silks

Someone , I think it was Dianne?, mentioned that working with silks will
definitely get fuzzy. Now I am wondering because I have not had that problem
yet and wondering if which end of the strand you pull from might aid in keeping
the silk less fuzzy. Any comments from you experts? Does stranded silk get
processed only one way down the threadline like nap? Just wondering and hoping
to eliminate any future problems ....

There IS NO nap. huge grin It doesn't matter which end you use.
It's slightly fuzzy, just like cotton floss gets slightly fuzzy, because
it's not filament silk - it's "spun" silk. It gets less pristine as it
goes in/out . . . whether that' satin stitch or cross stitch. Just like
cotton does. But the sheen comes back with washing and/or steaming.

You can use shorter lengths to lesson the problem and keep its "fresh
from the skein" look. I've used all kinds of silk. It's just the
nature of spun silk, just like cotton spun thread.

When I said "fuzzy", I didn't mean like a cotton ball. :-)

Dianne

BDS2pds wrote:
Someone , I think it was Dianne?, mentioned that working with silks will
definitely get fuzzy. Now I am wondering because I have not had that problem
yet and wondering if which end of the strand you pull from might aid in keeping
the silk less fuzzy. Any comments from you experts? Does stranded silk get
processed only one way down the threadline like nap? Just wondering and hoping
to eliminate any future problems ....

Well then I was afraid of more in my mind then. I am using very short pieces
and maybe that is why . Also threading it with a Clover and that really saves
on the silk. Glad to hear no worries coming,.

Dianne Lewandowski wrote:
There IS NO nap. huge grin It doesn't matter which end you use. It's
slightly fuzzy, just like cotton floss gets slightly fuzzy, because it's
not filament silk - it's "spun" silk. It gets less pristine as it goes
in/out . . . whether that' satin stitch or cross stitch. Just like
cotton does. But the sheen comes back with washing and/or steaming.

Now I'm confused. I thought Barbara was working with Eterna Silks which
claim to be filament silks. Did I miss something here?

Elizabeth
--
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~living well is the best revenge~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The most important thing one woman can do for another is to illuminate
and expand her sense of actual possibilities. --Adrienne Rich
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Well, ya got me. Glad you caught that. I just reread the original
question. The term used was "stranded silk". There really isn't such a
thing in this context. Stranded silk is like stranded cotton - comes
bundled. It's "spun silk" or "filament silk". The word stranded is
sometimes used to describe spun silk. That's why I answered the way I
did, assuming she was using spun silk.

Filament silk won't get fuzzy like cotton thread, but it can get
"stringy" if you don't handle it well. What I mean by that: You can
break the fibers if your hands are rough. So, use a laying tool (which
can be a chenille or tapestry needle).

You might be able to learn to handle it without a laying tool - but I
found it "confounding" if I didn't.

Still: there is no nap. Think about it: comes off the cacoon, goes on
the machine, made into spools, then made into hanks, then made into
skeins . . . . By the time it's done, nobody knows which end is up. And
you absolutely can't tell by "fluffing" it out or "blooming" it.
Besides which: Doug Kreinik says "no".

Dianne



Dr. Brat wrote:
Dianne Lewandowski wrote:

There IS NO nap. huge grin It doesn't matter which end you use.
It's slightly fuzzy, just like cotton floss gets slightly fuzzy,
because it's not filament silk - it's "spun" silk. It gets less
pristine as it goes in/out . . . whether that' satin stitch or cross
stitch. Just like cotton does. But the sheen comes back with washing
and/or steaming.


Now I'm confused. I thought Barbara was working with Eterna Silks which
claim to be filament silks. Did I miss something here?

Elizabeth

sorry to confuse--- Eterna calls it stranded...
Well, ya got me. Glad you caught that. I just reread the original
question. The term used was "stranded silk". There really isn't such a
thing in this context. Stranded silk is like stranded cotton - comes
bundled. It's "spun silk" or "filament silk". The word stranded is
sometimes used to describe spun silk. That's why I answered the way I
did, assuming she was using spun silk.

Filament silk won't get fuzzy like cotton thread, but it can get
"stringy" if you don't handle it well. What I mean by that: You can
break the fibers if your hands are rough. So, use a laying tool (which
can be a chenille or tapestry needle).

You might be able to learn to handle it without a laying tool - but I
found it "confounding" if I didn't.

Still: there is no nap. Think about it: comes off the cacoon, goes on
the machine, made into spools, then made into hanks, then made into
skeins . . . . By the time it's done, nobody knows which end is up. And
you absolutely can't tell by "fluffing" it out or "blooming" it.
Besides which: Doug Kreinik says "no".

Dianne



Dr. Brat wrote:
Dianne Lewandowski wrote:

There IS NO nap. huge grin It doesn't matter which end you use.
It's slightly fuzzy, just like cotton floss gets slightly fuzzy,
because it's not filament silk - it's "spun" silk. It gets less
pristine as it goes in/out . . . whether that' satin stitch or cross
stitch. Just like cotton does. But the sheen comes back with washing
and/or steaming.


Now I'm confused. I thought Barbara was working with Eterna Silks which
claim to be filament silks. Did I miss something here?

Elizabeth

By the way I am finding this soooo easy to work with. Eterna is no different
to work with than dmc if anyone out there wants to try it. I anticipated much
more grief on the long stitches. I am glad I did not try this with my AVS. I
am doing a large area and it would take forever. At least with the AVS I have
owned in the past. I wondered and wondered what to use and now satisfied with
this choice. It has been a dream to work with.