Editor

Techniques

People

Articles

Featured Fibers

Kidspin

Projects

Reviews

Resources

Events

Support Spindlicity

Frequently Asked Questions

The Joy of Silk
by Jenni Claydon

Silk is a fiber that has been highly valued for thousands of years, and with good reason. It’s most obvious virtue is its appearance. Silk has luster and sheen that that are unrivaled among natural fibers. It takes dye wonderfully, resulting in rich, vibrant hues. Silk also drapes beautifully, an important feature when planning a garment.

Silk has many other assets that aren’t obvious at a casual glance. The fibers are very soft and also very strong, so they can be used to create comfortable, long-wearing garments. Silk fibers also retain body heat well, so even a lightweight silk fabric or open fabric, such as lace, can be quite warm. And not only does silk exhibit these qualities when used alone, it also brings these assets into blends, making it a wonderful addition to wool, cashmere and many other fibers.

While silk is one of my favorite fibers, and I could wax rhapsodic about it all day long, it does also have some drawbacks. First, silk is produced by moth caterpillars, and the most common procedure for harvesting silk involves killing the caterpillar. There are some silks available that are harvested humanely, without killing caterpillars, but they are more expensive and harder to find than traditionally produced silks. The luxury of silk also comes with a higher price tag than you will find with wool.

Silk fibers for spinning are available in two varieties: bombyx and tussah. Bombyx silk, also referred to as mulberry silk or cultivated silk, is produced by caterpillars that have only eaten mulberry leaves prior to forming a cocoon. Bombyx silk is bright white, and is the softer, smoother and shinier variety of silk. As you might guess, it is also the more expensive of the two. Tussah silk is produced by caterpillars that have enjoyed a more eclectic diet. Although it can be bleached white, tussah is naturally honey-colored, and has more loft and grip than bombyx. Because of this, many spinners new to silk will find it easier to spin.

While it can sometimes be a bit tricky, especially if you are new to it, silk is a fairly manageable fiber. Tussah silk is no more difficult to spin than any fine wool. Silk can be successfully spun in a wide variety of weights, and can be spun using a variety of methods. When spinning silk top, roving or sliver, I prefer to use a short worsted draw. This produces a smooth yarn that shows off the sheen and luster of silk well. It also allows greater control over the fibers than long draw spinning techniques.

To spin silk, approach it as you would any new fiber. Start by finding the length of the fiber, then prepare the fiber for spinning. Most commercial silk sliver is compacted when you buy it, especially if it has been dyed, and will need to be opened up for spinning. To spin a worsted silk yarn, divide the roving and pre-draft it a bit, then wind the prepared lengths of silk into nests. If you are using a hand-painted silk roving, take a bit of time to plan how you want the finished yarn to look before you divide the roving.

Silk fibers, especially bombyx silk fibers, are more slippery than wool, so if you are spinning on a wheel, start off with light tension so you are sure to have control over the fibers. Slowly increase the tension until you find the “sweet spot” where the silk isn’t being yanked out of your hands, but is still winding on quickly enough to prevent overtwist.  The amount of twist is an important factor with silk yarns. A bit of overtwist can actually be a good thing in silk yarns because it will help them reflect the light better. Be careful, though, because too much overtwist will break the silk fibers and cause your yarn to snap. As with any new fiber, sample, sample, and sample to find the combination of fiber prep, spinning technique and amount of twist that will produce the yarn you desire.

When spinning silk fibers, I do have a few tricks up my sleeves that may be useful for you. Because silk fibers are so fine, they snag easily and you will find them on every hangnail and piece of jewelry, so try to keep your hands nice and smooth and remove any jewelry on your hands and wrists before you begin. Silk fibers are so fine that they will even catch on cloth, especially textured cloth like denim. To prevent disturbing the nicely arranged fibers (and to keep my clothes looking reasonably neat), I use a lap covering when spinning silk. Many spinners recommend a smooth cloth for this job, but I have found that even the smoothest fabrics snag silk fibers. I prefer to use a sheet of tissue paper. It won’t snag silk fibers and it’s inexpensive, easy to find and comes in a variety of colors, so you can always find a shade to contrast with your spinning fiber. Tissue paper also makes a great storage solution for silk between spinning sessions. Keep the nests on tissue paper in your lap as you spin, and when you are done for the day, wrap the tissue around the remaining nests and set them aside for your next spinning session.

Silk does not conduct electricity well, so it is susceptible to static electricity. This is especially true in dry environments. If you are experiencing a lot of static in your silk fiber, breath on it lightly; this will introduce a bit of moisture and will make the silk more manageable. Conversely, too much moisture makes silk difficult to spin, so if you find your palms sweating while you spin, keep a cloth nearby to dry your hands regularly to keep the silk from absorbing too much moisture.

Finally, when you are finished spinning your yarn, it is time to finish your yarn. Wash silk yarns in hot water with a gentle detergent to set the twist just as you would any of your wool yarns. As the silk dries, it will get a crisp feel, but this is easily corrected with a little yarn abuse. Allow the silk to dry for several hours until it is about half dry, then whack it against a wall, table or other hard surface a few times. Rotate your skein and then whack it again. Repeat until every part of the skein has been sufficiently abused to soften the yarn, leaving it shiny with a beautiful drape. Allow the skein to finish drying and it will be ready for you to knit, crochet, weave… whatever you desire.

Enjoy your adventures with silk!