February 2010

Greetings | Specialty Fleeces | Specials | New Products | Fleeces | Silk Textiles from Laos | Asian Journal

Greetings from Salt Spring Island

We look back with gratitude and forward with excitement and anticipation in these first few days of 2010. We like to take stock and recall all the happenings of 2009 both happy and sad quietly calling to mind our gratefulness for all; even the sad things add to the mix of making us stronger and more caring people.

Each new year is full of intoxicating hope for the potential of making the world a better place for our children. For most of us, the realisation of that desire is fulfilled in our own homes and communities. The little things we do each day, in our own way to radiate a little kindness, joy, inspiration, love, peace, creativity and hope is the stuff that does make the world a joyful place.

Take heart all you creative fibre artists in these subdued times. Working with natural fibres and spectrums of colours to create beautiful things to adorn our bodies or decorate our homes fills us up with joy and satisfaction which reverberates out into the planet.

We thank all of you for your support and creative work over the years. We wish you all a healthy, joyful and prosperous 2010. We will continue to work hard to offer you the best of products and service, as well as technical and creative help.

Clay/Straw House

There has been lots of VP (also known as Visual Progress) since our last newsletter. Last fall we had just finished repairing the cracks in the earthen floor. Terry's unwavering nature through the trial and error of what to do to fix the cracks was admirable. After three weeks the cracks were finally fixed and we applied six coats of linseed oil to make the floor strong. We simmered up a final coat consisting of beeswax, carnauba wax, earth pigment and thinner which was applied warm by hand and buffed afterwards. This coat has given the floor a rich leather look with highlights of straw showing through. It has a tough finish with a shine that is water resistant. The earthen floor has a natural give and it is said to be the best for the health of your feet all the way up through your spine.

The bamboo floor has already been installed in my studio. So it is just the base board trim and a good cleaning before I can move into a bright workspace that would be the joy of any artist. We have chosen local Douglas fir for the flooring in the rest of the house.

The bathrooms are tiled and looking great. Now we are working on all the beautiful woodwork. The kitchen cabinets are being installed as I type. The wood was gifted to us by our dear friends from New Zealand, the Ashfords. The cabinets are made of two New Zealand woods, NZ Silver Beech and Rimu and they are stunning. We are also working on lots of beautiful woodwork like built-in bookshelves and window seats.

The journey continues with the septic field yet to be put in, hooking up the in-floor heating, laying the wood floors, hanging interior doors and building bathroom cabinets. But the list is diminishing quickly! This kind of visual progress is fun and exciting. One of the best things is the list of decisions and shopping is getting near the end.

Greetings Carol and Oria & Adieu Sue

We are happy to introduce you to our two new teammates: Oria and Carol. They bring varied skills and lots of enthusiasm to help keep us moving forward with energy, style and caring for your needs. They will be happy to greet you on the phone and fill your orders with attention. We have always been blessed with warm and fascinating people who come to work at Treenway. Our new additions possess such life talents as: aerial silk acrobat, art and drama teacher, gardener, and musician.

At the same time, we wish Sue great success on her new path. She and John have an organic vegetable farm where she will be directing more of her energy. We are extremely grateful to Sue for all the creative spirit she has given to Treenway over the past eight years and we will miss her. She has been the smile you hear on the other end of the phone and the know how in getting your parcels out to you in a timely and caring manner.

The colour and creativity that is Treenway has always been a cooperative effort of all of us here. The organisation behind the scenes, the beautiful ads and website, the creative artwork, the brilliant colours of our yarns and fibres and of course the balancing of the finances are fueled by a small, but potent crew. Our intention is always to do the best we can for you, our valued customers and friends. However, we invariably make mistakes. We welcome you to let us know when an error has occurred so we can correct it as soon as possible or if you have any other questions.

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Phaeng Mai Gallery

Silk Scarves & Shawls

We continue to supply beautiful handwoven items from the Phaeng Mai Gallery in Laos.

Weaving at the Phaeng Mai Gallery →

Founded and run by sisters, Kongthong and Viengkam, the gallery is a cottage industry that trains women from villages all over the country in traditional designs, dyes and structures. They return to their homes with weaving as a supplementary income to farming and while they raise their families.

Phaeng Mai Gallery supplies the silk for the weavers and buys back their handwoven items and finds markets worldwide for these exquisite works.

Kongthong (left) at a weaving conference →

We have a variety of colours, most naturally dyed, patterns, sizes and prices. Usually there are no two pieces alike. Each item is beautifully woven and makes a heart-felt gift that helps fellow weavers in a poorer part of the world. This is a conscientious way of supporting cottage industry promoting a traditional lifestyle which is vital to the economy, heritage and mental health of developing countries.

Sample Gallery

→ Click on the images below for a larger image
For a detailed description see the Phaeng Mai Gallery

Phaeng Mai Gallery sells an exclusive collection of exquisite fabrics made using naturally-dyed silk painstakingly hand woven on traditional looms. To preserve the weaving heritage of Laos, designs used are derived from antique textiles such as those commissioned by the ancient royal courts.	Phaeng Mai Gallery is run by two sisters from Samneua Province who supervise the entire weaving process in an extended family manner. A highlight of its work was in 1991 when it participated the South East Asia Textile Weaving Contest, held in Chiang Mai and sponsored by UNESCO. Phaeng Mai has won a number of awards in recognition of its work in weaving, notably in 2004 under the UNESCO-AHPADA Award of Excellence for Handicrafts Programme scheme.	In 1990 Phaeng Mai Gallery opened its handloom weaving facilities to train Lao people and others in the intricate skills and techniques required to produce Lao textiles. Each course is adapted to suit weaving experience and the specific needs of clusters of trainee weavers. www.culturalprofiles.net/ laos/Units/540.html

Phaeng Mai Gallery www.phaengmaigallery.com

Phaeng Mai Weaving at Treenway Silks www.treenwaysilks.com/scarves.html

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New Products

bombyx oblongs | sari silk series

Bombyx Oblongs

Also known as Laps in Britain and Australia

Cocoons that cannot be used to make reeled silk yarn are used to make oblongs. The degummed cocoons are carded on a large carding machine to make "batts" approximately 56" x 60" and weighing approximately 500g.

This shipment is lustrous and very silky. These lofty oblongs are great for felting, nuno or silk fusion. They are available in two sizes:

Full Batt: 500g
Approx 56" x 60" (approx 17.5 oz)
$144/kg

Half Batt: 250g
Approx 28" x 60" (approx 8.75 oz)
$148/kg

Sari Silk Series

We wanted to remind you of the fun and very versatile sari silks we received last fall. They have been very popular and our customers are doing some creative things with them. There is a kaleidoscope of colours within each package. Blues and greens and yellows and oranges are gaily mixed together. They do not come in specific colourways. The colourful fabrics and yarns will give all your fibre work a lush, exotic edge.

Sari Strips 2 or 3 strips of beautiful silk sari fabric with widths varying from 2.5" to 9". 2 – 3 yards $4.95/pkg
Sari Ribbon Strips of silk sari approx ½" to 1" wide have been sewn together to make one continuous kaleidoscope of woven silk ribbon. 5 yards $4.95/pkg
Recycled Sari Yarn Strips of multicoloured sari fabric have been spun with silk fibre to make a firm and vivid yarn. 5 yards $4.95/pkg
Recycled Silk Yarn Recycled silk fibres are handspun into a vibrant and textured yarn. 10 yards $4.95/pkg

→ more info on dyed silk fibres
→ all silk fibres are available undyed

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Asian Journal

Tropical Tussah (tasar), Antheraea mylitta
Orissa and Chhattisgarh, India

Our story of tropical tasar continues with reeling the cocoons.

→ For a larger map click here

The men we met and worked with in the CSB (Central Silk Board) are scientists whose job it is to increase production of the silk caterpillars, the food source and post cocoon production of reeling and weaving. The CSB chaps we have met along the way are also closely connected to the tribal people who have been traditionally involved in the rearing and/or collecting of tasar for centuries in a caring way. They talk about the people with compassion and intense resolve to help make life better for them.

In Orissa the head of the department told us, "Raising tasar has always been a poor man's culture. Silk is nature's gift and tasar is god's gift which has been entrusted to the tribals [indigenous people]."

In Chhattisgarg, Mr. Chakravorty who cares about all wild things says, "Wild silk has its own language."

Reeling

Tropical tasar cocoons (right), removed peduncles (centre) and yarn spun with peduncles →

The tasar cocoons are very hard compared to the Bombyx cocoons. The protective protein coating on the cocoon, called sericin, must be removed before the silk can be released. Until recently the ashes from burned banana leaves and stems were used to degum or remove the hard sericin from the cocoons. The ash is alkaline which helps to break down the sericin. Today washing soda powder is used to degum the cocoons; it is easier and more cost effective. The cocoons are simmered for ½ – 1½ hours depending on how hard they are. The peduncle (stem, see Forming the Cocoon, Sep 2009 Silk Tidings) and outside floss are taken off each cocoon until the single continuous filament is found for reeling. Different breeds of tasar yield varying weights of silk from their cocoons from .6g to 3.6g. On average the silk content is 1.5-2g per cocoon. Five or six cocoons are drawn together and reeled into a twisted thread. It takes about 4,500 cocoons to produce a pound (454g) of reeled tasar silk.

There are three methods of reeling tasar silk: the traditional village method of thigh reeling, bowl reeling and machine reeling.

Thigh reeling →

Thigh Reeling is accomplished by twisting the filaments of silk on the thigh and is the preferred method of the village girls and women for transforming cocoons into yarn. They can easily feel the diameter of the yarn and imperfections of their work. The spinner either sits on the floor or a stool, legs straight out in front, with her sari pulled up to expose her left thigh. The degummed, damp cocoons, sit on a black cloth on the floor. The background of the black cloth helps the reeler to readily see if the filament of any of cocoons has broken. With her right hand, the spinner pulls filaments from the cocoons and rubs them across her thigh, adding a small amount of twist. With her left hand, she winds the newly formed yarn onto a natei, a handheld spindle made of wood and shaped like a paddle or constructed of strips of bamboo and shaped like a closed umbrella. The yarn wound on the natei is soaked in water used to boil rice. The starch in this water gives strength to the yarn. A drawback of this method of reeling is that some woman experience an allergic skin reaction on their thighs due to the alkali used to degum the cocoons.

Bowl reeling →

Bowl Reeling was introduced by the CSB to help avoid this problem. The reeler squats on the floor or sits on a stool in front of a round, overturned clay bowl, which is the size of a soccer ball. She twists the silk filaments over the bowl and piles the yarn on the floor in a very unruly looking mess.

Sand used to hold yarn in place as it is wound onto a natei →

Before winding the reeled silk onto the natei, the reelers heep a pile of sand onto of the little mess on the floor. The weight of the sand allows the newly formed silk yarn to be wound neatly onto the natei in the reverse order it was laid on the floor.

Machine reeling →

Machine Reeling has only been available for the last 25 years. The reeling machines have been developed and continue to be improved by the CSB. The machines are set up so a worker can be making four silk yarns at a time. The machine does the unwinding and twisting. Most of the machines are stationed in co-operative centres. The women are trained to use the machine and then they come to the centre and can use it to do the reeling. To date, there are not enough machines to accommodate all the reelers. They rotate coming to the centre and reeling on their thigh or bowl at home.

In eight hours, a worker can thigh reel about 60 cocoons and produce about 1.6 ounces (45g) of silk threads. In the same amount of time, a person working at a machine can process 700 cocoons and produce 8 ounces (228g) of silk.

It is said the thigh reeled yarn is less strong and can't be used as warp. Being a little skeptical, I asked what happened 25 years ago when no reeling machine existed. The CSB fellow replied, "Food leaves were more nutritious then. Acid rain has depleted the goodness in the leaves, making the silk weaker."

The Journey

Orissa state →

There were road trips in the old stand-by Indian car, the Ambassador, short hops on the back of a scooter, dusty rides in buses and the clackity clack rythmn of the train rails that got us out in search of the wild silk.

It was the clackity clack of the train that carried us from Orissa to Chhattisgarh. The train stations are always wild scenes in India with lots of people, loud shouting, jockeying for position and jostling of luggage. It has always been our wisdom to have a porter lead us and our luggage to the correct platform and car. But the luggage is never touched until the price has been negotiated. Then bags are hoisted up onto the cloth buns on top of their heads and we can barely keep up to their pace to get to our car.

The 17 hour train ride was mostly peaceful except for the porter shouting "chai" at nearly every hour, on the hour, in the middle of the night. The countryside changed from the damp lush green of Orissa state to the red dry soil of Chattisgarh through the filmy train window.

Chhattisgarh state →

Upon our arrival, it was mayhem with shouting and porters tugging at our sleeves. My eyes searched for Mr. Chakravorty who was to meet us. We saw him on the other side of the tracks and he waved us to get a porter and go up the steep metal grated stairs and across the walkway over the tracks and down the other side.

He took us to Hotel Mahua and explained in his mild manner that the Mahua is one of the host trees for tasar caterpillars with strong, sweet smelling flowers and fruit that is used for brewing beer. I liked him immediately.

The next newsletter will continue with reeling and weaving of tasar silk in India.

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Specialty Fleeces

New Zealand Fleeces 2010

Choose from Corriedale, English Leicester, Gotland, Merino, Perendale, Polwarth and Romney.

See the fleece list: → Specialty Fleeces

Silkster's Gallery

Call for Entries

Our next Silkster's Gallery will be in our April/May 2010 issue. We encourage all of you to send photos of your work using Treenway silks. It is fun and inspirational for all of us to see what unique work is being produced by others. We reward you for your time with silk product from Treenway.

See the Silkster's Gallery for details of what we require from you to participate in this exciting gallery. We so look forward to sharing your entries.
→ www.treenwaysilks.com/gallery.html

Specials

eyelash yarn | mini skeins
silk / cashmere fibre

Eyelash Silk Yarn

A silk eyelash yarn best suits flirting and flaunting! The shiny white yarn looks like an eyelash with the smooth polyamide binding thread on one edge and the 3/8" long, free hanging silk lashes on the other edge. The long lashes are not suited for warp. It is perfect for knitting or weft. It looks and feels fabulous woven one shot after another or with shots of another silk in between to highlight it.

Yardage: approx 3,100 yd/lb (6,230 m/kg).
Skein weight: 100-110g (3.5-4 oz).

Discounted 20%!

Regular Price: $32 / 100g skein
Sale Price: $25.60 / 100g
(approx. $21.90 US / 3.5oz cone)

The January/February 2003 issue of Handwoven magazine has an article showing the eyelash used as an outline in warp and weft around a square of 20/2 silk in a shawl. Directions were also given in the September 2002 issue of Treenway's Silk Tidings.

The eyelash sits on the surface of the cloth showing its seductive character and contributes little weight to the shawl. The draft follows with E being the eyelash in the warp and weft direction, all the other threads are 20/2 in both the warp and weft direction.

The weave structure gives the eyelash surface floats of ¼" which is fine for a garment like a shawl or scarf but not as desirable for a blouse or dress.

Five colours move across the warp and weft in a subtle plaid with a diagonal flow of the colours.

Warp
20/2 spun silk 5,000 yds/lb (1,000 yds/100g skein)
Colours A, B, C, D, E

Winding Sequence
12 threads of colours D and A (threaded alternately through the heddles), 1 eyelash, 12 threads of A, 1 eyelash, 12 threads of A and B (threaded as above), 1 eyelash, 12 threads of B, 1 eyelash, 12 threads of B and C, 1 eyelash, 12 C, 1 eyelash, 12 C and E, 1 eyelash, 12 E, 1 eyelash, 12 E and D, 1 eyelash, 12 D, 1 eyelash.
Repeat this sequence 4 times with a repeat of the first three groups (D&A, A, A&B) to make a shawl 24" wide.
Do not thread an eyelash yarn on either selvedge; it is easily caught in the 20/2 weft and makes an unwanted loop.
Approximately 700yds per colour is required to weave a shawl 24" wide by 80" long with ample fringe.

Warp Length
3 yards

Weft
Same as the warp, with colours in the same weaving sequence as the winding sequence.

Threading
As drawdown above

Treadling
As drawdown above

Sett
24 epi

Beat
24 ppi

Mini Skeins

Selected Colours in Silk Threads (20/2, Fine Cord, 8/2 in 10 yd lengths) and 3.5mm Ribbon (in 5 yd lengths)

We currently have all of our 100 hand-dyed colours in mini skeins in three types of silk threads (10 yards each) and in 3.5mm ribbon (in 5 yard lengths). We will be discontinuing these mini-skeins in 50 colours. The colours and numbers are listed below.

	Black Forest #208
	Irish Rover #954
	Celadon #213
	Pistachio #41
	Smokey Topaz #17
	November Maverick #226
	Champagne #35
	Spiced Cognac #34
	Tiramisu #33
	Canyon #224
	Sand Dune #9517
	Evening Spirit #9510
	Wild Bordeaux #209
	Harlequin #43
	Creole Spice #222
	Pondicherry #21
	Flamingo #30
	Christmas Cactus #27
	Hollyhock #26
	Cantaloupe #31
	Persimmon #9513
	Paprika #204
	Gypsy Passion #958
	Cherry Blossom #47
	Diva #45
	Fireweed #959
	Slate #54
	Platinum #25
	Silver Lining #50
	Soft Iris #216
	Love-in-a-mist #218
	Silk Pyjamas #219
	Wisteria #217
	Winter Solstice #3
	Blueberry Haze #2
	Midnight Blue #1
	Intrepid #48
	French Blue #955
	Persian Night #220
	Danish Blue #206
	Peacock #207
	Turkish Bath #19
	Mermaid Tears #14
	Glacier #214
	Sea Spray #16
	Emerald Dream #9
	Sea Lyric #11

We are offering 50% off while supply lasts.

Sale Price:

Silk 85% / Cashmere 15% Fibre

Sold Out!
100g packages

The cashmere goat originates from the high Himalayan Mountains of Asia. China is the largest producer of cashmere and maintains the best fibre comes from the extreme cold of Inner Mongolia. It is the fine undercoat we prize for its feel. Cashmere fibre is combed from the goat during the spring molt in China and Inner Mongolia. The outer guard hair is clipped first making it easier to comb out the 1-3 inches of down. The costly dehairing process is necessary to separate the guard hairs from the undercoat before spinning.

Cashmere is luxuriously soft, fine and lofty providing light weight warmth. The addition of silk makes cashmere more affordable and durable as well as adding lustre. Cashmere provides silk a down softness. This scrumptious blend is a joy to spin, weave and knit.

As part of our move to change our packaging to smaller sizes, we are offering the 100g package at a 25% discount while 100g packages last.

Offer is good while 100g packages remain.

Regular price: $33/100g
Sale Price: Sold Out!

Now available in 50g packages.
See our Natural Silk Fibers.

Note about Specials

1. Prices do not include shipping.

2. Specials end April 30, 2010.

3. 10% Bulk Discount does not apply to Specials items.

4. All prices in Canadian funds.
(Approx. exchange $1Cdn = $1US)

Silk Tidings Newsletter

Print Newsletter
If you would like to receive a print copy of Silk Tidings, please let us know and we will mail you a printed copy for $10/year.
Order here: order on–line

Back Issues
Find them at → www.treenwaysilks.com/
newsletter.html

Note
Register here to receive our emails letting you know about our newsletters and web specials: on–line registration
We so enjoy being in touch with all of you. Please remember to let us know when you change your email address. Update your info here: update on–line.

Web Site Specials

We offer new specials on our web site approximately four times a year. We notify those people on our email newsletter list each time we put up new specials. If you would like to be on our email list register here!

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Washing & Dyes

Water all across North America differs from area to area. We hand dye all of our yarns in four different locations. Our dyers rinse the yarns until the water runs clear at their studios. Due to the differing minerals and chemicals in a water, you may see some colour rinse out of your Treenway yarns or a piece woven with Treenway yarns. Because of the differences in water composition, we strongly suggest you wash your items in cold water.

Learn more about....

→ silk yarns
→ weaving with silk
→ spinning with silk
→ silk fusion (silk paper/felt)
→ embroidery & needles arts with silk
→ care & washing of silk
→ the history and processing of silk (including a short glossary)

Previous issues → back issues

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Silk Tidings is published three times a year: February, May and October.

Edited by Karen Selk.