{"id":5118,"date":"2023-07-25T10:31:47","date_gmt":"2023-07-25T10:31:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewoollybadger.com\/?p=5118"},"modified":"2023-07-25T10:31:55","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T10:31:55","slug":"all-your-questions-about-silk-yarn-answered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewoollybadger.com\/?p=5118","title":{"rendered":"All your questions about silk yarn answered"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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In previous summers, I\u2019ve been all about the cotton yarn, whether that\u2019s a pure cotton like the lovely Krea Deluxe Organic Cotton, a cotton-and-plant mix like Kelbourne Woolens Mojave or a cotton-and-wool mix like BC Garn BioBalance.<\/p>

But this year I\u2019m going in a different direction with my summer knitting, and I\u2019m going for silk yarn.<\/p>

I know. Unexpected.<\/p>

Yes, silk has been on my knitting radar for years as part of mohair silk yarns, but it turns out it can do rather more than just providing a lovely stable core to spin with those super fluffy yarns. So let\u2019s do a little silk yarn FAQ, shall we?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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What's so great about silk yarn for summer?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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I mean, what\u2019s not great about silk yarn for summer? It\u2019s gloriously lightweight, has spectacular drape (which is just a fancy way of saying that it hangs really nicely) and it can do something ridiculous like absorb 30% of its weight in moisture without feeling damp.<\/p>

Which obviously means that on hot, sticky days it\u2019s a pretty good fibre to be wearing.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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How ethical is silk yarn?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Silk has a bit of a bad rap when it comes to animal cruelty, and for good reason; a lot of silk production uses some pretty unpleasant methods that I won\u2019t go into here.<\/p>

But the good news is that a lot of supply chains are becoming a lot more transparent, which makes it a bit easier to find out exactly how your silk yarn has been produced. That said, the information isn\u2019t available for all yarns, so if cruelty-free silk production is particularly important to you, then your safe bet silk yarn is Knitting For Olive Pure Silk.<\/a><\/p>

If you\u2019ve ever looked on knitting Instagram for more than about 30 seconds, you\u2019ll likely have come across a pattern using this yarn, and for good reason; KFO Pure Silk is ethically produced raw silk, which means it\u2019s harvested from the cocoons after the butterflies have already left. It makes for a slightly more rustic silk than you might expect, with a bit less sheen and a slightly thick-and-thin quality to it, but if you ask me, that just adds to the charm. I used it for my second sample of the Tallulah camisole<\/a>, so I know what I\u2019m talking about here.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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And have we talked about the colour range for KFO Pure Silk? Because we should. It\u2019s absolutely stonking.<\/p>

If you\u2019re after a really special, rather more spenny alternative then La Bien Aimee launched a new, ethical silk tweed this year which again has a spectacular colour range. I can\u2019t give this one a personal recommendation as I\u2019ve not knitted with it yet, but maybe I should order a few skeins in the name of research? I mean, it\u2019s basically my professional duty.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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What is silk yarn like to knit with?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Honestly? A bit weird. It lacks the elasticity of wool, which means it can feel a bit rope-like to knit with. If you\u2019re working with a pure silk, then you may find it a bit hard on your hands, which sounds counterintuitive given how gloriously soft the finished fabric is. It can be a bit of an eyes-on-the-prize experience, as you know the finished article is absolutely going to be worth it.<\/p>

This lack of elasticity can also affect your tension, so it\u2019s super important to make sure you swatch when working with silk yarn. Personally, I find that my tension is super loose with silk. Taking the Tallulah camisole as another example, the silk\/wool mix of the variegated sample knitted up on a 3.75mm needle, whereas the pure silk version needed a 3mm needle to get the same tension. Which is a not insignificant difference.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Is there any way to knit with silk and have it be a more pleasant experience?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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If you really can\u2019t be doing with the pure silk knitting experience, the you might want to look into a silk mix. In general, yarns tend to behave according to whatever fibre is the biggest in the mix, and very often silk is mixed in 50:50 with fibres like wool.<\/p>

This means that there\u2019s enough of the other fibre in there to add a bit of that elasticity back in, and make it a bit less like knitting with rope. You\u2019re also likely to find that your tension is closer to your \u201cusual\u201d tension.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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What about silk mix yarns? Are they any good for summer?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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It\u2019s irritating answer time, because I\u2019m going to have to tell you that it depends on what it\u2019s mixed with.<\/p>

One of the most common combinations is an alpaca silk, which for most of the year is an absolute bloomin\u2019 dream of a combination. It\u2019s softer than your average kitten, and has the most glorious drape and sheen you\u2019re ever going to see. Sandnes Garn Alpakka Silke<\/a> is a fantastic commercial example of the genre, and I will eternally sing the praises of Ainsworth and Prin\u2019s hand dyed version.<\/a><\/p>

The only issue with these yarns for summer is that alpaca is a pretty warm fibre. As in, warmer than wool. So if you\u2019re thinking of using an alpaca silk for a summer knit, have a think about how you\u2019re expecting to wear that project.<\/p>

If it\u2019s going to be your super hot weather go-to camisole, then maybe have a reconsider. If you\u2019re after something that\u2019s super lightweight to chuck on of an eve to keep the chill out, then you\u2019re more likely to be onto a winner.<\/p>

Speaking of winners, my absolute winner silk mix yarn is a merino\/silk. It\u2019s almost as soft as that lovely alpaca, without quite so much of the warmth.<\/p>

I\u2019ll merrily wear a merino silk tee through most of the English summer. My latest merino silk FO is a Pegetha top<\/a> in some crazy beautiful one of a kind yarn from The Wool Kitchen<\/a>, who produce my absolute favourite merino silk yarns. The combination of colour, shine, and speckling is just absolutely top-notch.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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What patterns should I be using with silk yarn?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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As ever, your safest bet is going to be going with a pattern that\u2019s designed for the fibre you\u2019re using. If you\u2019re on Ravelry it can be easy to lose way longer than anticipated by scrolling through the projects for a particular yarn.<\/p>

In general though, silk tends to lend itself to patterns that are a bit flowy. It can make for superb summer basics (think tees and tanks) and can also make for some pretty nifty looking lacework.<\/p>

And if you\u2019re after some specific examples, then you might want to check out some of these babies (heads up – these are all links to Ravelry):<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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