Our sett chart and following information are just starting points. One must weave a sample to ensure the finished cloth will be perfect for the intended use. Treat your silk yarn with sensitivity and the results will make you proud.
We hope you find the following information about each Treenway silk yarn helpful.
We are carrying the new and improved Silk Spinner Hand Scrub. Now more emollient with cocoa butter and carrot tissue oil, it works wonders for smoothing your hands for working with silk.
Silk Spinner contains only natural ingredients: sugar, pure olive oil, cocoa butter, meadowfoam oil, carrot tissue oil, hand made silk soap and fragrance.
Hand made on Salt Spring Island by dermalove.
5.5oz – $15.00
Click here for our sett chart (opens in a new window)
SPUN YARN
Spun
yarn is easy to work with and not as slippery as reeled yarn.
Care should be taken when winding from the skein. An empty toilet
paper tube placed on the arm of the ball winder will keep the
silk yarns tidy if they slip off the ball while winding. Better
still, wind the warp or shuttle directly from the skein placed
on a yarn holder (swift). It is best to clamp the swift sideways
rather than straight up. Investing in a couple of swifts and
bypassing the ball stage saves time and tangle no matter what
type of silk yarn you are working with. The yarn should be handled
as little as possible while dressing the loom to prevent fluffing
and pilling. Investigate 'minimal handling' methods of warping.
All our spun yarns are gassed. This is a finishing process of running the spun yarn through a series of spikes which creates static. This pulls any lose fibres or debris to the surface. The yarn continues through a hot flame at very high speed to singe off the fluff produced during the spinning process, which helps prevent pilling.
20/10
We designed this yarn specifically for our knitters. It is creamy soft with an interesting 'cord' look. It combines nicely with other exotic yarns like cashmere, merino and chenille for luscious throws.
Knit by Bev Lilyman
12/2
A medium, soft twist gives any cloth woven with this yarn a supple hand. It has the creamy, warm lustre of all our spun silks. It blends nicely with many other yarns; 8/2, fine cord, 10/2 noil, 20/2, etc. to make beautiful scarves, shawls and other apparel.
Woven by Karen Selk
20/2
This is the most consistent work horse for ourselves as well as the majority of our customers. The yarn is supple with a medium twist, easy to work with and a perfect weight for clothing. We suggest this yarn most often to fledgling silk weavers. It combines easily with all our other yarns. We have 20/2 available in all 100 of our hand-dyed colours and wound into 10 yard mini skeins for accents, tapestry, stitching, kumihimo and power sampling.
Woven by Karen Selk
20/2 on cones
We asked our suppliers to have the 20/2 put up on cones especially for the production weavers. Now there is a choice. It makes beautiful clothing and mixes well with all our other yarns.
30/2
This yarn shares in popularity with 20/2 for our customers and ourselves. It has all the same characteristics of the 20/2 except it is finer. It combines most perfectly with our blends – silk/ramie, silk/cotton, silk/bamboo, silk/angora, silk/camel, silk/cashmere, silk/wool and silk/yak – and our wild silks, tussah and muga, as well as chenille and eyelash for fine clothing.
Woven by Karen Selk
60/2
A firm twist gives a surprising strength to this fine yarn, which makes a beautiful cloth for garments. Most people are a bit apprehensive until they start to work with it and then we get phone calls of glee telling us what a delight the yarn was to work with.
Woven by Karen Selk
120/2
This fine yarn is extremely strong for its weight. The most likely time for it to break is when it catches while unwinding from the skein. Take care not to jerk it while winding. Placing the skein holder (swift) sideways rather than straight up works best. The back to front process makes for smoother warping for most fine threads. This yarn makes excellent fine weight fabrics.
REELED or FILAMENT YARN
Reeled
yarn is extremely slippery and requires some special handling.
A ball winder should not be used with reeled silks. The yarn
will slip off, making a tangled mess. Wind the balls by hand,
or better still, wind your warp and shuttle directly from the
skein placed on a yarn holder (swift). It is best to clamp the
swift side ways rather than straight up. Investing in a couple
of swifts and bypassing the ball stage saves time and tangle
no matter what type of silk yarn you are working with.
Combining any of the reeled yarns with any of the spun or noil silks adds a sense of intrigue to the cloth due to the subtle difference in texture and sheen.
#0
Our heaviest filament yarn is extremely lustrous, soft and 'scrunchy'. Use this yarn as an accent with finer threads. It bubbles and gives the appearance of a boucle yarn. It is very slippery, so care should be taken when winding the yarn from the skein. It is a popular yarn with knitters.
Knit by Bev Lilyman
8/2
A looser twist offers optimum sheen. It is very slippery, so care should be taken when winding the yarn from the skein. The cloth made with these yarns looks and feels luxuriant. It adds a touch of class when combined with any other yarn. We have woven it in combination with: chenille, 12/2, 30/2, alpaca, qiviut, tussah and 20/2. This is one of the yarns we have wound into dyed 10 yard mini skeins for accents, tapestry, kumihimo and sampling.
Woven by Karen Selk
Fine Cord
This is the tightest twist yarn we have and an excellent choice for structures with a float, tablet weaving, kumihimo or anything that requires a firmer hand. Its high texture and crisp sheen creates an intriguing contrast in a cloth when mixed with silk/wool, 20/2, 20/2 noil, silk/cotton, etc. We wind this yarn in hand-dyed, 10 yd mini skeins for accents, tapestries, kumihimo, stitching and sampling.
Woven by Karen Selk
NOVELTY YARN
Bouclé
Our bouclé is a spun yarn with a lustrous firm finish. A fancy yarn of any type yields more of an effect if used less rather than more. The character of the yarn is really noticed when combined with smoother yarns.
It combines well with our reeled fine cord and 8/2, spun 20/2 and 30/2, tussah and all the other yarns. The sett is dependent on the other yarns used in the cloth. Use this yarn to add texture and variety to the cloth like a strand of fresh water pearls.
Woven by Karen Selk
Chenille
We worked closely with our Chinese supplier to design this elegant yarn. It is much lighter in weight than rayon chenille with a deep warmth in feel and look and does not "worm" like rayon chenille. The woven cloth is cuddly and plush, yet refined. We prefer the feel of cloth with another silk in the warp direction and the chenille used only in the weft direction.
Cloth woven or knit with chenille is perfect for shirts, vests, dresses and scarves. Most of our other yarns make suitable warps. The different weights produce heavier and finer cloth. We have used the 8/2, 20/2, 12/2 and 30/2 very successfully as warp.
Woven by Karen Selk
Eyelash
Oooh!! I want this next to my skin, is the reaction of most people upon feeling the cloth woven or knit with the extraordinary yarn. It looks like an eyelash with the smooth binding thread on one edge and the 3/8" long, free "lashes" on the other edge. It is for weft only. The eyelashes do not "pop out" in the warp, only the weft. It looks and feels great woven one shot after another or with shots of another silk in between.
Our finer yarns: 20/2, 30/2, the blends and tussah make a great warp as well as fill in weft. Eyelash cloth is wonderful for jackets, dresses and tops.
Woven by Karen Selk
WILD SILK
30/2 Tussah
A wild silkworm produces this yarn with a natural colour of amber, honey-beige. It combines nicely with our 30/2 silk and chenille as well as all the other blends for clothing. The unique colouring blends subtly with the Bombyx naturals to make a sophisticated cloth.
Woven by Karen Selk
30/2 Muga
Muga is the common name of the caterpillar Antherea assama. It is a cousin to the Tussah caterpillar and produces a special golden colour silk when reeled from the cocoon. As a spun yarn it is a golden honey colour.
Muga is special because the eco-system provided by the Brahmaputra River valley in India is the only place that provides the perfect conditions for its growth. Muga sericulture was encouraged by the ancient royalty of Assam but hit serious decline with the clearing of forests to make way for tea plantations. The Assamese struggle to continue raising Muga silk as it is woven into the fabric of their tradtiions, culture and economy.
It blends well with 30/2 silk and tussah as well as all the other blends for clothing.
Woven by Karen Selk
20/2 Tussah Peduncle
The tropical tussah caterpillar has a cocoon spinning process unlike any of the other silk producing caterpillars including the temperate tussah silkworm. When ready to spin its cocoon, the caterpillar spends up to an hour and a half searching for the perfect spot to form a cape of leaves. The first silk is spun back and forth to form a stem, called a peduncle. This stem is circled around a branch and is then connected to the cape while the caterpillar spends the next three days spinning the cocoon. The peduncle is very hard with sericin. Once they are harvested, the peduncle are boiled with alkaline to soften the sericin, then beaten with bamboo sticks to loosen the fibre and then hand carded before spinning on a Gandhi-style hand charka.
The colour is a deep grey/brown. The yarn is firm because the peduncle feels exactly like a stiff stem before processing. The ply has a heavy twist, so the yarn is lively with a little over twist. This could be used to advantage when making a collapse weave. One must be watchful while weaving to catch the yarn from twisting back on itself. The yarn is uneven like hand spun. Its colour combines nicely with the tussah and muga yarns for a nice lightweight jacket fabric.
NOIL YARN
20/2 Noil
The hide and seek play between the matte noil and shininess of the higher quality silks lend an interesting coyness to a cloth. This yarn mixes nicely with our 20/2 and fine cord for a comfortable garment.
Woven by Karen Selk
10/1 Noil
We suggest it is best used as a weft yarn. The short fibres make it a bit fragile for warp. Its matte quality lends interest in a cloth combined with other yarns. It combines well with our 20/2.
Woven by Karen Selk
10/2 Noil
Noil silk is characteristically textured with a matte look. The hide and seek between dull and lustrous threads adds a sense of playfulness to cloth. This yarn mixes nicely with our 12/2 and 8/2 for heavier weight clothing like vests and jackets.
Woven by Karen Selk
DYED SILK YARNS
Colors appear different on the various qualities of 100% silk yarn. Each of the qualities: reeled, spun, noil and tussah has varying levels of sheen. The color difference is actually due to the reflective nature of each of the yarns. To illustrate this variance we put all of these in the same dye pot, Bordello (JY #20).
SILK BLENDS
Silk/Angora – 55%/45%
The fur of the rabbit is very fine, soft, lightweight and has great insulation qualities (it is seven to eight times warmer than wool). It benefits greatly mixed with silk to provide length, sheen, less pilling and practicality in price and uses.
Woven on itself, it creates a creamy feeling fabric nice for a light weight jacket or sweater. It combines beautifully with our 30/2 silk and other animal blends: silk/camel, silk/cashmere, silk/wool and silk/yak for soft, exquisite cloth for clothing.
We used a sett of 36 epi for a twill variation weave for the sample.
Woven by Karen Selk
Silk/Bamboo – 60%/40%
Cloth woven with silk/bamboo in both the warp and weft direction, has a crisp feel. It is more "papery" in feel than linen or ramie. It would make a lovely blouse and skirt or light weight summer jacket fabric with a golden sheen. We also combined it with our silk/cotton blend yarn for a softer feel, yet it remains cool for summer weather. Silk/ramie mixed with the silk/bamboo also has a crisp feel, like linen, and is perfect for hotter climates. The colour of a fabric made with the bamboo and our tussah or muga wild silks is soft and warm. The silk/bamboo is softened considerably when combined with 30/2 silk. It still maintains a nice summer jacket weight, but with more flexibility.
We dye it the same 100 colour palette as our silks. The protein/cellulose fibre combination gives a somewhat muted heather effect.
We used a sett of 36 epi for a twill weave.
Woven by Karen Selk
30/2 Silk/Camel – 55%/45%
This yarn has a naturally warm camel beige colour with a soft hand. It is almost unbelievable that such a softness can be yielded from the camel.
We crossed a silk/camel warp with: silk/camel for a sumptuous fabric; tussah silk for a soft and lovely colour; 28/2 silk/cashmere for a soft and drapey cloth; 30/2 silk for a beautiful clothing fabric; and silk/yak and silk/angora for an elegant cloth for fabric.
All combinations were done in twill weave at 36epi.
Woven by Karen Selk
28/2 Silk/Cashmere – 80%/20%
The percentage of cashmere is small but its downy softness gives this yarn a smooth creamy hand with a warm lustre. The twist suits the blend, it is not too tight and not really loose either, it is just perfect. Alone or mixed with our finer yarns like 30/2 silk, silk/wool, silk/yak, silk/camel, silk/angora tussah or muga, it is an excellent weight for clothing with a good drape and lovely hand.
We dye it in our range of 100 hues. The colours are barely lighter than those on our shade card of 100% silk.
Woven by Karen Selk
60/4 Silk/Cotton – 55%/45%
The blend of cotton yields a soft, smooth yarn. It has a soft twist and cool quality. It is a perfect weight for clothing with a good drape and softer to the touch than expected. It combines beautifully with our 30/2 silk, silk/ramie, silk/bamboo, silk/wool, tussah, muga and eyelash.
We dye it the same 100 colour palette as our silks. The protein/cellulose fibre combination gives a somewhat muted heather colour.
Woven by Karen Selk
60/4 Silk/Ramie – 55%/45%
Ramie is a bast fibre, which is stripped from the stalk of plants in the nettle family. The ramie adds just a touch of body to the silk, yet the silk retains its sheen. This is a wonderful blend that provides a really nice hand to the cloth. It combines nicely with our 30/2 silk, tussah, muga, eyelash and all the other blends for clothing that requires some firmness. We dye it the same 100 colour palette as our silks. The protein/cellulose fibre combination gives a somewhat muted, heather effect.
Woven by Karen Selk
60/4 Silk/Wool – 60%/40%
This blend possesses the best qualities of both fibres. The wool adds a buttery feeling to the cloth. A subtle sheen and just right twist make this a perfect yarn for clothing and furnishings. It mixes nicely with our 30/2 silk, tussah, muga, eyelash and all the other blends.
We used it as the weft to make a collapse fabric with 20/2 silk and tussah in the warp. We dye it in the same 100 colour palette as our silk.
Woven by Karen Selk
30/2 Silk/Yak – 55%/45%
This exotic blend has a natural brown/grey color reminiscent of a wild animal. The hand is soft yet with substance. The first time we saw a yak in Bhutan, we were amazed at how short they were. They are very shaggy like Highland cattle and sturdily built for grazing in the Himalayan Mountains. It is the soft
underbelly fur that is used in our blend.
Woven with itself, the silk/yak gives a nice light jacket or skirt weight fabric in a timeless, sophisticated natural colour. Combined with our 28/2 silk/cashmere it is as light and soft as goose down feathers with a light colouring to suit the hand of the fabric. The mixture of the silk/yak with our 60/4 silk wool blend yields another light jacket or skirt weight fabric.
Using black 30/2 silk as the weft results in a fabric for a sophisticated man's scarf. Combined with our other new blend of silk/camel, the hand is nice for clothing and has a color that hums a quiet elegance.
We used a sett of 36 epi for a twill weave for all the above combinations.
Woven by Karen Selk
DYED BLEND YARNS
We use the same dye to tint our blends as we do our 100% silk yarns. Some of our blends are all protein yarns and some are a mixture of vegetable and protein. The dye adheres to all of these in varying degrees. We put all of our blends into the same dye pot, color #20 Bordello, to illustrate how differently the same dye looks on the various yarns.
SILK RIBBONS
All of the ribbons are woven using fine reeled silk which still has the sericin in it. This acts as a natural sizing. The warp threads are two strands of fine silk which are twisted together. There are 300 fine warp threads per inch. The weft is a single silk strand. The ribbon is woven in plain weave, where the weft goes over one warp thread and under one warp thread all the way across.
The loom is set up to maximize efficiency in weaving the narrow ribbon bands. Three layers of ribbons are woven at once. Approximately 14 ribbons are woven simultaneously across the loom with another layer of 14 ribbons above that and another 14 above that. There are 42 tiny shuttles and bobbins carrying the weft back and forth at one time.
Observing the winding of all those thousands of fine threads into numerous layers and sections onto the loom, was akin to watching an orchestra of spiders building a massive web.
- 2 mm (approx 1/16 inch)
- 3.5 mm (approx 1/8 inch)
- 7 mm (approx ¼/ inch)
- 13 mm (approx ½ inch)
Knitting with Silk Ribbon
All samples knit by Inez Hanna
Most of the ribbon knitting we have done is mixed with another silk yarn. We like the added texture and it creates a more interesting look.
2mm
Knit with our reeled 8/2 silk on 5mm needles.
Gauge: 20 stitches + 32 rows = 4 inches
2mm
Knit with our reeled #0 on 5mm needles.
Gauge: 24 stitches + 24 rows = 4 inches
3.5mm
Knit with our chenille on 6mm needles.
Gauge: 20 stitches + 24 rows = 4 inches
3.5 mm
Knit with our spun 12/2 on 7mm needles.
Gauge: 16 stitches + 25 rows = 4 inches
7 mm
Knit with our reeled 8/2 on 8mm needles.
Gauge: 16 stitches + 16 rows = 4 inches
7 mm
Knit with our reeled 8/2 on 6mm needles.
Gauge: 20 stitches + 20 rows = 4 inches
13 mm
Knit on its own on 8 mm needles.
Gauge: 16 stutches + 16 rows = 4 inches
13 mm
Knit with our reeled 8/2 on 8 mm needles.
Gauge: 12 stitches + 16 rows = 4 inches
Weaving with Silk Ribbon
We have found it easier to use the narrow 2mm ribbon in the warp. The other widths tend to turn over on themselves in the warp, but not the weft. In the warp give the ribbon its own space in the reed.
2 mm
We used it in both the warp and weft. It behaved beautifully in both directions and creates such elegance.
Woven by Karen Selk
3.5mm
We used it as decorative weft shots in this 8 shaft point twill. We inserted it in a plain weave for stability.
Woven by Karen Selk
3.5 mm
We used it as decorative weft shots in an 8 shaft satin weave. We lifted only one harness to insert the ribbon to show it off to its maximum potential.
Woven by Karen Selk (Sample is shown turned 90°)