In our new dyeing studio many factors lead us to share our love of lace in this month’s Fibre Studio Blog. Wikipedia describes lace knitting as a style of knitting “characterized by stable “holes” in the fabric arranged with consideration of aesthetic value.” We, as fellow lace knitters, would probably use short hand terms like YO, SSK, K2TOG, lifelines, and dang, dang it!, darn, RIPIT, and then…. just, WOW!
During the month of July, The Fibre Studio is excited to share our WOW! with you. Inspired by beautiful customer and employee projects and recent custom dye requests, we started dyeing (and yes, experimenting!) with multiple types of lace-weight yarns in a variety of fabulous colors.
Heirlooms, summer classics, and pieces that have great drape and body that carry us through the years, all start with lace weight yarns. At the Fibre Studio, we have chosen a broad range of lace weight classics. Our lace weights vary from the glistening sea cell and bamboo silk blends to luxurious cashmere silk. We then added a few linen and tussah blended bases to bring you the fullest range of choice for your knitting projects.
As most of our Studio lace yarn bases contain silk we thought you might find the following interesting:
Bombyx silk is the most traditionally cultivated silk. Silkworms have been primarily cultivated in China, Japan and other parts of Asia. The silk produced by this silkworm is white. In recent years a commercial diet has been developed to replace their natural diet of white mulberry leaves.
Other types of silk include Tussah and Eri, although they are not as readily available commercially. Both types are naturally colored silk, affected by the silkworm’s diet and environment.
Sue Clover, one of the Ewe Crew, knit this beautiful lace shawl and we were blown away by it’s beauty.
Inspired and excited, we want to share (and compare!) what we learned, what we chose as our Fibre Studio Lace yarns, as well as the qualities of each yarn that attracted us. We hope you find your favorite and that our experiment in dyeing sparks your very own adventurous spirit. Knit beautiful projects on our new lace-weight friends. Or chose your own!
Here’s how they break down at the Studio….
Silk, we all know, is produced by magical silk worms–but bamboo? How does that translate into the magic in our hands? Bamboo fiber is 100% bamboo pulp fiber. It is amazingly soft in the hand, and when blended with silk, has excellent drape and a luminous sheen. The two fibers, one plant based and one protein based, take the acid dye differently, therefore having a more subtle effect.
Studio Silk’ n Bamboo Lace: 51% silk, 49% bamboo rayon. 3.5 oz., 100g. Approx. 868 yds. $35.00
STUDIO SILK’N CASHMERE LACE
Cylindrical, soft, smooth, silky, moisture-absorbing, warm hand of joy. That is cashmere. And the Studio offers this blended up with silk. Cashmere is a very soft, warm, and luscious fiber for the needles. It is one of the most highly desired fibers in our knitting community. The cashmere fibers are fine, soft, light, and yet offer up to three times the insulating factor of sheep’s wool. Cashmere comes from the neck region of the Cashmere goat. The Cashmere goat produces a double fleece which is a mingling of a straighter and more coarse outer coat, blended with the fine, soft undercoat. Combined with silk, it creates a glistening softness that good stitch definition that blocks into the most extraordinary designs and motifs!
Studio Silk’ n Cashmere Lace: 65% cashmere, 35% silk. 3.5 oz., 100g. Approx. 1082 yds. $66.50
In this photo, our Silk’n Linen Lace yarn was carried double so it knitted as a fingering weight yarn. The Linen adds great structure and texture to the fabric.
Linen is a very strong fiber produced from the flax plant. The color of this fiber ranges from yellowish to gray. When plied with silk, it creates a durable yarn with drape and wicking qualities that softens with wear, but maintains a lovely luster. The two fibers, one plant based and one protein based, take up dye differently–producing an amazing depth of color. The structural difference in the two fibers also produces a rustic, slightly tweedy, effect.
Studio Silk’ n Linen Lace: 65% silk, 35% linen 3.5 oz., 100g. Approx. 868 yds.
$35.00
Sea Cell is a luxurious plant and seaweed-based fiber that, when blended with silk, produces a yarn with extreme luster, excellent drape, and a light and delicate quality. Again the differences in the plant and protein fibers create amazing and subtle colors.
Studio Silk’ n Sea Cell Lace: 70% silk, 30% sea cell 3.5 oz., 100g. Approx. 868 yds.
$37.50
STUDIO TUSSAH SILK LACE
Tussah silk has a natural golden shine and is very durable. It is produced by the tussah silkworm. The tussah caterpillar’s diet includes oak and other tannin-rich leaves. It is the tannin which produces colors in the silk ranging anywhere from pale cream to a dark rich brown. Compared to the mulberry silk, which is white, tussah silk, when dyed, lends a rich undertone to the finished yarn.
Studio Tussah Silk Lace: 100% Silk 3.5 oz., 100g. Approx. 868 yds.
$37.50
Happy July! Happy Lace Knitting!
-The Ewe Crew.
The Fibre Studio at Yarns to Dye For 