The present invention refers to a process for the manufacture of a textile article made of pure cashmere, whether a literally called fabric or a knitted fabric or a jersey fabric.

The cashmere is known to be a valuable material that is highly demanded by high level customs.

At the same time it is also a material that at its pure state and at a count higher than a determined maximum value has such a low mechanical strength to make its weaving impossible.

The known technique, as described in the Italian patent application No. 1 306 232 in the name of the applicant, which was laid open to public inspection on 28 October 1999, provides that a very thin yarn of cashmere is assisted by a vegetable support yarn, as for instance cotton, that is then eliminated by a devouration operation by means of an acid development salt.

The devouration does not allow to eliminate the residues of the vegetable thread completely when working in selvedge.

In addition the use of a vegetable reinforcement thread involves supply and costs problems.

In view of the state of the art herein described, purpose of the present invention is to realise a process that allows to obtain a high count pure cashmere textile article at a low price.

According to the present invention, such purpose is attained by means of a process as defined in claim 1.

The characteristics and the advantages of the present invention will become evident from the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof that is illustrated as a non limiting example in the enclosed drawings, in which:

• Figure 1 shows a doubled cashmere and synthetic yarn before the weaving;
• Figure 2 shows a portion of cloth weave obtained by weaving coupled yarns as the one in Figure 1;
• Figure 3 shows the same portion of cloth after the operation of dissolution has been performed.

The yarn of cashmere has a count varying from 85 dtex (50000 Nm) to 200 dtex (120000 Nm), size beyond which the yarn of cashmere has a sufficient strength to allow its weaving without any support yarn. According to a currently preferred embodiment of the present invention the yarn of cashmere being used has a count of 130 dtex (80000 Nm).

The synthetic fibre yarn can be of the type known by the trade name of Kuralon K-II, having the followings characteristics: Technical Characteristics Values Flock    Fineness 3.2 ± 0.3 dtex    Length:       square cut 38 and 51       oblique cut (CV 35%) 85    Strength 8.5 ± 1.5 cN/dtex    Elongation 11 ± 4 % Bale    Fineness 2.2 ± 0.3 dtex    Cut (diagonal) 85 ± 30 mm    Weight 20 g/m Solubility in water    Fibre as such 80 ± 10 °C    Mixed in fabric 90 ± 10 °C Vaporisation    Temperature:       cardboard tubes 90 °C max       plastic tubes 80 °C max Dissolution    Water temperature:       soak ( for ca. 30 min) 85 - 95 °C       rinse ( for ca. 10 min) 40 °C    Water/fabric ratio 50/1 by weight    Water acidity 4 - 4.5 pH

The doubling operation is carried out in a sense opposite to the one of the individual yarn, that is with S torsion.

The doubled yarn 3 thus obtained undergoes an operation of weaving according to the known art, for example in order to obtain a cloth weave as the one shown in Figure 2.

Other types of weave can be used, as for instance Batavia 2/2, Saglie, etc., up to Jacquard. In addition it is possible to provide for a knitted or jersey weaving.

The synthetic yarn is eliminated in a slightly acid liquid solution, having a pH comprised between 4 and 4.5, when the temperature of the solution reaches 85 °C by means of an operation that is defined of dissolution.

This is made possible owing to the dissolution characteristics provided by Kuralon K-II.

Said synthetic material does not leave any kind of residue in the fabric thus obtained even if working in selvedge thus guaranteeing much higher quality standard than the ones that can be obtained by the known techniques.

The fabric thus obtained is then submitted to a dyeing process, for example comprising soaking in a neutral bath for 10 min at 80 °C, dyeing with acid colours for 100 min at 80 °C and fulling with wet enzymatic detergents at room temperature for 25 min.

Finally the article thus obtained is dried and submitted to vapour.

It is clear that the above described process is characterized by two fundamental operations, to associate cashmere fibres with synthetic fibres and to dissolve such synthetic fibres by means of a slightly acid liquid solution at high temperature.

The association of the two types of fibres is carried out by an doubling operation of a yarn of cashmere with a synthetic yarn, as previously described with reference to the drawings.