Thoughts on 7.4 – Silk

[Ginette]

Let us know your thoughts on 7.4 – Silk.

[Teresa Coons]

Thank you for these episodes – I am learning SO much! I may have missed it from the episode on sett, but when Jane talks about “opening up the sett” in the silk samples to weave with a larger weft yarn on the same warp, does this require resleying the warp?

[Sandra]

Yes, it does, Teresa. You need to open up your whole warp so that it’s open enough to accept your new larger weft thread in a way that will make you happy ;-

[Dayamitra Blenman]

I love spinning silk and it’s the best to weave with too! It is my favourite yarn. I love eri silk which I can spin from the fold to make it lovely and soft and perfect for scarves. I enjoyed this video very much!

[Marty Wink]

Hi,

I’ve heard several comments from Jane about the importance of sampling and washing your sample.  I’m learning that I need to focus more on PPI.  How do I maintain the tension of my warp on the loom if I am cutting off the sample to wash?  What do I need to do to keep from losing the tension in the warp once I cut it?  How do I tie/secure it while washing the sample?  Is there an episode that addresses this?

Thanks so much for all the great info Jane!!  While I’ve been a sporadic table loom weaver for years, now that the kids are grown I’m able to devote more time and effort to weaving on a floor loom.

Ready to get beyond the basics,

Marty

 

[Sandra]

Hi Marty – as I cut my sample off, I do a holding knot so that my warp thread won’t accidentally slip back through the reed in case it’s bumped or – in some houses – a cat, dog or child thinks it would be fun to pull it 😉  After finishing the sample, I make that changes I want to change in the reed or possibly a mistake in the threading and then tie it back on the same way I did after I threaded the reed the first time.  I hope this answers your question.

[Johana]

In the previous examples, you listed silk as 220 and 230, what do these values mean? It was in the part about sett.

[Sandra]

It’s 20/2 or 30/2 silk but it can also be referred to as 2/20 or 2/30 depending on where you live.  You can look it up in the JST shop to see the yardage of it in 100 g skeins.  That will give you an idea of the size of the yarn.

[Ros]

Hello,

Can viscose/rayon be used as a substitute for silk in the types of examples Jane gave, and can it be just as easily mixed with wool and cotton as the silk was?  Or does it need to be considered as a completely different fibre/yarn than any discussed so far?  I am vegetarian so don’t use silk due to ethical reasons but love the look/weight/drape that it gives.

thanks, Ros

[Sandra]

I can’t honestly give an answer to your question, Ros.  Both those fibres are man-made out of cellulose, and silk is a protein fibre – so there is a major difference there.  The only way you will know is to try it out yourself.  I imagine you would get a fairly good drape out of them – man-made fibres were created to duplicate the hand of all the “natural” fibres that have come down to us over thousands of years.  The word natural is in quotes because we have had a way of manipulating everything to suit our needs throughout history 😉

[Author]

Posts