Recycled Silk Yarn

The idea for this yarn came from Jane Deane during the Online Guild's Silk Spinning Workshop. It is a way to recycle silk fabric from old or discarded silk garments. I was able to pick up several colors I liked from a local thrift store for just a few dollars.

The first step involved cutting the fabric up into small pieces. I cut the tops into approximately 3 inch wide strips and experimented cutting scraps small enough to handcard. I decided that scraps about a quarter of an inch wide or less worked best.

These were handcarded to break them down. I found that my cotton carders worked best.

The lighter the weight the fabric, the faster and easier it was to card. The off-white broke down quickest, the fushia fabric was the heaviest and took the longest. In fact, you can see that it didn't break down very well at all.

To spin, I used the largest ratio I had (always a good idea for something new) and treadled slowly (also a good idea!) At first I tried to make rolags out of the stuff, but these didn't hold together very well, so I simply spun it out of my hand. I inch wormed slowly because it gave me the most control. I added a lot of twist to hold it together.

I wound the single off into a center pull ball and plied from that. The final 2-ply is bulky and measures 6 WPI.

It took quite a bit of work(!) so I doubt I'll spin a lot of it.

Still, it makes an interesting yarn. It doesn't have the characteristic luster of the fabric. Also, I haven't washed this yet, but I think doing so will unravel the sticky-out scraps a bit more and add more character! I'm not sure if I should try a small knitted sample or just save it for a weaving project. Most likely it will sit in my "Samples" box for a long time to come.

Leicester Longwool 3 – Two Yarns

I have finished spinning my first handful of Leicester Longwool; about as much as I need for enough yarn for one sheep motif on my Rare Breed Sweater. The total weight I worked with was 54 grams (1.8 ounces). From that I was able to comb 34 grams (1.2 ounces), from which I spun a worsted yarn. From the remaining 20 grams, I picked out about 4 grams (0.1 ounce) of neps and second cuts. I handcarded the remaining 16 grams (½ ounce) for a woolen yarn sample.

So, percentage-wise, that handful yielded 63% worsted, 30% woolen, and 7% waste.

Here they are, with the worsted yarn on the left.

I used my Kromski Minstrel for both yarns, spinning with the 8.5 ratio whorl. Both measure 14 WPI. Neither one has a soft hand.

The worsted yarn is smoother and has I love its luster, though it is not as silky to touch as Wensleydale. It was lovely to spin however. I tend to spin short fibers more often than long ones, so I had to keep reminding myself of its 6 inch length and adjust my hand positioning accordingly. Still, it was so easy to spin that I developed a rhythm quickly.

The woolen yarn still has some rare neps and short bits in it. The fiber length was anywhere from 1 to 3 inches. I don't think this style of spinning does the fiber justice, but it is nice to know I will be able to utilize most of the fleece.

The Leicester Longwool has such lovely wave and curl to it.....


.....that I'm thinking someday I'd like to experiment and try some in a woven fleece sample.

And the best news is that this is the last of my rare breed yarn samples for my sweater. So it's soon time to start swatching. I have lots of ideas, I only hope that some of them are workable. Too often the picture in my head doesn't match the results on my needles! :o The weather is finally turning cooler, so sweater knitting will be a welcome activity.

© 2006 Leigh's Fiber Journal

Related Posts:
Winter Knitting Project
Rare Breed Sweater - Leicester Longwool 1
Leicester Longwool 2 - Sorting & Washing
Adventures in Woolcombing
TA-DAH! Rare Breed Sweater Done!

Undulating Shadow Weave 3 - Finishing

After my somewhat successful hemstitching experience, I have cut my undulating shadow weave off the loom.

I wet finished it in cold water. I let it soak for about half an hour in the washing machine, agitated briefly, and then put it on the spin cycle. I ironed it while still damp. This softened the fabric beautifully.

To cut the fringe, I finally broke down and bought one of these....

..... a rotary cutter which I found in the quilting department at the local big box store. It made trimming the fringe a breeze.

I think this is the first time I actually got even, straight fringe. No more eyeballing with scissors for me!

So here it is:

In looking at it I'm now thinking more of a shawl than a table runner. Either way I am very pleased with it and interested in exploring undulating shadow weave a little more. I have a few ideas to vary it somewhat, so hopefully I'll have another project on the loom soon.

Next - Weekend Weaving - Shadow weave with novelty yarn

© 6 Oct. 2006 at http://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com

Related Posts:

Shadow Weave Profiles
Undulating Shadow Weave 1 - Weaving
Undulating Shadow Weave 2 - Hemstitching
Shadow Weave Samples 1 - Begins the series of samples

Color Blending on Woolcombs

By Leigh

I am very pleased to report that the more practice I get with my new woolcombs, the less awkward the process of combing feels.

A couple of things which I've learned (because, even though I've read this advice, experience is after all, the best teacher :) :
1. The fiber must be very clean. Even a little leftover grease both gunks up the combs and slows down the process.
2. That 4 transfers (or whatever it's called) works well to remove the noils and short bits, and creates fiber that truly "spins like butter."

I think I've found a new love!

Jesse wondered about trying to blend fibers with the combs. That idea piqued my curiosity too so I wanted to give it a try.

I knew that I had some small amounts of dyed Border Leicester fleece somewhere, so I dug around in my stash and pulled them out. I found two colors of blue, both from Cushings acid dyes. One from the exhaust of a navy dyepot (because who can let an exhausted dyepot go waste), the other Cushings Copenhagen blue (my favorite.)

First I sorted them out by staple length. Otherwise, the longer fibers catch and pull out first, and the shorter fibers will be pulled off last. This obviously isn't helpful for blending.

I chose the 6 inch locks and loaded the comb about 50/50.

The blues blended well with each progressive exchange of fiber.

Below are the results with the two original colors for comparison. Navy exhaust on the left, Copenhagen blue on the right, and the blend in the middle. The results are subtle because of the colors I used, but successful enough to encourage more experimenting.

I didn't waste any time spinning these up. What a joy! Since they are only samples and will probably find their way into some knitting project, I put a low amount of twist in the yarns to keep them soft.

Instructions for color blending with a diz can be found at the Majacraft website. And somewhere I think I've seen instructions for blending with a hackle. However, I'm too lazy to try the diz method. And considering how long it took me to purchase woolcombs, don't look for the addition of a hackle to my fiber equipment any time soon. :)

© 4 Oct. 2006 at http://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com

Related posts -
Adventures in Woolcombing
Polwarth - Experimenting With Blends

Adventures In Wool Combing

Well, actually I wouldn't call it “adventures.” “Experiments “ would be more like it.

I have procrastinated purchasing woolcombs all these years for various reasons. Mostly though, because their cost required me to not make a frivolous purchase. Besides, I had a flicker, wouldn't that accomplish the same thing?

However, after a lot of knuckle busting from the flicker, a lot of deliberation, and the recommendation of my friend Ruth in Kansas, I finally decided to purchase Forsyth Minicombs. They have the advantages of being small, lightweight, portable, and not too deadly looking, as well as being well made.

These are 2-pitch, meaning that they have 2 rows of tines.

“Charging” the comb means loading it with fiber. The biggest disadvantage to minicombs is that one can only deal with small amounts of fiber at a time. But, I figured that since I would probably make quite a few messes anyway, smaller messes would be easier to deal with than larger ones.

The butt end of the locks are loaded onto the comb, lashing on about ½ inch of fiber, about half-way down the tines.

The combing itself requires that the combs be worked perpendicular to one another. Exactly how this is accomplished is by whatever method is the most comfortable and least perilous to the comber. So I did a lot of experimenting, and tried every angle.


I admit that it felt rather awkward no matter which way I held the combs or which dorection I combed. This is a feeling that I know that practice and experience will tend to.

After the fiber is transferred from one comb to the other, the short bits and VM are removed from the first comb and the process is repeated several times.

The other tool which requires some practice is the use of a diz. I'm sure the complimentary one that came with my combs is adequate, but I couldn't help but admire some of the fancy ones in the Woodland Woolworks catalog, nor contemplate the ideas on the Online Guild discussion board for making my own.

A clamp is also available, which I didn't purchase. Without it I had to enlist the help of an spare off-camera hand to secure the comb as I dizzed the fiber.

The result is this lovely open roving, ready to spin, which I will report on soon.


In the meantime, woolcombing tips and suggestions are welcome.

© 2006 Leigh's Fiber Journal

Related posts -
Leicester Longwool 2 - Washing & Sorting
Color Blending on Woolcombs
Polwarth - Experimenting With Blends