Journal — AimsCraft. Six long-form guides from our Srinagar workroom: telling hand-loomed tweed from a blend, what GSM really says, the layering order that works, and caring for wool.
The Journal
Kashmiri cloth, cut and fit, explained properly
The AimsCraft Journal is a buying-guide archive written by the three people who run our
cutting floor in Srinagar. Six long-form articles cover how to tell a hand-loomed tweed
from a power-loom blend, what a GSM figure on a shirt label does and does not say, the
layering order that actually works, and how to bring wool through a damp spell.
No sponsored posts, no affiliate links.
Most people dress for the coldest number they have heard, then spend the afternoon wet
from their own sweat. Aamir Wani sets out the four layers in order — next-to-skin,
insulation, wind shell, outer cloth — with the sizing rule that keeps each one from
crushing the layer beneath it, which is where almost every cold morning actually goes wrong.
Everything below is written in-house in Srinagar and fact-checked against a cloth spec, a
loom or a knitter we buy from. Here is what that means in numbers.
Key facts about the AimsCraft Journal
Articles published
6 long-form guides, 1,100–1,600 words each
Publishing rhythm
Roughly one article a month, more before the winter run
Who writes it
Bilal Sheikh (Head of Cloth), Ruqaya Jan (Atelier Lead), Aamir Wani (Fit Lead)
Topics covered
Guides, Craft, Cloth, Fit, Care
Sponsored content
None. No affiliate links, no paid placements, no guest posts
Sources cited
Measured GSM and yarn counts, the Kashmir handloom register, and named weavers
Newsletter frequency
Two emails a month at most, sent from Srinagar
Every article
Read by category
Five categories, six articles. Guides help you buy without being cheated, Craft explains how
a thing is made, Origins is reporting from the field, How-to is dressing for the weather, and Care is what to
do once the parcel is open.
Most people dress for the coldest number they have heard, then spend the afternoon wet from their own sweat. Four layers, in order, and the rule about sizing them.
GSM is grams per square metre, and it is often the only number printed, so it gets asked to answer questions it cannot. Here is what it does tell you and the two figures to ask for instead.
Almost every ruined wool garment we are shown was ruined in a cupboard in late February, not in wear. What to do through the weeks when there is no sun to air anything in.
Both words get used to sell the same shawl-shaped thing, and customers paying for one often carry home the other. They come from different animals and do different jobs, and raffal is not a cheap imitation of anything.
The word tweed is unprotected here, so a wool-polyester cloth off a power loom and a hand-loomed Anantnag cloth are sold under the same name. Four tests separate them, and none needs more than a single thread.
Long poles, bare feet, hundred-year-old trees and a shelling process that decides how your walnuts will taste in March.
MAMehak Andrabi
Read the guide
One email when a new article goes up
Journal subscribers get the article the morning it publishes, plus the note we send when a
new season is cut in Srinagar and when the looms come off the frame. Two emails a month at
the very most, and we never pass your address on.
No sponsored mail. Unsubscribe from the footer of any email in one click.
Browse by subject
Popular tags
Every article carries three or four subject tags. These are the ones readers open most.
About the Journal
Questions readers ask us
Who writes the AimsCraft Journal?
Three people, all based in Kashmir. Bilal Sheikh, our Head of Cloth, writes the fabric
and GSM pieces because he buys the lots. Ruqaya Jan, Atelier Lead, covers weaving and
garment care because she runs the workroom. Aamir Wani, Fit Lead, reports from the
cutting table and the fitting room. Nobody outside the company writes here.
Are these articles sponsored or affiliate-funded?
No. The Journal carries no sponsored posts, no affiliate links and no paid guest
contributions. The only commercial links are to our own products, and they appear only
where a specific product is the thing being discussed. If we recommend a technique that
needs no purchase, we say so plainly.
How often do new articles appear?
Roughly one long-form article a month, with a cluster before the winter run in October
when there is more to report. Each piece runs 1,100 to 1,600 words and takes five
to eight minutes to read. Subscribe to the Journal email and you will get it the morning it
goes live rather than checking back.
Which article should I read first if I am buying winter wear?
Read Telling
Hand-Loomed Tweed From a Blend. It gives you four tests you can run on a single
thread — burn, stretch, selvedge and weave count — plus the three sales claims
that should stop you buying. Once you can test a swatch you can shop anywhere safely,
including away from us.
Can I republish or quote a Journal article?
Quote freely up to about 150 words with a link back to the original article. Full
republication needs written permission, which we usually grant to schools, cooperatives and
non-commercial craft archives at no cost. The photographs and diagrams are separately
licensed and are not included in that permission.
Do you correct articles after publishing?
Yes, and we date the change. Mill specs, loom output and prices move, so an article that
quotes a GSM figure or a price gets revisited each season. Corrections are
noted in the article rather than made silently, and the modified date in the page metadata
is only bumped when the text actually changed.