This is a macro shot of some of the silk cap I've been spinning recently. Silk cap is the degummed cocoon of the silk worm, which is then stretched out on a frame. My task is to stretch it out still further until I can spin it into a yarn. It's beautiful and I love both the sheen and the irregularities that come with this form of silk. But this is tough stuff! I've been told that gram for gram it's stronger than stainless steel. And after a day or two of working with it, I'm ready to believe that story. The fibres are very long, so the secret is to get as much distance between my hands as I can when I'm pulling it apart. Even then it takes quite a strong grip. My fingers hurt. My wrist hurts. It's time to take a break for a bit. But I know I'll forget the pain quickly and come back to this gorgeous, shiny, lumpy bumpy unpredictable, irresistable scrap of natural goodness.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Delicious, Deceptive
Just look at this silk!This is a macro shot of some of the silk cap I've been spinning recently. Silk cap is the degummed cocoon of the silk worm, which is then stretched out on a frame. My task is to stretch it out still further until I can spin it into a yarn. It's beautiful and I love both the sheen and the irregularities that come with this form of silk. But this is tough stuff! I've been told that gram for gram it's stronger than stainless steel. And after a day or two of working with it, I'm ready to believe that story. The fibres are very long, so the secret is to get as much distance between my hands as I can when I'm pulling it apart. Even then it takes quite a strong grip. My fingers hurt. My wrist hurts. It's time to take a break for a bit. But I know I'll forget the pain quickly and come back to this gorgeous, shiny, lumpy bumpy unpredictable, irresistable scrap of natural goodness.
This is a macro shot of some of the silk cap I've been spinning recently. Silk cap is the degummed cocoon of the silk worm, which is then stretched out on a frame. My task is to stretch it out still further until I can spin it into a yarn. It's beautiful and I love both the sheen and the irregularities that come with this form of silk. But this is tough stuff! I've been told that gram for gram it's stronger than stainless steel. And after a day or two of working with it, I'm ready to believe that story. The fibres are very long, so the secret is to get as much distance between my hands as I can when I'm pulling it apart. Even then it takes quite a strong grip. My fingers hurt. My wrist hurts. It's time to take a break for a bit. But I know I'll forget the pain quickly and come back to this gorgeous, shiny, lumpy bumpy unpredictable, irresistable scrap of natural goodness.
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2 comments:
Your last sentence even sounds poetic. Good to know I have another who loves this fibre and appreciates its subleties - although i suspect that you know it in a different way.
Yeah, a love song to silk . . . ? :)
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