SILK - Spinning, Dyeing and Finishing
Silk is such a beautiful and lustrous fiber to spin! This workshop will show you how to prepare and spin all the various forms of silk available to spinners today. You will also learn how to dye silk. Even though it is an expensive fiber relative to our wools and such, it takes MUCH less to produce light and airy products than wool! So working with small amounts is a pleasure!
SKILLS REQUIRED
You will need to have mastered the short fingered draft and the short and long point of twist draws.
BRING THE FOLLOWING
Your spinning wheel, spinning oil
Pair of fine wool or cotton hand cards
3 bobbins (one on the wheel plus two extras)
lazy kate for plying (prefer a tensioned Kate)
small sample size niddy noddy
small index cards
notebook, pen or pencil
This workshop is a FULL DAY of spinning!
COST The workshop cost $60.00, plus there will be a $20.00 supply fee for a complete range of silk spinning fibers for sampling.
CLASS TOPICS
INTRO TO SILK
SILK FACTS - Sericulture
1. Cocoon forms - cocoons, bells or caps, hankies, noil
2. Carded forms - combed top (roving and brick), carded slyer
3. Silk facts - fiber length, strength and luster; spinning wheel requirements and adjustments
DEGUMMING COCOONS
1. Removing sericin before spinning and from spun skeins
DYEING SILK
1. Immersion, space dyeing, sprinkle dyeing
2. One pot, crock pot, microwave
SPINNING SILK
1. Fiber length, luster, spinning wheel adjustments - control yarns
2. Techniques for cocoon forms
3. Techniques for carded forms
4. To ply or not to ply, considerations of twist and luster
WET FINISHING
1. Washing, setting twist
2. Steaming
3. Lustering
END PRODUCTS - THE MANY USES OF SILK
THE CARE OF SILK AND SILK BLEND FABRICS
BLENDING SILK WITH OTHER FIBERS