Hey everyone, thanks for watching! Subscribe if you haven't already because I'm keen to use the Community feature on my channel to get feedback from ya'll about polls or questions about the next video you want to see. You'll also get some teasers! The world of hand spinning is very complex and varied and there are TONS of great topics...but some of them may be more burning than others. If so, being a part of the ED Community will give you the chance to weigh in on what goes live next. :) OOO. Enjoy spinning the silk hankies too!
This is the very first video I've ever watched about spinning any kind of yarn. Your details were so minute I could understand every movement you made. Thank you for breaking it down in such a way that even I, an absolute novice, can understand it.
I know it's an older video, but I am glad it came up, sometimes RUclips gets it right! Thank you for showing us how to spin silk, I'm an old spinner and I always enjoy learning. I mostly spin silk the way you do, but the prep before taking it to the wheel was always fraught with frustration, but now that I've had a refresher lesson I'm enjoying spinning silk again. Thank you for sharing your video. Cheers from Australia!
Oh good! I'm glad I found that footage because it could have gotten lost in my "to edit" folder forever 😅 I should get more hankies and design a new project. It'll be good to show off some silk after so much wool on my channel 😆
I am re-watching this because it's very informative. I have a question, please. Do you know how yarn dyers sell hand-dyed scarves? Will those work? Or are the ones you use here square or hankie-size? It's wild how long the silk fiber becomes for knitting. If we can use hand-dyed scarves, they will make lovely hand-painted silk yarn. Again, thanks so much; I read some comments and realized you remade this from an older video. I realized, I didn't watch the whole video last time because Im not a spinner. Wow. I don't have time to take up spinning too. Its incredible how much length each layer gives you. So now I have more questions. Would a dro spindle work for spinning out a yarn you can knit with. You are so in G a very fine thread, I do understand what you are doing; I've never even attempted to spin, not even with a drop spindal but that's about as far as I’d desire to get with sinning. I just don't have enoughtindoften to even knit everyday. So maybe you could make a follow up video and help a knitter figure out what we could do to get a useable yarn to knit with. Thanks, so much there is a ton of value here. Very interesting. I'm glad I came back because lof what I said above. I obviously have have questions and wonder if this is even something I can consider even. I understand what you explained that this is just one thread and you’ll actually make three and then add in twist those together and add twist the the final three ply silk yarn. Im presuming that when you do the final spin of all three threads that's when the magic reasly happens because then you will have a very strong three ply. Will the final yarn be a fingering weight, sport weight? I'm very curious. Thanks very much. I know Ive asked too many questions maybe you could make this into a series? If you do Id appreciate it if you could please let folks like me knitters if its something that can only be done by so in G or if there is a way for a knitter to make a yyarn we can knit with. Is this a silk that like Knitting for olives silk yarn that is fingering it also is plied yarn its a two-ply I believe and its the kind of silk that doesn't yarn the butterfly because it taken after the butterfly has completed its need for the silk. I'm sorry .I forget what the term is of the nature of the type of silk that they use to make the yarn. Not all silk yarns use it. I don't believe its Bourette. But that's the yarn base of the knitting for Olive brand that's used. 🫶🧶✌️🤔☺️
Yes, you can keep adding lengths of silk hankies top knit or weave a large project. I always recommend testing ideas before doing a huge project (it saves time, money, and energy). If you are working on a large project, get all your hankies ready (pulled apart and drafted to the diameter you want), then mix them all up. That'll give you a nice, totally random colour. For adding twist, a spindle is the easiest way to get twist without too much involvement with spinning. Follow my videos on how to use a drop spindle. They're old but still good info. Since silk hankies don't need much twist, literally add as much as you want. Also, you can just hand twist the silk as you knit. That'll give structure and again, you don't need to learn to spin. I'll find this yarn in my stash and see if I can talk about it in an upcoming video. I've been through a burnout period, so content has been slow, but I'm slowly getting more capable.
Hi Jennifer, I hope you're OK xx ❣ I've been toying with the idea of getting and Spinning some Silk Hankies. You've definitely given me the inspiration to di this. Think I might try these on one of the Challenge Days of the TDF. Thanks again. Happy Spinning and TDF 🐑🚲 Take care and stay safe. Love Jen xxxx 💖 🐏🐈⬛❣
Yes, do it! Now is an excellent time to do so; there's so much wonderful creativity and inspiration flying around right now. Day 2 episode is coming up soon...a short one but it's still progress. :)
Yes, do it! There's so much wonderful creativity and inspiration flying around trigger now. Day 2 of my spin is going live shortly. It was difficult to get the recording, edit, and upload on a long work day but I did it! Keep going. :)
Thank you for this great video. I just bought my first silk hankie at our fiber festival, have wanted to try spinning one with no idea how. You answered questions I did not know I even had. So excited to give it a go.
Haha, exactly! I hadn't seen anything else like this before on RUclips so I'm glad it continues to be very helpful. :) I love how hankies can be used in art yarn too.
Okay I've never messed with spinning or anything in my life, but recently I've wanted to try raising silkworms n of course I'm curious on how to make silk. I have been up since 5 AM looking for a video on how to make thread from them between my lectures, and now that I know how to make a hanky this video is EXACTLY what I needed. Thank you so much, I was about to actually go ballistic.
You mentioned adding more twist when you ply. Are you going to ply in the same direction that you spun? That’s unusual, but intriguing. This is inspiring me to dip into the pound of silk hankies I bought a few years ago and dye some up. I’ve only dyed wool or cotton before, so this should be fun! I’m envisioning a 3 ply with a ply each of wool, angora, and silk. I have a large amount of angora from my German bunny who passed years ago; but angora’s usually better used with some wool for elasticity.
You know, you could ply in the same direction you spun the hankies. If you under spin them slightly, then ply them together in the same direction as you originally spun them, you'd get a really nice effect in your knitting/crochet/weaving--spin patterning is totally a thing! People have been doing it since at least the Iron Age, several thousands of years ago. I love plying wool yarn with a thin silk single. Because it's a hankie, twist is less important and allows for a lot of creativity. Be sure to tag me into your post whenever you make it (I'm on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). :)
Very informative video! I use this overhand spinning technique with all the fibers I spin. I also use the feel of the fiber going under my ring and pinky fingers to help gauge the consistency of my singles. I've found that I have a lot of control over the single before it goes on to the bobbin just with those two fingers. I can literally spin blindfolded or in a pitch dark room using that overhand technique. It definitely reduces the hand and possible shoulder fatigue. I'm definitely going to try this drafting technique for the silk hankies! Thanks again for a great video!!
Your spinning info is always on point. So happy you have your hair going in the right direction. Another foot of growth and it will stay out of your way.
Haha, this video was filmed 4 years ago...my hair is well down my back now. This was part of the retro content I've been editing and launching. I thought I did this video so well that it didn't need to be filmed again. :) I've actually been thinking about cutting my hair to this length again!
This method of hand position should be easier to spin silk because I already spin overhang. I especially like how you draft out the silk. I'll try this. Thanks for the video
Great, should be easy for your hands to adapt! I spun like this when I switched from spindle to wheel, but didn't like how it drafted the wool. But it seems to work well with silk!
Exactly! If it doesn't turn out as expected, it transcends into something else. :) It really is relaxing once you get the motions down. I have one bobbin of this that is plied, and another 10g left to spin. It's incredibly shiny, despite the hankies being a rougher silk texture. Good luck!
Thanks so much for this one. I'm frequently drawn to those silk hankies at festivals and I've resisted the urge because of fear of not knowing what I'm doing. But you break it down very well, and this gives me hope I could actually draft and spin these. Thanks!
I know exactly what you mean! I was very obsessed with my first silk hankie purchase and it sat in my stash for months. I'd drag it out and look at it, get intimidated about spinning it, then I would spin something else. Because they're so expensive, I felt overwhelmed and concerned that I'd do something wrong. I lived so frugally back in those days (a student at the US poverty line) and couldn't bear to ruin them. I'm definitely more empowered these days, so hopefully I can give others support in their silk hankie spinning endeavors! Come back if you struggle--we'll work it out. :)
I really enjoyed this. I got some degummed silk cocoons and found a video on making them into silk hankies and thought, ok now what. This was perfect! Can you use the drafted out silk hankies on a drum carder to mix in with other fiber?
I'm glad it helped. I very much prefer Kromski. My wheel is a Minstrel and I love it. I get my best and most consistent yarns with it, and I've also owned a Babe wheel and an Ashford Traditional. Try them out if you can, but there's no shame in buying used and trading it for something else if you don't like it.
Ooo, this technique may very well work with flax. I have some and should set up my wheel to try it. I've never heard of long staple cashmere since the stuff I normally have is about 2-3 inches. Tell me more...
@@thatonegirlelaine I haven't spun my own flax yet but now I'm curious to see if this method works similarly. Honestly, I hadn't considered any other long staple fibers aside from silk when I made this video 4 years ago, nor when I posted it a week ago! Great discussion and spread of ideas. :)
Thank you! The hankies were dyed, so the yellow is dye. If you look at my recent blog post (expertlydyed.com/blog/silk-caps-are-back), you'll see what the 'natural' color is for bombyx silk (which is usually what you see as hankies/caps).
You know, I just rewatched this and caught that you dyed them! I just dyed mine that I pulled into mawatas…. Mine are much sillier looking but the color is intense and gorgeous…. Hopefully I’ll spin them up nicely.
I have been hanging on to my silk hankies for two years. Watching this, I finally feel confident enough to try😊Thank you! If we don’t want to ply it, do we just set the twist and we are good to go with a single?
Absolutely! If you just want a single that won't pill or snag so easily, a little twist helps a lot. In that case, just finish the skein as you would normally for silk yarns. :) I'm glad you found the video. Sounds like two years was too long to simply be contented with looking at them!
Hey everyone, thanks for watching! Subscribe if you haven't already because I'm keen to use the Community feature on my channel to get feedback from ya'll about polls or questions about the next video you want to see. You'll also get some teasers! The world of hand spinning is very complex and varied and there are TONS of great topics...but some of them may be more burning than others. If so, being a part of the ED Community will give you the chance to weigh in on what goes live next. :) OOO. Enjoy spinning the silk hankies too!
This is the very first video I've ever watched about spinning any kind of yarn. Your details were so minute I could understand every movement you made. Thank you for breaking it down in such a way that even I, an absolute novice, can understand it.
Thanks, I'm glad it was so helpful ☺️ Join my livestreams where you can ask me questions in real time too!
I know it's an older video, but I am glad it came up, sometimes RUclips gets it right! Thank you for showing us how to spin silk, I'm an old spinner and I always enjoy learning. I mostly spin silk the way you do, but the prep before taking it to the wheel was always fraught with frustration, but now that I've had a refresher lesson I'm enjoying spinning silk again. Thank you for sharing your video. Cheers from Australia!
Glad it was helpful! I'm glad I decided to edit and upload such an old video...I nearly forgot I filmed it in 2015 :)
@@ExpertlyDyed I'm glad you decided to up load it as well. Cheers from Australia!
Very interesting. Thank you. Very very cool. I never thought to make them into yarn. Fascination. I love this so much.
Aww, thanks! Glad it helped. 😊😊🥰
so the way you hold the silk saved my hands, silk used to hurt to spin but even a fresh top comb is manageable.
Oh good! I'm glad I found that footage because it could have gotten lost in my "to edit" folder forever 😅 I should get more hankies and design a new project. It'll be good to show off some silk after so much wool on my channel 😆
Thank you! I think a lot of this will apply to the mass of silk I was gifted, even though it’s not in hankies.
I am re-watching this because it's very informative. I have a question, please. Do you know how yarn dyers sell hand-dyed scarves? Will those work? Or are the ones you use here square or hankie-size? It's wild how long the silk fiber becomes for knitting. If we can use hand-dyed scarves, they will make lovely hand-painted silk yarn. Again, thanks so much; I read some comments and realized you remade this from an older video. I realized, I didn't watch the whole video last time because Im not a spinner. Wow. I don't have time to take up spinning too. Its incredible how much length each layer gives you. So now I have more questions. Would a dro spindle work for spinning out a yarn you can knit with. You are so in G a very fine thread, I do understand what you are doing; I've never even attempted to spin, not even with a drop spindal but that's about as far as I’d desire to get with sinning. I just don't have enoughtindoften to even knit everyday. So maybe you could make a follow up video and help a knitter figure out what we could do to get a useable yarn to knit with. Thanks, so much there is a ton of value here. Very interesting. I'm glad I came back because lof what I said above. I obviously have have questions and wonder if this is even something I can consider even. I understand what you explained that this is just one thread and you’ll actually make three and then add in twist those together and add twist the the final three ply silk yarn. Im presuming that when you do the final spin of all three threads that's when the magic reasly happens because then you will have a very strong three ply. Will the final yarn be a fingering weight, sport weight? I'm very curious. Thanks very much. I know Ive asked too many questions maybe you could make this into a series? If you do Id appreciate it if you could please let folks like me knitters if its something that can only be done by so in G or if there is a way for a knitter to make a yyarn we can knit with. Is this a silk that like Knitting for olives silk yarn that is fingering it also is plied yarn its a two-ply I believe and its the kind of silk that doesn't yarn the butterfly because it taken after the butterfly has completed its need for the silk. I'm sorry .I forget what the term is of the nature of the type of silk that they use to make the yarn. Not all silk yarns use it. I don't believe its Bourette. But that's the yarn base of the knitting for Olive brand that's used. 🫶🧶✌️🤔☺️
Yes, you can keep adding lengths of silk hankies top knit or weave a large project. I always recommend testing ideas before doing a huge project (it saves time, money, and energy). If you are working on a large project, get all your hankies ready (pulled apart and drafted to the diameter you want), then mix them all up. That'll give you a nice, totally random colour.
For adding twist, a spindle is the easiest way to get twist without too much involvement with spinning. Follow my videos on how to use a drop spindle. They're old but still good info. Since silk hankies don't need much twist, literally add as much as you want. Also, you can just hand twist the silk as you knit. That'll give structure and again, you don't need to learn to spin.
I'll find this yarn in my stash and see if I can talk about it in an upcoming video. I've been through a burnout period, so content has been slow, but I'm slowly getting more capable.
This spinning technique works extremely well with silk roving / top also! Thank you for the inspiration to go ahead and spin 100% silk.
It's very meditative and easy on the hands. I'm glad it works with silk top too. I haven't tried it with anything other than silk hankies!
Hi Jennifer, I hope you're OK xx ❣
I've been toying with the idea of getting and Spinning some Silk Hankies.
You've definitely given me the inspiration to di this.
Think I might try these on one of the Challenge Days of the TDF.
Thanks again.
Happy Spinning and TDF 🐑🚲
Take care and stay safe.
Love Jen xxxx 💖 🐏🐈⬛❣
Yes, do it! Now is an excellent time to do so; there's so much wonderful creativity and inspiration flying around right now. Day 2 episode is coming up soon...a short one but it's still progress. :)
Yes, do it! There's so much wonderful creativity and inspiration flying around trigger now. Day 2 of my spin is going live shortly. It was difficult to get the recording, edit, and upload on a long work day but I did it! Keep going. :)
Thank you for this great video. I just bought my first silk hankie at our fiber festival, have wanted to try spinning one with no idea how. You answered questions I did not know I even had. So excited to give it a go.
Haha, exactly! I hadn't seen anything else like this before on RUclips so I'm glad it continues to be very helpful. :) I love how hankies can be used in art yarn too.
Okay I've never messed with spinning or anything in my life, but recently I've wanted to try raising silkworms n of course I'm curious on how to make silk. I have been up since 5 AM looking for a video on how to make thread from them between my lectures, and now that I know how to make a hanky this video is EXACTLY what I needed. Thank you so much, I was about to actually go ballistic.
Great! I love spinning silk hankies...probably more so than spinning silk top. The texture and strength for the diameter is amazing. :)
You mentioned adding more twist when you ply. Are you going to ply in the same direction that you spun? That’s unusual, but intriguing. This is inspiring me to dip into the pound of silk hankies I bought a few years ago and dye some up. I’ve only dyed wool or cotton before, so this should be fun! I’m envisioning a 3 ply with a ply each of wool, angora, and silk. I have a large amount of angora from my German bunny who passed years ago; but angora’s usually better used with some wool for elasticity.
You know, you could ply in the same direction you spun the hankies. If you under spin them slightly, then ply them together in the same direction as you originally spun them, you'd get a really nice effect in your knitting/crochet/weaving--spin patterning is totally a thing! People have been doing it since at least the Iron Age, several thousands of years ago. I love plying wool yarn with a thin silk single. Because it's a hankie, twist is less important and allows for a lot of creativity. Be sure to tag me into your post whenever you make it (I'm on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). :)
Very informative video! I use this overhand spinning technique with all the fibers I spin. I also use the feel of the fiber going under my ring and pinky fingers to help gauge the consistency of my singles. I've found that I have a lot of control over the single before it goes on to the bobbin just with those two fingers. I can literally spin blindfolded or in a pitch dark room using that overhand technique. It definitely reduces the hand and possible shoulder fatigue. I'm definitely going to try this drafting technique for the silk hankies! Thanks again for a great video!!
Great! I'm not in the habit of spinning this way; perhaps I'll see how I like this method with wool and other types of silk. 🙂 Thanks for watching!
Your spinning info is always on point. So happy you have your hair going in the right direction. Another foot of growth and it will stay out of your way.
I know you've worried about it before. When you can pull it behind your shoulders and work...then you'll understand.
Haha, this video was filmed 4 years ago...my hair is well down my back now. This was part of the retro content I've been editing and launching. I thought I did this video so well that it didn't need to be filmed again. :) I've actually been thinking about cutting my hair to this length again!
This method of hand position should be easier to spin silk because I already spin overhang. I especially like how you draft out the silk. I'll try this. Thanks for the video
Great, should be easy for your hands to adapt! I spun like this when I switched from spindle to wheel, but didn't like how it drafted the wool. But it seems to work well with silk!
Great video. Thanks
What a superb tutorial. Can't wait to try this. I'm thinking that if I screw up, I can always use it for art yarn. Thanks for sharing your expertise.
Exactly! If it doesn't turn out as expected, it transcends into something else. :) It really is relaxing once you get the motions down. I have one bobbin of this that is plied, and another 10g left to spin. It's incredibly shiny, despite the hankies being a rougher silk texture. Good luck!
this is amazing great tutorial thank you
Very informative, thank you for filming this!
Great, glad you found it useful. :)
Thanks so much for this one. I'm frequently drawn to those silk hankies at festivals and I've resisted the urge because of fear of not knowing what I'm doing. But you break it down very well, and this gives me hope I could actually draft and spin these. Thanks!
I know exactly what you mean! I was very obsessed with my first silk hankie purchase and it sat in my stash for months. I'd drag it out and look at it, get intimidated about spinning it, then I would spin something else. Because they're so expensive, I felt overwhelmed and concerned that I'd do something wrong. I lived so frugally back in those days (a student at the US poverty line) and couldn't bear to ruin them. I'm definitely more empowered these days, so hopefully I can give others support in their silk hankie spinning endeavors! Come back if you struggle--we'll work it out. :)
I really enjoyed this. I got some degummed silk cocoons and found a video on making them into silk hankies and thought, ok now what. This was perfect! Can you use the drafted out silk hankies on a drum carder to mix in with other fiber?
Very thorough demonstRation. Thank you,
Great video! I recently was gifted some silk hankies so perfect timing for me. Thank you.
Great timing! I love spinning silk hankies and using them to ply with wool because they make gorgeous art yarn too. :) Thanks for watching!
So happy I found this video. Thank you!
Thanks for watching! Let me know if there's more you'd like to know. :)
Thank you so much for posting this video! It helped me so much! Just out of curiosity, what kind/brand of spinning wheel do you use or recommend?
I'm glad it helped. I very much prefer Kromski. My wheel is a Minstrel and I love it. I get my best and most consistent yarns with it, and I've also owned a Babe wheel and an Ashford Traditional. Try them out if you can, but there's no shame in buying used and trading it for something else if you don't like it.
@@ExpertlyDyed Thank you so much! I really appreciate such a quick response!
An Interesting technique. Going to try that with my Flax and my long staple cashmere.
Ooo, this technique may very well work with flax. I have some and should set up my wheel to try it. I've never heard of long staple cashmere since the stuff I normally have is about 2-3 inches. Tell me more...
Pete McWade Hmm, I have some flax that has been a little hard to spin. I think I'll try this methods as well.
@@thatonegirlelaine I haven't spun my own flax yet but now I'm curious to see if this method works similarly. Honestly, I hadn't considered any other long staple fibers aside from silk when I made this video 4 years ago, nor when I posted it a week ago! Great discussion and spread of ideas. :)
Did you dye the hankies or is that a natural yellow color? Lovely instructive video
Thank you! The hankies were dyed, so the yellow is dye. If you look at my recent blog post (expertlydyed.com/blog/silk-caps-are-back), you'll see what the 'natural' color is for bombyx silk (which is usually what you see as hankies/caps).
@@ExpertlyDyed thank you
You know, I just rewatched this and caught that you dyed them! I just dyed mine that I pulled into mawatas…. Mine are much sillier looking but the color is intense and gorgeous…. Hopefully I’ll spin them up nicely.
I have been hanging on to my silk hankies for two years. Watching this, I finally feel confident enough to try😊Thank you! If we don’t want to ply it, do we just set the twist and we are good to go with a single?
Absolutely! If you just want a single that won't pill or snag so easily, a little twist helps a lot. In that case, just finish the skein as you would normally for silk yarns. :) I'm glad you found the video. Sounds like two years was too long to simply be contented with looking at them!
Very educational thank you!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for this video.
Thank you for watching. :)