The Cashmere Shawl

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

THE CASHMERE SHAWL (S8x32) 3C (4C set) Iain Boyd Strathtay Album

1- 8 1s turn RH and cast down 2 places, cross LH and cast up to 2nd place opposite sides
9-16 1s turn RH and turn 1st corners LH, turn 2nd corners RH and turn partner LH to face 1st corners
17-24 1s ½ diagonal reel of 4 with 1st corners, pass RSh and dance ½ diagonal reel with 2nd corners. (3)(1)(2)
25-32 1s (centre couple) change places RH with person diagonally to Right, New centre couple change LH with person diagonally to Left, New centre couple change RH with person diagonally to Right, All cross LH

(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)

The Cashmere Shawl
Iain Boyd Strathtay Album
Strathspey 8 x 32 bars 3 Couple Repeat 4 Couple Set Longwise Set

1-2 1s turn by the right;

3-4 1s cast 2 places on own sides;

5-8 1s cross by the left and cast up to 2nd place (opposite sides);

9-12 1s turn partner by the right, first corners by the left;

13-16 1s turn second corners by the right, partner by the left;

17-20 1s half diagonal reel of 4 with first corners;

21-24 1s half diagonal reel of 4 with second corners (finishing 3s1s2s on opposite sides);

25-26 3L1M 1L2M cross diagonally by the right (Ls going down);

27-28 3M2M 3L2L cross diagonally by the left (3s going down);

29-30 1M2L 3M1L cross diagonally by the right (Mn going down);

31-32 2s1s3s cross by the left.

(MAXICRIB. Scottish country dancing instructions compiled by Reuben Freemantle)

Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams

The Cashmere Shawl - Full Size And Key To Symbols

Dance Instruction Videos

The Cashmere Shawl - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction Video

Dance Information

Cashmere wool, usually simply known as cashmere, is a fibre obtained from cashmere goats or pashmina goats and other types of goat, which has been used to make yarn, textiles and clothing for hundreds of years.

The word cashmere is an anglicisation of Kashmir. Common usage defines the fibre as wool, but it is finer, stronger, lighter, softer and approximately three times more insulating than sheep wool.

Both the soft undercoat and the guard hairs may be used; the softer hair is reserved for textiles, while the coarse guard hair is used for brushes and other non-apparel purposes.

A number of countries produce cashmere and have improved processing techniques over the years, but China and Mongolia are two of the leading producers as of 2019.

Europeans prized cashmere shawls for the softness and warmth of the wool, the rich colours, the intricacy of the weave and designs. They were hand-made by men from fine 'pashm' wool, which was taken from the downy underfur of a Himalayan mountain goat (Capra hircus) and brought into India from Tibet and Ladakh in the summer season.

From the 15th century, successive rulers of Kashmir, including the Mughals, continued the evolution of the shawl. Europeans then began to extend its popularity. The French sent patterns to agent's houses in Srinagar to be made up in Kashmir, based on general orientalist designs. The British largely preferred local designs: Lady Canning asked for traditional patterns in her order of 1861. One traditional design was the 'Char bagh ka namuna' or Pattern of the Four Gardens, made up of four separate pieces of differently coloured cloth.

Cashmere Shawl Makers, Kashmir, 1867

Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Cashmere Wool article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright William Simpson, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

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