stranded frame of Loom which required assistance for Loom & shed.