Category Archives: Fibre History
Fibre – Silk
Silk:
*Serious stuff:
Silk is a natural protein fibre made by the worm of the silk moth. There are different types of silk worms, i.e.: Bombyx mori: used largely for mulberry silk, Bombyx mandarin: wild type most common in China. China is the largest silk producer in the world with India and Brazil following.
The silk worm feeds on leaves, producing liquid silk which solidifies when it comes in contact with air, forming the cocoon around it.
Silk owes it’s shine to it’s morphology: triangle cross sections that reflect light.
merino + silk Hand dyed, Scarlet
*Legend: Legend has it that it was the wife of the Yellow Emperor Huangdi from China, the Empress Lei Zu, the one who taught the people the art of producing silk items.
*History lesson: Truth is that silk has been used in China for more than 5,000 years. For a long time the secret of how silk was produced was guarded with life in Chine (to keep the monopoly) and so the famous Silk routes were established by traders, merchants, pilgrims, missionaries and soldiers from China to India, from there to Persia (nowadays Iran), and from there to the Roman Empire and northern Africa… and back again. Empires were built with the money this beautiful thread produced. Firenze and Venice can thank it for all the riches it brought. Nowadays the silk produced in Italy (Como) is the most expensive in the world.
*Sounds familiar? Names you might have read already:
Tussah (Tassar) Silk: or “wild silk” is more golden in colour which it is thought a consequence of the leaves the worms feed on from the Antheraea paphia forest trees. The staple of the fibre is shorter because this cocoons are harvested once the moth has emerged. So the cocoon is broken.
Mulberry Silk: is the silk obtained from the cocoons made by larvae feed with mulberry tree’s leaves. This type of silk is what mostly comes out of domesticated varieties. The silk is considered of better quality than the wild silk because the cocoons aren’t damaged by the moth emerging. Before that happens, the cocoons are dipped in boiling water thus killing the worm.
-There are several silky products that we as textile artist can use to embellish and give texture to our pieces. For instance:
Cocoons can be degumed (taken out de natural sericin).
(Hand dyed coccons)
Silk Rods (unravelled cocoon with sericin) can also be degumed and used in a piece.
(silk rods, hand dyed)
Throwster Silk: this is a by-product of reeling silk. Sometimes the fibres get entangled, and as silk is one of the strongest fibres knowns, they have to be cut out of the machine. It is a very soft fibre of various lengths, excellent for giving texture and shine.
Mawata Silk Hankies and Silk Caps: Mawata comes from Japanese and it means “to spread out”. It is basically a cocoon which has been stretched on a frame. The cocoon used for this are the defective ones, with holes or misshaped. More than one cocoon is placed on the same frame, so one silk hankie will have a couple of layers.
Silk Noil: another by-product. This short fibres are what is left over from spinning silk.
Habotai Silk: medium weight fabric which is usually used in silk painting.
Stay Tuned for part II, the actual tutorials on how to use some of these fibres!
Fibre Guide – Shetland
Shetland in roving form.
It is thought that Shetland sheep descend from breeds brought over by Vikings to the Shetland Isles of Scotland many years ago. Shetland fleece comes in many colours, from Black to grey and Moorit (reddish brown) to natural white (creamy) white.
Shetland fleece is ideal for both wet or dry needle felting and spinning and is a great alternative to Merino. Shetland can have a wonderfully soft handle and is well known for it’s warmth and comfort when spun into yarn.
Count: 28-33 micron/Bradford 50-56
Staple: 10-20cm
I hope this helps?
Sara
Sara’s Texture Crafts
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Here’s where to get your materials and equipment for feltmaking and spinning… Sara’s Texture Crafts
Fibre – Mohair
Mohair in fibre form.
Mohair is one of the oldest textile fibres in use and is produced from the hair of Angora goats, originally thought to be from Turkey. It is both durable and resilient. It is notable for its high lustre and sheen, and is often used in fibre blends to add these qualities to a textile. Mohair also takes dye exceptionally well and has great insulating properties, making it warm. It is also known for it’s good moisture-wicking, stretch and flame and crease resistancy.
Mohair is wonderful in spun yarns and add an edge of luxury to knitted garments.
I have used this for felting and find that it doesn’t felt on it’s own very well, but it does make a lovely highlight texture to both wet and dry pieces.
Count: 23-27 micron/Bradford 58-60
Staple: 10 – 15cm
I hope this helps?
Sara
Sara’s Texture Crafts
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Here’s where to get your materials, equipment and feltmaking supplies… Sara’s Texture Crafts
Fibre – Blue Faced Leicester
BFL, or Blue Faced Leicester in roving form.
Blue Face Leicester is a wonderful British breed, believed to have come originally from Hexham, Northumberland. The fibre is soft and has a small crimp effect that can give a slight texture to your work. It also has a lovely natural shine and I would say it almost quite similar to Shetland wool. I have used this fibre for both wet and dry felting, but it could also work wonderfully in your spinning.
Beginners to spinning may prefer this fibre to start out with, because it’s long staple (hair) length gives strength.
Count: 23-28 micron/Bradford 56-60
Staple: 8 – 15cm
I hope this helps?
Sara
Sara’s Texture Crafts
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Here’s where to get your materials, equipment and feltmaking supplies… Sara’s Texture Crafts
Fibre – Alpaca
Alpaca in roving form.
The Alpaca was a South American breed of animal originally and has been bred for many, many years for their wonderful fleece and their ability to live where other livestock faltered (higher altitudes and mountainous terrains). Now in more modern times, it is not unusual to see the Alpaca being bred right across Europe and here in the UK it is a growing industry.
Alpaca fibre is a light-weight, lustrous and silky. While similar to some sheep’s wool in that it is a natural fibre state, it is warmer, less prickly, and bears no lanolin, which makes it hypoallergenic. It is also soft and luxurious. In physical structure, alpaca fibre is somewhat akin to hair, being very glossy and less scaly than sheeps wool, but its softness and fineness enable the spinner to produce satisfactory yarn with comparative ease. It is hollow as well, which makes it a good insulator.
Alpaca does make a lovely highlight texture to both wet and dry pieces. Blending is the key to use in feltmaking, although there are some felt artists who work solely with Alpaca in their work… so it can be done, but does take a bit of extra work!
I hope this helps?
Sara
Sara’s Texture Crafts
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Here’s where to get your materials, equipment and feltmaking supplies… Sara’s Texture Crafts
