Musings on the art of knitting, spinning, enjoying a cup of tea and noticing the way nature inspires design. (Life with a little dog in Portland, Oregon)
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Shrinkage of the Fiber
Fiber on the left, before water. Fiber on the right, after water. Silk merino blend. I never measured before and this time I just did it for the heck of it! I guess that's where the "bloom" comes from...
And you can manipulate the yarn further with how you treat it during/after washing, too. I'm presuming with the pulling up and blooming, you didn't dry it under any tension? If you'd tied a weight at the bottom of the skein - like a can of food, for a quick 'n dirty method - you would've gotten a thinner, longer and somewhat smoother finished yarn. Just like blocking lace vs. a sweater. That can also set the twist more permanently. Spinner's choice on which way to go. ;)
Depending on the fiber, there are a lot of differing finishing treatments. You should hear some of the stuff they recommend for 100% silk! Doing a couple of things fluffs it up, a couple others makes it smooth and slinky... Amazing.
2 comments:
what beautiful yarn - looks like you are really getting the hang of it.
I'm glad you like it.
See you in September..
Oh yeah, really gorgeous yarn; congrats!
And you can manipulate the yarn further with how you treat it during/after washing, too. I'm presuming with the pulling up and blooming, you didn't dry it under any tension? If you'd tied a weight at the bottom of the skein - like a can of food, for a quick 'n dirty method - you would've gotten a thinner, longer and somewhat smoother finished yarn. Just like blocking lace vs. a sweater. That can also set the twist more permanently. Spinner's choice on which way to go. ;)
Depending on the fiber, there are a lot of differing finishing treatments. You should hear some of the stuff they recommend for 100% silk! Doing a couple of things fluffs it up, a couple others makes it smooth and slinky... Amazing.
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