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Makalu 100% Silk, made in China, hand painted in Canada

This singles yarn is a handspun monofilament made of cultivated silk top, which is soft (loosely) spun, similarly to Icelandic wool. It is uniform in shape, shiny, super soft and elastic, and is slightly twisted for better pilling resistance. It drapes exceptionally well, and is not crunchy (tightly twisted, plied spun silks are crunchy to the touch). This silk yarn is available in a natural shiny white colour and hand painted shades. Because all silks are extremely versatile, they are warm in winter and cool in summer (don't forget to think of the seasons when making a silk garment). We would recommend this yarn for summer articles. Very gentle hand wash is recommended to avoid pilling.

Known facts: • Silk is one of the greenest fibers in the world because of the specific silk production (there are only a few chemical fertilizers that can be used on mulberry plants). Silk works up into garments that are best worn close to the skin, like camisoles. Also, Silk and human skin have a similar protein composition that makes silk very comfortable to wear even close to the skin. [Silk fiber, source: Color Works (The Crafter's Guide to Color) by Deb Menz.] • Although silk is a very strong and elastic fiber, it stretches. The softer the hand of the silk, the more prone it is to stretching. Knit tightly, using smaller needle sizes (3.25 - 3.75 mm). Plain, or designs in textured patterns are suitable, tight cables are great.

Hint: "Feel the silk as you wind it into a ball; it's elastic. The give and stretching you have when knitting with silk is one of the many reasons to work with this fabulous fiber. Be aware that when it's knitted into a garment, it can lose its shape and stretch out. However, the fabric will come back when blocked. Since silk has a reputation for losing its shape, keep this in mind when knitting a garment. You might want to go down a needle size so the gauge is firmer. Making a garment a little shorter than if you were using wool will allow for some stretch as it grows." - source: E. Eskensen, "Silk Knits"

* Similar yarn: Silk Bouclé, Seta

FIBRE: 100% Mulberry Silk Top, Soft Spun
YARN WEIGHT: Heavy Worsted/Aran
TENSION: 16 sts / 20 rows
NEEDLES: tight knit on 4 - 4.25 mm (US No.6)
LENGTH: approx. 142 m / 157 yds
SKEIN WEIGHT: 100g (3.5oz)
Knitted Sample
PATTERNS: Silk Knits
Sample patterns for silk
Price: $23.99 /Natural and Paints, $19.99 /Semi-Solids
IN STOCK: undyed: 913 Natural White; hand painted: 903 Terrestrial, 907 Iridescent (3 skeins), 911 Divine (3 skeins), semi-solids: 902 Blue (3 skeins), 04 Emerald (2 skeins)
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Makalu Yarns Index »

Colour:	903, Terrestrial907, Iridescent911, Divine913, Natural White
Quantity:

Colour:	902, Blue904, Emerald
Quantity:

903, Terrestrial (Azure-Ocean-Slate-Marine-Evergeen-Moss-Khaki-Mocha-Coffee Rich)		907, Iridescent (Brilliant Yellow-Gold-Peach-Apricot-Pink-Blossom-Baby Pink-Lavender-Violet-Lavender Mauve) * 3 skeins
911, Divine (Red-Gold-Tangerine-Dates -Burnished Gold -Milk Chocolate) enlarge * 3 skeins		913, Natural White (Snow, Winter White, Bleached) enlarge
902, Blue /hand painted, semi-solid (tone-on-tone) * 3 skeins		904, Emerald /hand painted, semi-solid (tone-on-tone) * 2 skeins knitted sample

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