A New Orenburg Shawl Is Never Fluffy!

Everyone who wants to add a goat down item to their collection of accessories, national souvenirs and handmade goods should know: a genuine, high-quality and new Orenburg shawl that has not undergone additional interference or third-party treatment is initially smooth or almost smooth, with a minimal degree of fluffing. Any hereditary home knitter or any former employee of the Soviet artels will tell you the same.

"But the market is packed with incredibly fluffy shawls!" you will say. And you will be absolutely right – it is packed to the brim, especially the offline market, where everything can not only be seen but also touched.

Why? It is very simple. Why destroy stereotypes if you can get rich by speculating on a widespread mass mistake passed off as objective reality? Naturally, at any such outlet they will readily confirm that a shawl's "fluffiness" is one of the main and decisive factors of quality.

What is the truth? If someone is trying to sell you a shawl that is very fluffy from the start, there are only two possibilities. The first is artificial fluffing. It is done with special machines and is in fact a crude interference in the "life cycle" of the down shawl, because an item becomes fluffy in the course of wear, and this does not happen in a single day.

Forcing the process is another matter. In nine cases out of ten, an artificially fluffed shawl will shed so much that it will be practically impossible to get rid of the down left everywhere. The thing is that artificial fluffing disrupts the structure of the spun thread and the bond between the down thread and the base of the item. As a result, such "shedding" of the shawl will soon lead to even more unpleasant consequences. Namely, the item will lose almost all its down, leaving only the base. In the end, such a shawl will completely lose its presentable look and become unfit for use.

As you have probably guessed, the second possibility is a situation where you are simply sold an already used down shawl under the guise of a new item. Yes, giving shawls to friends and relatives to "wear in" is a normal and common practice among connoisseurs of the craft and, in essence, the most correct and gentle way to fluff a shawl. The same applies to truly high-quality and durable shawls passed down from generation to generation by family members.

However, it is doubtful that a complete stranger, the owner of such an outlet, selling a down item, will honestly say that it is, to put it mildly, not quite new and warn you about the possible consequences (for example, traces of sweat and sebum or an odour that may remain after use by another person).

How high the share of such cases is, we do not know, but this possibility cannot be ruled out completely. How long such a second-hand shawl will "live" and how long it was worn before you can only be guessed. However, we hope that now, knowing the truth, you will not have to play such a lottery.

For the reasons above, we do not fluff our shawls, let alone wear them in artificially. The catalogue of the Shalnoy Orenburg online shop contains only new and natural items that have not undergone artificial treatment.

But what if you still want your Orenburg shawl to become fluffy, and as soon as possible? There are several folk methods that, unlike artificial machine fluffing, are relatively "painless" for the shawl. Below are the methods known to us, as described and demonstrated by specialists.

How to fluff an Orenburg shawl (folk methods)

1. One of the most accessible options in every respect. All you need is to lightly sprinkle the down shawl with water (by hand, or a spray bottle will do). After that, the item should be lightly crumpled and shaken vigorously so that the down "comes out" (Note: a term used by down-knitting craftswomen).

As you can see, the method is simple and accessible to absolutely everyone. And most importantly, like all the methods below, it will not have unpleasant consequences similar to machine fluffing.

2. Hang it outside. Yes, it is that simple. The method works especially well in cool, snowy and windy weather. This same method, by the way, helps get rid of prickliness.

For quite understandable reasons, it is better suited to owners of private houses with their own grounds.

3. Heat has also proved itself well among folk methods. A necessary additional condition is moisture. Some people put the Orenburg down shawl in a banya for this purpose. However, it is much safer and more accessible to slightly moisten the item (as in the first method), wrap it in cellophane to avoid direct contact with high temperatures and put it on a radiator.

4. Combing. The only thing you will need is an ordinary "massage" brush, used to comb the down shawl as a fluffing method. However, despite its apparent simplicity, this method is not recommended for non-specialists. The reason is simple: the risk of misjudging your strength and pulling the loops.

These methods are "folk" and safe. We have tried to explain everything concerning artificial machine fluffing as clearly and in as much detail as possible. We hope our article will help you when choosing and buying a down item.