Spinning Slub-Free Cashmere on the Charkha

Editor’s note: Many fine-fiber animals—including cashmere goats, yaks, vicuñas, and guanacos—live in high-mountain regions where water that melts from glaciers is essential for these herds to survive. As glaciers around the world disappear due to climate change, these special animals and the communities that raise them face disastrous risks to their survival. The UN has named 2025 the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation to acknowledge the important role that glaciers play in both the local regions in which they exist and the global climate as a whole.

To raise awareness for this issue and the fiber animals we all hold dear, Long Thread Media and Wild Fibers have launched the Cashmere on Ice competition. We hope you’ll spin, stitch, or weave along with us! Simply make a project with 50% or more cashmere content to participate. There’s still time to join—submissions are open until September 1, 2025, and you'll find all the contest details on the Cashmere on Ice website.

Cheers!—Spin Off editors

A Note About Cashmere on Ice

A competition like Cashmere on Ice is the perfect time to indulge in a special spin. Spin Off editor Kate Larson purchased some cashmere cloud from the Pangong Craft Center—the very same cashmere that was used to insulate the piece of a glacier that inspired the Cashmere on Ice competition! Watch below to see her spinning the fiber, then read on for some helpful spinning tips!

Watch Kate Spin

If you're new to charkha spinning, check out Kate's course How to Spin on a Charkha, where she explains all the ins and outs of this amazing tool. For a quick taste of the process, check out this short video of Kate spinning on her charkha.

Working With Cashmere Cloud

A cloud preparation, like what Kate received from the Pangong Craft Center, is neither combed nor carded. Like its name suggests, the fibers are jumbled together in a light and lofty cloud. No further preparation is necessary to spin this fiber, although you may encounter a few guard hairs that you can easily remove.

Most of the guard hairs have been removed from this fluffy cloud preparation, but any that remain can be plucked out as you spin.

Spinning Cashmere on the Charkha

Short-stapled fibers like cashmere and a charkha are delightful match. The charkha adds lots of twist quickly, and the abscence of a flyer means there’s no added tension on the delicate fibers. All the spinner needs to do is draft as they turn the wheel!

Sometimes, though, drafting is easier said than done, and slubs appear in your yarn. Not to fear—this is part of the process and easily remedied in a process charkha spinners call double drafting.

Step One

When you encounter a slub, stop adding twist.

A slub forming as the initial twist is added to the yarn.

Step Two

Gently pull to remove the slub. You may need to double draft by pinching at the base of the slub and untwisting the yarn slightly. Continue to gently draft your yarn while slowly adding more twist until the slub disappears.

Gently draft backwards to help remove the slub.

Step Three

Now that the slub is gone, add your final twist, then wind on to the cop!

Once the slub is removed, add your final twist.

Spinning cashmere on the charkha is a luscious experience. This cashmere from the Pangong Craft Center has a longer staple than cotton, so go slowly and be intentional about your twist. Give cashmere on the charkha a try yourself—you’ll be glad you did!

Next Steps

• Dive deeper into making slubs—and removing them too with a Beginner Basics Tutorial.
• New to charkha spinning? Check out Kate’s course, How to Spin on a Charkha.
• Don’t forget to submit your project to the Cashmere on Ice competition by 5 pm Mountain Time on September 1, 2025!