All you need to know about Silk Fibres
Silk fibres are prized for their luxurious handle, strength and luminous sheen. These silk fibres are available in a variety of forms, each produced at different stages of the silk production process.
Silk can be dyed to vibrant shades using Acid dyes, and the reflective qualities of the fibre enhance colour depth and brilliance.
The following silk fibres are available as undyed or hand-dyed, and can all be used successfully in spinning, feltmaking, silk papermaking, embroidery and textile art techniques.
Sericin – the Natural Silk Glue
Undyed Silk Throwsters Waste, Silk Carrier Rods and Silk Cocoons all contain the naturally occurring substance sericin. Sericin is the natural protein glue that binds the fibres together and helps maintain the structure of the cocoon.
This natural adhesive can be used creatively in silk papermaking:
- Spread the fibres onto baking parchment
- Spray lightly with water
- Cover with another sheet of parchment
- Iron on a medium setting until dry
As the fibres dry, the sericin bonds them together, creating a beautifully textured silk paper ideal for mixed media work, embroidery backgrounds or collage.
Feltmaking with Silk Fibres
Silk fibres do not have the microscopic scales found on wool fibres, so they cannot felt together using traditional wet felting techniques. However, silk can still be used effectively in feltmaking by:
- Sandwiching silk fibres between thin layers of wool, where the wool fibres migrate through the silk and trap it in place
- Needle felting, where barbed felting needles are used to bind the fibres together. The charming bear shown here was needle felted by Jane Rodgers using Italian Silk Waste.
Silk fibres are often used to add lustre, texture and colour highlights to felted pieces.
Spinning with Silk Fibres
Silk fibres are extremely fine and smooth. Because of this they can easily snag on broken fingernails or rough skin, so it is helpful to file nails and moisturise your hands before spinning.
Different silk preparations require slightly different spinning approaches. For example, the long, continuous fibre in a silk hanky makes it an excellent fibre for learning how to spin silk (our page on Spinning a Hanky demonstrates the process), while tussah noil contains short fibres and small pieces of cocoon. It benefits from carding to remove harder fragments and to create a light, airy rolag ready for spinning. Because the fibres are short, it is usually best spun using the long-draw technique.
Silk Cocoons
The domesticated silkworm used to produce fine mulberry silk is raised in trays and carefully fed throughout its life.
When the silkworm prepares to transform into a chrysalis and eventually a moth, it is placed into open compartments (similar to egg cartons). There it spins a protective silk cocoon.
Wild silkworms, by contrast, often spin their cocoons while folding a leaf around themselves, using their first silk fibres to pull the leaf into shape.
Unreeling Silk from Cocoons
Silk filament is obtained from cocoons by unreeling them in hot soapy water. The softened filament is located and then drawn off the cocoon. Typically 10–15 cocoon filaments are combined to create the strong, glossy thread known as reeled silk. Reeled silk still contains sericin, making it ideal for silk papermaking before the fibres are degummed.
You can learn how to unreel a cocoon by visiting www.wormspit.com (opens in a separate window).
Types of Silk Fibres
Carded Cocoon Strippings
Cocoon strippings are silk fibres taken directly from the cocoon and lightly carded.
They produce a soft, fluffy fibre with a matte finish, making them ideal for spinning, papermaking and adding subtle texture to fibre art.
Silk Throwsters Waste
Throwsters waste is a by-product of the silk reeling process, produced when fibres become tangled in machinery during unwinding.
Despite its name, it is a high-quality silk fibre that retains its sericin coating, giving the fibres a slightly coarse feel while maintaining excellent strength and texture.
Silk Carrier Rods
These silk carrier rods measure approximately 10 cm and resemble long split tubes.
They are a woven waste product from the silk winding process and still contain sericin, giving them a beautiful natural sheen.
Carrier rods are particularly popular for:
- textured embroidery
- silk papermaking
- fibre collage
The image shows how a rod can be gently pulled apart to separate the fibres.
Gummy Reeled Silk
Gummy reeled silk is high-quality filament silk containing around 25% sericin.
It is ideal for:
- silk papermaking
- couching in embroidery
- fibre art
Once degummed, the fibres can be dyed and spun into a beautifully lustrous yarn.
You can learn more about the process on our degumming reeled silk recipe page.
Tussah Noil and White Noil Silk
Silk noil is made from the short, broken fibres collected from the inner parts of the cocoon. Its spinning characteristics are similar to cotton, producing a soft yarn with a matte texture. The image shows White noil (top) and Tussah noil (bottom)
Silk noil is often used to:
- add interest to handmade papers
- blend with other fibres for spinning
- introduce texture into felted fabrics
Because the fibres are short, it is important to add extra twist while spinning to produce a strong yarn.
Silk Hankies
A silk hanky is made by boiling silk cocoons to remove the sericin that binds the cocoon together. The cocoon is then pierced and stretched over a frame, forming a square web of silk fibres with a frilled edge.
Silk hankies can be:
- drafted into roving for spinning
- used as an unspun yarn for knitting
- incorporated into silk papermaking
- added to textile art and embroidery
Mawata Caps
Mawata caps are similar to silk hankies but are formed by stretching cocoons over a rounded former to create a delicate silken web pocket.
They can be used in several ways:
- spun into very fine thread
- knitted directly from the cap
- used in silk papermaking or textile art
Because the fibres are not broken during preparation, it is sometimes possible to draw a continuous fine filament from the cap.
Instructions on making Mawata caps can also be found at www.wormspit.com (opens in a separate window).
Italian Silk Waste
Italian silk waste is the textured form of silk top. Despite its name, it is a sumptuous fibre: soft, degummed, curly and highly lustrous. Once carded, it spins into an interesting textured yarn and is also popular for needle felting and fibre blending.
Mulberry Silk Tops / Brick
Mulberry silk top is A1 quality long-fibre silk.
- Silk brick – a hand-wide length of sliver
- Silk top – a narrower, more manageable width for spinning
The long, carded fibres make this an excellent fibre for spinning fine, lustrous yarns, while also being ideal for silk papermaking and textile embellishment.
Tussah Silk Tops
Tussah silk tops have a natural pale golden colour and a slightly firmer handle than mulberry silk. They still provide the characteristic silk sheen, but with slightly less slipperiness, making them easier for some spinners to draft. Tussah silk tops can be dyed beautifully using Acid dyes.
Browse the full range of silk fibres available at George Weil
Please note: George Weil is not responsible for the content of external websites.