Climate Change

About 18 months ago, we were in Kathmandu, shouting at some beaurocrat about how to get permission to import solar panels (the way to get permission, is to import some and have them tested to prove they are appropriate - despit the obvious chicken and egg scenario here - it was also not yet possible to have them tested because the fees and methods for this hadnt been agreed - since 3 years!).

We had done some sums and calculated that assuming the mains electricity (mainly hydro) continued to fail, and assuming we had to use a diesil (at record high fuel prices) generator every day, and also assuming minimum maintenance, then we would recoup the cost of the solar panels in about 8 years.

It was not possible due to the beaurocracy, and soon after the cheap mains electricity came back online.

In these times where the electricity was only available for a few hours a day, the relatively rich went and bought deisil generators. The poor made do in the dark. This meant the rich could make progress and the poor fell further behind.

This brings me to the Copenhagen summit. I'm glad that the original aims failed for a number of reasons.

Firstly , to deny the poor in the world cheap electricity will keep them poor. Family sizes will only start to shrink in poor countries once people reach a certain level of wealth and children become a financial burden rather than a financial asset. This has happened throughout the world where countries have developed. If the poor countries are allowed to develop at full speed then the world population will stop growing in the forseeable future.

Secondly, I have been doing a lot of reading, and it seems that the supposed consensus about the effect of man made CO2 does not exist. It was a case of a policy looking for evidence - and a policy backd by a lot of money. It seems that a very small number of scientists have had an unbalanced level of influence and have used unsavoury tactics to supress peer review of their findings. Here is an interesting article on this subject htttp://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fpcomment/archive/2009/12/18/terence-corcoran-a-2-000-page-epic-of-science-and-skepticism-part-1.aspx . There seems to be stronger evidence that global warming (the planet has not warmed since 1998) , is a result of how the sun affects cosmicrays which interact with the water vapor in the atmosphere to cause clouds (this is affected by CFC's - so good that they are banned), Here is a good summary http://joannenova.com.au/globalwarming/skeptics-handbook-ii/the_skeptics_handbook_II-mq-v1.3.pdf

So, while i think the hunt for cheaper, cleaner forms of power is very desireable ... not at the expense of the poor in the world, and not at the expense of simple freedoms. The incredible aims of the Copenhagen summit were based on policy led science rather than impartial disinterested science informing policy.

here's some other websites, where people are examining the work of the few scientists at the core of this debate.

http://wattsupwiththat.com/
http://www.climateaudit.org
and here's the website set up by the scientists who inform the International Panel on Climate Change - http://www.realclimate.org

Do some reading

ps... probably the last time i use the Mypashmina blog for a rant :) I'll find somewhere else to do it.

/Paul

New items on Mypashmina.co.uk

We have 40 more pure cashmere crochet hand knitted scarves...
We hope you like them.. each one is completely unique because the colours were chosen by the people that made them.Here are a few pictures to give you the idea...




The price for each unique piece - just £79.50

We also have redsigned the unisex pashmina. It is 3ply, so slightly thicker than a standard one. It is also herringbone weave with an open edge (rather than tassles), and 60x190cm. Pure cashmere , or course.
We have 10 colours in stock. The price is £66.10.



...also we had a lesson from a professional photographer (at vast expense!), who helped us set up our flashes for our photography studio a bit better... and also how to calibrate the screen so the colours are perfect. This should minimise the problem caused by the wide range of settings on computer screens.

/Paul

Small & Large online shops

Caroline bought a load of maternity clothes from Asos yesterday.

This morning she saw that even though she had checked the box for
Express delivery, it was on standard delivery.

No problem really, just pick up the phone and get it sorted.... no phone
number !

and the email gets an automated general all purpose reply.

the web is great for shopping, especially when you get personal service !

New stuff at Mypashmina.co.uk - Cashmere and Pashminas

Hello,

This week , we have a few new cashmere items that i hope you will like.

Firstly, we have the ever popular ribbed fitted polo neck in 5 new colours...
Here's one of them!

Secondly, we have added some new colours of o-neck cardigans - 4 new colours.

We also have some new scarves with a star design, cleverly woven and very stylish... here's caroline wearing one... 100% Pure cashmere ... 5 colour combinations in stock - these should be avilable by the end of today (if i get a move on!)


and finally, we have added some exclusive one off items to our designer pashminas pages.

see www.mypashmina.co.uk for more info.

/ Paul
02081230557

A little moan about couriers

We had a bit of a panic on Thursday, when a box turned up, but 180 items were missing.

DHL had broken the box, and kindly repackaged it.. but lost the other boxes.

It turns out that one box went to Southamption, one to Leeds, and the repackaged one was not tracked at all. (we are near Grantham in Nottinghamshire).

Everything turned up in the end... but on Tuesday 17th.. meaning a delay of 5 days to many of our lovely customers.

Sorry for the delays.. i must have made about 30 phone calls to DHL to get this sorted, and it was in the end!

/Paul

more clearance stuff on mypashmina

We're having a cashmere clearout!
...more bargains available on our clearance pages
www.mypashmina.co.uk

Pure cashmere ladies round necks for £33 !

Hello,

Here is one not to miss.

I have just updated the clearance page with ladies round necks for £33.

These polo necks carry the CashmereValley label.

They are available in many sizes and colours!

/Paul

Pure cashmere ladies polo necks for £33 !

Hello,

Here is one not to miss.

I have just updated the clearance page with ladies polo necks for £33.

These polo necks carry the CashmereValley label.

They are available in - Black, Blue, Pink, Red and Chocolate.

/Paul

Custom orders - Guaranteed Christmas Delivery

The last date which you can order custom made cashmere items and have guaranteed delivery in time for Christmas is 14th November.

Orders up until 21st November , we will try, but i wouldn't be able to guarantee delivery for Christmas.

You can have almost any item that we sell made in any size and any colour. The price is either the same or 10% more than our in stock items.

/ Paul

New - Cashmere Blankets - £335

Weighing in at a hefty 700grams, these large cashmere blankets are the ultimate in cashmere luxury.

They are 100% Pure cashmere, and the quality of the material and the basketweave mean that it feels incredibly soft.

There are 7 colours availale, and they measure 140x180cm.

/Paul
www.mypashmina.co.uk

What is Dashain ?

Dashain is the Nepalese festival- where lots of goats (not cashmere goats!) have their heads chopped off! Watch this video to find out more...



/Paul

New - Pure Silk Scarves in 22 colours

We have more than 20 colours of our wonderful new silk scarves.

They are made from 210 quality silk, which is a finer grade of silk than our previous silk scarves.

It means that they are more floaty, less creasable and they feel wonderfully soft and silky.

They are 60x190cm, which we think is a very versitile size.

The price is just £28.50

/Paul

Royal Mail strike

It's annoying , but not as bad as you might think from the news reports.

It seems to be mainly affecting London. We've found that some of the packges sent with our free option (Royalmail 1st Class recorded) are being delayed by 1-2 days. A few have been delayed by about 5 days.

Items sent with Special Delivery are always getting delivered on time (except the one day where our local postie went on strike and didn't collect the mail!).

So, If your order is for a special occasion, I would recommend spending the extra £5.40 on Special Delivery to take the worry out of whether or not it will be delivered in time.

If the strike carries on much longer, or gets worse, we will add a courier option for about the same price as Special Delivery.

some silk scarves for clearance

I have just put the last of our silk scarves on the clearance page for just £15 !

They are normally £22.99 , so this is somewhat of a bargain.45 x 200cm , 100% Silk (140), Biege, Red, Yellow

They are making way for new 210count silk scarves which are really nice.

New cashmere v-neck cardigans..

..have arrived. available at mypashmina.co.uk for just £69 !

We have 8 colours. A v-neck cardigan is a must for everyone. You should wear one those chilly summer nights so you wont get a cold!

Mypashmina Idea competition is a great sucess

Thanks so much to everyone who has sent in their ideas for our competition, and also a big thankyou to those who have replied to my questions asking for more details.

We are putting a few of the ideas in to production soon, but there will be only one winner!

all the entries so far can be found on the website- see *competition on the left menu.

If you haven't entered yet, the prize is a free one of whatever-your-idea-is in any colour to suit you .. and just for fun, we might even name the new style after you :)

if you want to enter, just email your ideas to paulking@mypashmina.co.uk

Nepal has a new Prime Minister

This is the new prime minister of Nepal. Hopefully he is better than the last one!

Hi name is Madhav Kumar, and in his inaugauration speech he said "“I am neither a ‘poison tree’ nor an ‘wish fulfilling tree’ one but a simple tree that gives sweet fruits or at least shadow to the travelers"

I just hope he is not corrupt, and is encouraging to good businesses and environmental initiatives.

New styles on Mypashmina from today

This is now in stock, and goes very nicely with either a 'Hot Pink' or ' Cobblestone' pashmina.
www.mypashmina.co.uk

New - Crochet cashmere flower scarves in stock

We've moved our cashmere factory to a different part of Kathmandu . This is on the northern edge of the city in an area where there are lots of Tibetan families.

A lot of the Tibetan women are skilled in knitting and crocheting. This gave us an idea!

We hope you like them.. each one is completely unique because the colours were chosen by the people that made them.

ONLY £79.50

100% Cashmere
150cmx25cm
Made in Nepal
150-160grams approx.

www.mypashmina.co.uk

Varanasiscarves available to buy in Moscow

If you live in Moscow you can now go to the shop Paqocha to buy our finest quality silk scarves from Varanasi. Paqocha is located bang in the centre of Moscow on the bridge near the new financial centre. Also, you can buy a range of Alpaca and by us produced cashmere knitwear in their own designs, which is good news if you are living there and need some nice clothes!

These scarves are so amazing and eye-catching, they have to be seen in real life. They are an excellent way of brightening up and completing an outfit.

My personal favourites are the ones with several colours in. Like this one:
It has the aptly suitable name "Multi Amazing". You can see more pictures on Mypashmina
















Pashmina-Paul and Paqocha shop owner Tim on an excursion to Smögen on the west coast in Sweden.

Cashmere Valley - 50% off

Now is a very good time to get over to www.cashmerevalley.com and buy half price pashminas.

We have just done a stock take and updated the website.

You can save a lot of money, and the remaining colours and styles are very nice too.

For example, you can pick up a pure cashmere poloneck and a 7030 pashmina stole for just £54 total!

/Paul

New Gift Wrap for Mypashmina

I have designed some new gift wrap, that will be made from environmentally sustainable Lokta paper with flower petals.

This is the paper making factory in Kathmandu, where they mash up the fibrous bark from the lokta bushes and spread it out on these frames to dry.

New cashmere scarf from Mypashmina

New

It might soon be available from www.mypashmina.co.uk

Each one will be totally unique and hand-knitted outside of our factory in the Tibetan quarter of Kathmandu.

What do you think ?

100% Cashmere of course.

Paul heading back to Nepal

Hello,

The picture is the inside of Abu Dhabi airport ... i've been here before, but had forgotten what an unusual airport building it is... its like being in an inside-out donut with shiny blue and green tiles on all the walls.

I'm heading back to Nepal, after being back at base for 2 months, and looking forward to seeing the new factory which started production last week.

My pashmina (100% cashmere, 90x200cm) came in handy on the overnight flight to here. So much nicer than the airplane blankets...

Not too much to complain about with cattle-class on Etihad airways (except their name, which had me thinking it was an Ethiopian airline!)

/Paul

PS.. i've just discovered that www.flickr.com is blocked in this country!

Clone a goat?

Picture: Paul holding a baby cashmere goat in Inner Mongolia

I couldnt believe it, when i stumbled upon this article from Times of India:

Scientists to clone Pashmina goat

According to the article a gang of Indian scientists, that were the first to clone the buffalo, are set to start work on cloning the Capra Hircus goat. The article also says the six-member-team of scientists will use somatic cells from the ear of a donor goat to create the clone and use a hand-guided Cloning Technique to create the clone this month. The cashmere fibre is very expensive and India is not producing enough. (less than 0.5% of the total world production of approximately 10,000 tonnes per annum). The journalist writes "Even worse, while the world Pashmina production has almost doubled from 5,000 tonnes in the early nineties, the Indian Pashmina industry has remained static with the Changthang plateau of Ladakh contributing almost 90% of the total production."

I personally think it hasnt only got to do with the lack of the goat in India..rather has it more to do with the way the business is done and the extensive cheating, for instance 100% pashmina really being 100% viscos, and kashmiri wool which is really sheepswool from sheep in the region Kashmir. And if you have been to India as a western tourist, and gone into a tourist shop to buy some pashminas, you will surely know what I mean.

I believe that if there had been an government organisation to control this cheating and the quality more people would feel confident with doing business with indian cashmere companies, and not chinese ones. The majority of pure cashmere today actually comes from Inner Mongolia in China, even our own raw cashmere yarn. A controlled production would generate more business for India, and therefore more goat farms in my view.

I feel very strongly against cloning, but on the other hand it could possibly bring some good news too.

One thing that might be good about cloning might be that some diseases could probably be cured, which today is a problem in India. A more natural solution, in my own belief, would be to actually do something about the general garbage & sewage problem in India. It is not so strange the animal gets sick if it eats plastic bags with rotten vegetables off the streets!

Dr Singla says to Times of India that "Successfully cloning the animal will help multiply the number of Pashmina goats drastically, and that one goat would have given birth to a single offspring every year, but through cloning, they can get surrogate mothers to give birth to 40-50 offsprings annually."

Still not convinced.

/Caroline

Don´t forget to have a look at www.mypashmina.co.uk for your pashmina needs.

Mypashmina Stocktake

Hello..

We are doing our yearly stocktake on Thursday 19th and Friday 20th February 2009.

This means that if you order after 1pm on Wednesday, your order will be dispatched on the following Monday.

Thanks for your understanding in this time.

/Paul

Clearance items @ Mypashmina

SAVE YOUR POUNDS - AND BUY FROM THE CLEARANCE PAGE!

Hello!

I have just been updating the clearance page.. reducing some prices and making some more clearance items available.
/ Paul

New - Angelweave Pashminas at Mypashmina

New today ... Angelweave pashmina stoles (55x200cm). The vertical (warp) is pure silk, and the horizontal (weft) is handspun pure cashmere. Handspinning the cashmere gives it this lovely uneven natural look. We chose a dark colour silk for the warp, so that when the pieces are dyed you can see the two colours.

There are 8 colours in stock. The total fibre content is 90% cashmere / 10% silk. They feel amazingly soft.

So , scoot along to www.mypashmina.co.uk and see the other colours available.

Some nice feedback

On the order sheet:

Received a pure cashmere scarf as a Christmas present from purecollection.com and I absolutely adore it. I went on their website to purchase one for my friend's birthday but the scarves were not available - their loss! So I went on the web and looked at various websites and yours seemed to stand out for quality, cost and choice. As you can see I couldn't decide on just one colour, so decided to have 3 - the more the better!! Really looking forward to receiving them - thanks, Fiona

Email received later:

I am absolutely delighted with my purchases - they are beautiful.

Cool site with videos

Just found this site where you can find videos about how to do almost anything.
Here is a useful link that shows how to fold you cashmere cardigan without getting it creased. Also lots of practical small tips:

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-fold-a-cardigan

Plan to post one there later on the many uses of pashminas.

I particularly enjoyed the videos there are already there on the relationship section - the "how to make the first move" was hilarious! (but true)

exchange rates

Nepali Music

We love Nepali music ... Here is a remix of a classic

http://www.bagmati.net/users/prakrity/ewf/prakrity_com/res/mp3/sing/dj_raju_-_chyangba_hoi_chyangba_(prakritys_sedated_remix)_(www.prakrity.com).mp3

...and a good site if you want to listen to more is www.nepalisongs.com

/Paul

Mypashmina featured in Closer Magazine

As recommended by the life style editor Juliet Blank. You can find this pashmina by going to www.mypashmina.co.uk and click on Pashminas on the the menu, and then classic pashminas. They cost from £19.50 incl. free delivery. The featured pashmina measures 70x200 cm and is made in 70% cashmere 30% silk mix which is the most popular choice. (because you can wear it in many ways - not too big nor too small)

Mypashmina featured again

This month we've been in one of the largest woman magazines in Sweden, Femina. Many lovely Swedish customers have found us through the feature which has made us very happy. Click on the pictures to enlarge. The pashminas on the photo are the 70% cashmere 30% silk ones in 70 x 200 cm. They cost £39.50 (free next day delivery!!) and are available in many many colours. We recommend this size or the slightly bigger one (90x200cm) for travelling. For long haul and long train journeys and adventure travelling i highly recommend the throw size 130x200 cm. Its great because its a proper blanket size and packs up amazingly small. They are so versatile you can't live without them when you start using them!

For us pashminas are vital, everyday even in summer! Almost everybody we know owns a pashmina (a mypashmina-pashmina of course!) and loves it. A friend of ours bought pashminas to give away as Christmas presents for all her family and friends and never got as many thank you cards as this time because everybody loved their pashmina presents. And soon its valentines day.. so is it a good idea for a valentines gift? Oh yes, its an EXCELLENT idea!

Anyway, here is the article:


Translation of the article:

The miracle garment
In the flight magazine "Scanorama" the air hostess Anne-Marie Wallgren, 53, shares her best packing advice. "I don't travel anywhere without a pashmina shawl. I use it in so many ways: To keep me warm and protect me against the sun. When I want to dress up (sometimes I wear it as a skirt) or I just use it to rest my head on." With other words: A clever way to increase your wardrobe - and comfort - for everybody that travels a lot in work.

Fancy your own shawl?
The online shop Mypashmina.se has specialized in clothes and accessories in luxurious cashmere. Now Mypashmina.se offers you that read Femina 10% discount on the classic pashmina shawls. They are available in 5 sizes, in over 50 colours and costs from 299 kr. To get the discount, which applies for all products, you use the code 2009femina2 when you order on the web site www.mypashmina.se. The offer is valid until January 25th, 2009

For you English lot we also have a discount code that is valid now available somewhere on this blog, which you'll definitely find if you read it carefully :)

The code will work on Mypashmina.co.uk and you can use it for all items there.

New! Frilled Edge Cashmere Scarves

These pure cashmere frilled edge scarves are now available at www.mypashmina.co.uk (in the accessories section)

The price is a very reasonable £79.50 , and there are 4 colours available. Not only that, you can have it made to order in any one of 117 colours !

There is no extra charge for having this item custom made.

/Paul

Power Shedding in Nepal up to 16 hours

This is the guy in charge of Nepal. His nickname is Prachanda.

He is a useless prime minister - absolutely rubbish.

Now, the people of Nepal have to live without electricity for 16 hours per day!

In 2008, in the country with the largest Hydro-Power potential in the world, this is just stupid. Nepal is also a country with huge Solar potential (they tax the import of solar panels 43% - duh!)

This idiot is in charge of a large gang of idiots that ruin a very nice country full of great people. GRRRR !

Mypashmina dream factory

Welcome to beautiful rolling hills, tibetan monasteries, a valley view of farms & cows and children playing in the fields!

We found the perfect place for the factory and have got a 5 year extendable lease, hooray!

The house itself is a 4-storey traditional Nepali house with a big roof top terrace (for drying pashminas), is has big spacious room, clean, lots of bathrooms. And a lovely garden. And for the lunch break we have a nice lawn with swings, hammocks and a picknick table, as well as a place to play basket ball on. I also want a pet baby goat. (they are SOO cute!)

We will build three buildings on the land for the hand knitting machines, and the pashmina looms, and a semi-house for the dyeing. The water that comes out from the dyeing drainage will be filtered properly before it goes out. And it will be solar powered (well half until we convinced our nepalese partners to get more of them!) We will be back in februari and check the progress then it should be ready to move in, we will help with the layout, decorating and get lots and lots of plant pots. Quite different to what its usually like in factories in Nepal, maybe it will start a trend I hope? It doesnt have to tricky to make a nice workplace.

/Caroline

New Designer pashminas coming to Mypashmina.co.uk

Coming soon - within 2 weeks to www.mypashmina.co.uk - we have about 50 individual designer pashminas. They are stunning - a little pricey maybe, but definately worth it.

If you want a preview - have a look at our flickr page HERE

Back from Nepal

Just back from Nepal. I think we acheived a lot. We're going back in February - to make sure the changes are maintained and that the new factory is as nice as we hope.

I just saw an article by Yahoo News saying about the damage that all the fraudsters have done to the cashmere industry in Kashmir. I have known for years not to trust suppliers from that part of the world. The embroidery is amazing, but often it hides the fact that the shawl itself is rarely made from cashmere as claimed. It's a shame that the cheaters ruin the industry for a short term gain.

We test our pashminas and cashmere knitwear regularly with SGS (a testing company) , so we know the quality of our goods. I posted a copy of the last certificate on this blog if you are interested to see.