Butter and silk

I am not a Paula Deen fan, but she and I do agree on one thing:  Butter makes everything better.  It enriches bread dough, thickens sauces, and elevates plain old powdered sugar to decadent buttercream.   It really is kind of magic.  In the knitting world, Silk is the butter of fibers.  A little silk thrown into the mix improves nearly anything  in the carding drum.  When you start with lovely fibers like Merino wool or pima cotton, the addition of silk takes them to another level entirely. 

Silk is a perfect partner, bringing luster and deeply saturated colors to the pairing.  An extremely absorbent fiber, it drinks up the dye, but what makes silk shine, literally, is that silk fibers have a triangular cross section.  Think of a strand of silk like a long skinny prism, taking light in and reflecting it back in all different directions.  Silk is generous with that characteristic too, sharing it freely with its fiber neighbors.  Even a fairly minimal amount of silk gives a yarn an instantly recognizable luster and appeal. 

Fibers blended with silk get the most oohs and aahs in the shop.  A perfect example is Fyberspates Scrumptious, a sport weight blend of 45% silk 55% wool.  This yarn is so lustrous that you can't help but reach out and touch it.  When you do, it's all over.  Buttery soft and deliciously silky, your only thought is what to make with it. 

Another effective pairing is Noro's new Tokonatsu, a luscious blend of cotton and silk.  It's basically a solid single ply cotton blend with a generous addition of silk.  Although Tokonatsu is a typically earthy Noro-type yarn, you can see the silk working its magic in the silky texture and rich colors.

I was thinking about how nice Tokonatus is as I swatched for a new design, but I digress...

Come by and see all the gorgeous ways silk has worked its magic in different fibers.  There are lots on the table you can play with and swatch.  I look forward to seeing you in shop and around the table.  You are always welcome here.

Ellen

Back to 19 May 2015 Newsletter