Wool – Spinning, Weaving, Knitting of Manipur,
The use of wool and its weaving is restricted dominantly to those regions which have a cold climate. Tradition has it that Brahma created wool himself along with kusa grass, which is used for worship. Amulets and charms are tied with woollen threads and a black woollen thread tied on a person is supposed to ward off evil spirits. The most prized wool is the pashmina which is sourced from the under belly of the Himalayan pashmina goat, which grazes at an height of 14,000 feet. The woollen garment most popular in India is the shawl. Kashmir and Punjab are the leading centres for shawls. The jamavar shawl ( jama means robe, and var means yardage) is the most well-known. The number of colours in one shawl could be as many as 50. The kani shawl has several shuttles or kanis. Three or more weavers are needed for the weaving process, and when the weaves are two-sided it is called as do-rookha. Wool obtained from sheep is commonly used. The raw wool from the sheep has to go through several processes before it is ready to be used as yarn for weaving. The fleece is first sorted by hand and the fine wool separated from the coarse. Fibres of similar length are put together. The wool is then washed in soapy water to remove impurities like straw, thorns, and burrs which tend to bury themselves in the animal's coat. Once clear of impurities, the wool is pulled apart to separate and loosen the entangled fibres. Traditionally this teasing is carried out with two wooden combs: a lock of wool is placed on one comb and the entanglements are straightened by placing another comb on top and drawing the wool fibres between the two. The untwined wool is ready to be spun into yarn using a spindle.

Wool – Spinning, Weaving, Knitting of Punjab,
The use of wool and its weaving is restricted dominantly to those regions which have a cold climate. Wool obtained from sheep is commonly used. The raw wool from the sheep has to go through several processes before it is ready to be used as yarn for  weaving. The fleece is first sorted by hand and the fine wool separated from the coarse. Fibers of similar length are put together. The wool is then washed in soapy water to remove impurities like straw, thorns, and burrs which tend to bury  themselves in the animal's coat. Once clear of impurities, the wool is pulled apart to separate and loosen the entangled fibres. Traditionally this teasing is carried out with two wooden combs: a lock of wool is placed on one comb and the entanglements are straightened by placing another comb on top and drawing the wool fibres between the two. The untwined wool is ready to be spun into yarn using a spindle.

Wool – Spinning, Weaving, Knitting of Andhra Pradesh/Telangana,
The use of wool and its weaving is restricted dominantly to those regions which have a cold climate. Tradition has it that Brahma created wool himself along with kusa grass, which is used for worship. Amulets and charms are tied with woollen threads and a black woollen thread tied on a person is supposed to ward off evil spirits. The most prized wool is the pashmina which is sourced from the under belly of the Himalayan pashmina goat, which grazes at an height of 14,000 feet. The woollen garment most popular in India is the shawl. Kashmir and Punjab are the leading centres for shawls. The jamavar shawl ( jama means robe, and var means yardage) is the most well-known. The number of colours in one shawl could be as many as 50. The kani shawl has several shuttles or kanis. Three or more weavers are needed for the weaving process, and when the weaves are two-sided it is called as do-rookha. Wool obtained from sheep is commonly used. The raw wool from the sheep has to go through several processes before it is ready to be used as yarn for weaving. The fleece is first sorted by hand and the fine wool separated from the coarse. Fibres of similar length are put together. The wool is then washed in soapy water to remove impurities like straw, thorns, and burrs which tend to bury themselves in the animal's coat. Once clear of impurities, the wool is pulled apart to separate and loosen the entangled fibres. Traditionally this teasing is carried out with two wooden combs: a lock of wool is placed on one comb and the entanglements are straightened by placing another comb on top and drawing the wool fibres between the two. The untwined wool is ready to be spun into yarn using a spindle.

Wool – Spinning, Weaving, Knitting of Assam,
The use of wool and its weaving is restricted dominantly to those regions which have a cold climate. Tradition has it that Brahma created wool himself along with kusa grass, which is used for worship. Amulets and charms are tied with woollen threads and a black woollen thread tied on a person is supposed to ward off evil spirits. The most prized wool is the pashmina which is sourced from the under belly of the Himalayan pashmina goat, which grazes at an height of 14,000 feet. The woollen garment most popular in India is the shawl. Kashmir and Punjab are the leading centres for shawls. The jamavar shawl ( jama means robe, and var means yardage) is the most well-known. The number of colours in one shawl could be as many as 50. The kani shawl has several shuttles or kanis. Three or more weavers are needed for the weaving process, and when the weaves are two-sided it is called as do-rookha. Wool obtained from sheep is commonly used. The raw wool from the sheep has to go through several processes before it is ready to be used as yarn for weaving. The fleece is first sorted by hand and the fine wool separated from the coarse. Fibres of similar length are put together. The wool is then washed in soapy water to remove impurities like straw, thorns, and burrs which tend to bury themselves in the animal's coat. Once clear of impurities, the wool is pulled apart to separate and loosen the entangled fibres. Traditionally this teasing is carried out with two wooden combs: a lock of wool is placed on one comb and the entanglements are straightened by placing another comb on top and drawing the wool fibres between the two. The untwined wool is ready to be spun into yarn using a spindle.

Wool – Spinning, Weaving, Knitting of Gujarat,
The use of wool and its weaving is restricted dominantly to those regions which have a cold climate. Tradition has it that Brahma created wool himself along with kusa grass, which is used for worship. Amulets and charms are tied with woollen threads and a black woollen thread tied on a person is supposed to ward off evil spirits. The most prized wool is the pashmina which is sourced from the under belly of the Himalayan pashmina goat, which grazes at an height of 14,000 feet. The woollen garment most popular in India is the shawl. Kashmir and Punjab are the leading centres for shawls. The jamavar shawl ( jama means robe, and var means yardage) is the most well-known. The number of colours in one shawl could be as many as 50. The kani shawl has several shuttles or kanis. Three or more weavers are needed for the weaving process, and when the weaves are two-sided it is called as do-rookha. Wool obtained from sheep is commonly used. The raw wool from the sheep has to go through several processes before it is ready to be used as yarn for weaving. The fleece is first sorted by hand and the fine wool separated from the coarse. Fibres of similar length are put together. The wool is then washed in soapy water to remove impurities like straw, thorns, and burrs which tend to bury themselves in the animal's coat. Once clear of impurities, the wool is pulled apart to separate and loosen the entangled fibres. Traditionally this teasing is carried out with two wooden combs: a lock of wool is placed on one comb and the entanglements are straightened by placing another comb on top and drawing the wool fibres between the two. The untwined wool is ready to be spun into yarn using a spindle.

Wool – Spinning, Weaving, Knitting of Karnataka,
The use of wool and its weaving is restricted dominantly to those regions which have a cold climate. Tradition has it that Brahma created wool himself along with kusa grass, which is used for worship. Amulets and charms are tied with woollen threads and a black woollen thread tied on a person is supposed to ward off evil spirits. The most prized wool is the pashmina which is sourced from the under belly of the Himalayan pashmina goat, which grazes at an height of 14,000 feet. The woollen garment most popular in India is the shawl. Kashmir and Punjab are the leading centres for shawls. The jamavar shawl ( jama means robe, and var means yardage) is the most well-known. The number of colours in one shawl could be as many as 50. The kani shawl has several shuttles or kanis. Three or more weavers are needed for the weaving process, and when the weaves are two-sided it is called as do-rookha. Wool obtained from sheep is commonly used. The raw wool from the sheep has to go through several processes before it is ready to be used as yarn for weaving. The fleece is first sorted by hand and the fine wool separated from the coarse. Fibres of similar length are put together. The wool is then washed in soapy water to remove impurities like straw, thorns, and burrs which tend to bury themselves in the animal's coat. Once clear of impurities, the wool is pulled apart to separate and loosen the entangled fibres. Traditionally this teasing is carried out with two wooden combs: a lock of wool is placed on one comb and the entanglements are straightened by placing another comb on top and drawing the wool fibres between the two. The untwined wool is ready to be spun into yarn using a spindle.

Wool – Spinning, Weaving, Knitting of Madhya Pradesh,
The use of wool and its weaving is restricted dominantly to those regions which have a cold climate. Tradition has it that Brahma created wool himself along with kusa grass, which is used for worship. Amulets and charms are tied with woollen threads and a black woollen thread tied on a person is supposed to ward off evil spirits. The most prized wool is the pashmina which is sourced from the under belly of the Himalayan pashmina goat, which grazes at an height of 14,000 feet. The woollen garment most popular in India is the shawl. Kashmir and Punjab are the leading centres for shawls. The jamavar shawl ( jama means robe, and var means yardage) is the most well-known. The number of colours in one shawl could be as many as 50. The kani shawl has several shuttles or kanis. Three or more weavers are needed for the weaving process, and when the weaves are two-sided it is called as do-rookha. Wool obtained from sheep is commonly used. The raw wool from the sheep has to go through several processes before it is ready to be used as yarn for weaving. The fleece is first sorted by hand and the fine wool separated from the coarse. Fibres of similar length are put together. The wool is then washed in soapy water to remove impurities like straw, thorns, and burrs which tend to bury themselves in the animal's coat. Once clear of impurities, the wool is pulled apart to separate and loosen the entangled fibres. Traditionally this teasing is carried out with two wooden combs: a lock of wool is placed on one comb and the entanglements are straightened by placing another comb on top and drawing the wool fibres between the two. The untwined wool is ready to be spun into yarn using a spindle.

Wool – Spinning, Weaving, Knitting of Maharashtra,
The use of wool and its weaving is restricted dominantly to those regions which have a cold climate. Tradition has it that Brahma created wool himself along with kusa grass, which is used for worship. Amulets and charms are tied with woollen threads and a black woollen thread tied on a person is supposed to ward off evil spirits. The most prized wool is the pashmina which is sourced from the under belly of the Himalayan pashmina goat, which grazes at an height of 14,000 feet. The woollen garment most popular in India is the shawl. Kashmir and Punjab are the leading centres for shawls. The jamavar shawl ( jama means robe, and var means yardage) is the most well-known. The number of colours in one shawl could be as many as 50. The kani shawl has several shuttles or kanis. Three or more weavers are needed for the weaving process, and when the weaves are two-sided it is called as do-rookha. Wool obtained from sheep is commonly used. The raw wool from the sheep has to go through several processes before it is ready to be used as yarn for weaving. The fleece is first sorted by hand and the fine wool separated from the coarse. Fibres of similar length are put together. The wool is then washed in soapy water to remove impurities like straw, thorns, and burrs which tend to bury themselves in the animal's coat. Once clear of impurities, the wool is pulled apart to separate and loosen the entangled fibres. Traditionally this teasing is carried out with two wooden combs: a lock of wool is placed on one comb and the entanglements are straightened by placing another comb on top and drawing the wool fibres between the two. The untwined wool is ready to be spun into yarn using a spindle.

Wool – Spinning, Weaving, Knitting of Meghalaya,
The use of wool and its weaving is restricted dominantly to those regions which have a cold climate. Tradition has it that Brahma created wool himself along with kusa grass, which is used for worship. Amulets and charms are tied with woollen threads and a black woollen thread tied on a person is supposed to ward off evil spirits. The most prized wool is the pashmina which is sourced from the under belly of the Himalayan pashmina goat, which grazes at an height of 14,000 feet. The woollen garment most popular in India is the shawl. Kashmir and Punjab are the leading centres for shawls. The jamavar shawl ( jama means robe, and var means yardage) is the most well-known. The number of colours in one shawl could be as many as 50. The kani shawl has several shuttles or kanis. Three or more weavers are needed for the weaving process, and when the weaves are two-sided it is called as do-rookha. Wool obtained from sheep is commonly used. The raw wool from the sheep has to go through several processes before it is ready to be used as yarn for weaving. The fleece is first sorted by hand and the fine wool separated from the coarse. Fibres of similar length are put together. The wool is then washed in soapy water to remove impurities like straw, thorns, and burrs which tend to bury themselves in the animal's coat. Once clear of impurities, the wool is pulled apart to separate and loosen the entangled fibres. Traditionally this teasing is carried out with two wooden combs: a lock of wool is placed on one comb and the entanglements are straightened by placing another comb on top and drawing the wool fibres between the two. The untwined wool is ready to be spun into yarn using a spindle.

Wool – Spinning, Weaving, Knitting of Uttar Pradesh,
The use of wool and its weaving is restricted dominantly to those regions which have a cold climate. Tradition has it that Brahma created wool himself along with kusa grass, which is used for worship. Amulets and charms are tied with woollen threads and a black woollen thread tied on a person is supposed to ward off evil spirits. The most prized wool is the pashmina which is sourced from the under belly of the Himalayan pashmina goat, which grazes at an height of 14,000 feet. The woollen garment most popular in India is the shawl. Kashmir and Punjab are the leading centres for shawls. The jamavar shawl ( jama means robe, and var means yardage) is the most well-known. The number of colours in one shawl could be as many as 50. The kani shawl has several shuttles or kanis. Three or more weavers are needed for the weaving process, and when the weaves are two-sided it is called as do-rookha. Wool obtained from sheep is commonly used. The raw wool from the sheep has to go through several processes before it is ready to be used as yarn for weaving. The fleece is first sorted by hand and the fine wool separated from the coarse. Fibres of similar length are put together. The wool is then washed in soapy water to remove impurities like straw, thorns, and burrs which tend to bury themselves in the animal's coat. Once clear of impurities, the wool is pulled apart to separate and loosen the entangled fibres. Traditionally this teasing is carried out with two wooden combs: a lock of wool is placed on one comb and the entanglements are straightened by placing another comb on top and drawing the wool fibres between the two. The untwined wool is ready to be spun into yarn using a spindle.

Wool – Spinning, Weaving, Knitting of Uttarakhand,
The use of wool and its weaving is restricted dominantly to those regions which have a cold climate. Tradition has it that Brahma created wool himself along with kusa grass, which is used for worship. Amulets and charms are tied with woollen threads and a black woollen thread tied on a person is supposed to ward off evil spirits. The most prized wool is the pashmina which is sourced from the under belly of the Himalayan pashmina goat, which grazes at an height of 14,000 feet. The woollen garment most popular in India is the shawl. Kashmir and Punjab are the leading centres for shawls. The jamavar shawl ( jama means robe, and var means yardage) is the most well-known. The number of colours in one shawl could be as many as 50. The kani shawl has several shuttles or kanis. Three or more weavers are needed for the weaving process, and when the weaves are two-sided it is called as do-rookha. Wool obtained from sheep is commonly used. The raw wool from the sheep has to go through several processes before it is ready to be used as yarn for weaving. The fleece is first sorted by hand and the fine wool separated from the coarse. Fibres of similar length are put together. The wool is then washed in soapy water to remove impurities like straw, thorns, and burrs which tend to bury themselves in the animal's coat. Once clear of impurities, the wool is pulled apart to separate and loosen the entangled fibres. Traditionally this teasing is carried out with two wooden combs: a lock of wool is placed on one comb and the entanglements are straightened by placing another comb on top and drawing the wool fibres between the two. The untwined wool is ready to be spun into yarn using a spindle.

Wool – Spinning, Weaving, Knitting of West Bengal,
The use of wool and its weaving is restricted dominantly to those regions which have a cold climate. Tradition has it that Brahma created wool himself along with kusa grass, which is used for worship. Amulets and charms are tied with woollen threads and a black woollen thread tied on a person is supposed to ward off evil spirits. The most prized wool is the pashmina which is sourced from the under belly of the Himalayan pashmina goat, which grazes at an height of 14,000 feet. The woollen garment most popular in India is the shawl. Kashmir and Punjab are the leading centres for shawls. The jamavar shawl ( jama means robe, and var means yardage) is the most well-known. The number of colours in one shawl could be as many as 50. The kani shawl has several shuttles or kanis. Three or more weavers are needed for the weaving process, and when the weaves are two-sided it is called as do-rookha. Wool obtained from sheep is commonly used. The raw wool from the sheep has to go through several processes before it is ready to be used as yarn for weaving. The fleece is first sorted by hand and the fine wool separated from the coarse. Fibres of similar length are put together. The wool is then washed in soapy water to remove impurities like straw, thorns, and burrs which tend to bury themselves in the animal's coat. Once clear of impurities, the wool is pulled apart to separate and loosen the entangled fibres. Traditionally this teasing is carried out with two wooden combs: a lock of wool is placed on one comb and the entanglements are straightened by placing another comb on top and drawing the wool fibres between the two. The untwined wool is ready to be spun into yarn using a spindle.

Wool Spinning and Knitted Socks of Himachal Pradesh,
Hand-knitting is a home based craft practiced across Himachal. Sweaters and other products of wool are knitted all over the State. However what is distinct are the so called Kullu socks. These hand knitted socks are a specialty of women in villages throughout the districts of Kullu and Lahaul and Spiti. Made of natural sheep wool the patterns knitted in are in contrasting bright acrylic yarns. The coloured stripes and geometric patterns used to enhance the natural shade of the wool resemble the border decorations of the Kullu shawl and caps. Using four needles the knitters are skilled at churning out sizes to suit all lengths of feet. Products being made now include gloves, slip-on shoes, caps and mufflers.

Wool Spinning of Nepal,
In Nepal, spinning of woollen yarn is a women-dominated, home-based craft. Associated closely with the growth of the carpet industry, it received an enormous boost from the waves of Tibetan migration into Nepal, for woollen yarn is eventually used for weaving carpets. Wool spinning is a piece-rate job, with the payment made for every kilogram of the finished product.
PROCESS & TECHNIQUE The wool, shaped into loose rolls (rolags), is spun on a hand-spindle or a hand-turned spinning-wheel (chakra). The hand-spindles vary in length, the average being about 30 cm, and also in weight, which depends on the type of yarn to be spun. The finest thread is spun on the lightest-weight spindle. In the spinning process a length of twisted yarn is attached to the spindle tip; the remaining part of the bunch of fibres (rolag) is held by the spinner in one hand, whilst she turns the handle with the other. As she moves her hand with the fibres away from the spindle and releases fibres, wound on to the spindle as the spinner reverses the wheel just a little. She thus continues to draw out and wind on the fibres, controlling the twist by the number of turns she gives to the wheel and the direction of the twist (s or z), by turning the wheel either to the right or the left: the more common is the z twist. LOCATION Kathmandu city, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur have the largest concentration of wool spinners. As this is a good income generation activity it is a popular women's activity once the household chores are over.

Woollen Carpets of Karnataka,
The craft of carpet weaving requires a high degree of skill and dexterity. A typical feature of the Indian carpet is the border design, where different patterns match the design in the centre. The colour scheme is arranged so as to eliminate any shadow in the pattern. Symmetry has to be maintained so the ornamentation is distributed finely over the surface. Both colours and motifs convey a symbolic meaning; the motifs dominantly include human figures, flora, fauna, landscape, and water.

Woollen Carpets of Pondicherry,
The craft of carpet weaving requires a high degree of skill and dexterity. A typical feature of the Indian carpet is the border design, where different patterns match the design in the centre. The colour scheme is arranged so as to eliminate any shadow in the pattern. Symmetry has to be maintained so the ornamentation is distributed finely over the surface. Both colours and motifs convey a symbolic meaning; the motifs dominantly include human figures, flora, fauna, landscape, and water.

Woollen Carpets of Tamil Nadu,
The craft of carpet weaving requires a high degree of skill and dexterity. A typical feature of the Indian carpet is the border design, where different patterns match the design in the centre. The colour scheme is arranged so as to eliminate any shadow in the pattern. Symmetry has to be maintained so the ornamentation is distributed finely over the surface. Both colours and motifs convey a symbolic meaning; the motifs dominantly include human figures, flora, fauna, landscape, and water.

Woollen Chaddar and Khasto/ Blanket Weaving,
The woollen chaddar and khasto form an important part of the spectrum of Nepalese textiles. The raw wool is processed and the threads spun out on the spinning wheel (charkha). The threads are then dyed with natural dyes and sun dried after which they are woven on a small loom. The weaving tradition followed is similar to that followed for cotton weaving.
RAW MATERIAL Sheep's wool has been an important textile fibre in Nepal for millennia, both for home use and for trade. More than 2,000 years ago the rainproof Nepalese woollen blankets were mentioned as trade items in India. The most common breed of sheep in the country is the baruwal. The majority of these are raised in mountain areas where the flocks move with the seasons between the middle mountains and high-altitude alpine pastures. In the more northern Dolpo area, the Tibetan sheep breed known as byang-lug is more common. Valued for its wool and suitability as a pack animal, its soft wool has been traded from Tibet into Nepal for centuries and is particularly suitable for clothing.
PROCESS & TECHNIQUE Sheep may be sheared twice a year, in March and September, before and at the end of the warm monsoon season - the yield is usually less than 1 kg per shearing. Traditionally, the bundles of wool are cut with a 30 cm-long knife. Scissors are never used. Hand shears have been introduced in recent years and are used in some areas. The cut bunches of wool are then sorted according to colour, which varies from white to beige-brown, and black. Sometimes the wool is gently rinsed in water and spread out on mats to dry; otherwise, the process of bowing also serves to free the wool from dirt. The water used to wash the wool with is filtered in a potasi, a vessel with a number of holes at its bottom. First, a layer of straw is spread on the inside bottom of the vessel. A thick layer of ash is spread on the straw - this ash is piled nearly up to the mouth of the vessel. This vessel is then placed over another big vessel made of copper called phosi. The water passes through the thick layer of ash and collects at the bottom of the lower vessel. This processed water is called 'khala', meaning 'alkaline water'. The wool is thoroughly washed in this water by kneading and is then pulled out and exposed in thin layers to sunshine. When completely dried it is re-cleaned and any matter still adhering to it removed. The wool is then cut into small pieces with a sharp iron knife (chulesi) and subsequently beaten thoroughly with a bow-like beater. The wool - beaten into a fluffy mass - is drawn out in threads on the charkha. The process of weaving is identical with the processes used for cotton weaving. The woollen yarn placed on the small spindles inside the flying shuttle supply the weft.