Kani & Silk Textiles
A Kani shawl is a Kashmir textile in which intricate patterns are woven directly into the fabric using small wooden bobbins called kanis, rather than embroidered afterward.
Unlike shuttle weaving, Kani work uses dozens of wooden spools guided across the warp following a coded weaving script known as talim. A complex shawl can require six months to two years of continuous work.
Today, Kani weaving is a registered GI craft, and only shawls produced in the designated Kashmir region using authentic techniques may bear the Kani name.
- Technique: double-interlocking twill tapestry weave using wooden kanis
- Origin: Kanihama, Kashmir Valley — GI-protected Kani Shawl craft
- Pattern guide: talim — a coded script recited to weavers during production
- Materials: fine pashmina or silk warp and weft; natural and mineral dyes