Kashmiri shawl-makers have their own vocabulary, much of it Persian in origin, some of it Sanskrit, some of it brought down from the Mughal court. When a weaver and an embroiderer agree on a piece they speak in these words, almost as a kind of shorthand. Here are the ones we use most often.

Buta

The paisley. The single most recognisable motif from Kashmir, often written 'boteh' in older books. A teardrop with a curled tip; sometimes a tiny tree, sometimes a flame, sometimes a peacock seen sideways. There is a school that says it comes from a cypress bent by the wind, and another that says it is a young mango. Both, probably, are true.

Chinar

The plane tree of Kashmir — broad, palmate, gold in autumn. The chinar leaf is a beloved motif and shows up everywhere from shawls to silver. We use it on borders, often, and once, on a single magnificent jamawar, all over the ground.

Bel

The vine. A running pattern along the edge of a piece — a meandering line of leaves and small flowers, never repeating exactly. Bel is the gentlest decorative move a Kashmiri embroiderer can make. Many of our daily stoles have only a bel along one edge.

Jaal

The net. An all-over pattern in which a single repeating motif — usually a small floral — fills the entire ground of the cloth, connected by fine stems. A sozni jaal is the most demanding embroidery work made in Kashmir.

Hashia and palla

Hashia is a border — a strip of ornament along the long edges of a shawl. Palla is the end-border — heavier, more elaborate, where the design announces itself. A traditional shawl reads from palla inward: announcement, breath, announcement.

Mehraab

An arch — taken directly from the architecture of mosques and shrines. A mehraab piece has a single arched motif at the centre, framed by borders. Often a bridal pattern.

Gulkar

Literally 'maker of flowers' — a dense floral garden, painted or embroidered, in which every flower is identifiable. Bashir's painted kalamkari pieces are gulkars.

The vocabulary is small. The combinations are not.

If you ever come to the atelier in person we will gladly walk you through the talim books. The words start to make sense quickly when you see the pieces in front of you.