The Fibre Garden : bombyx
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bombyx
Cultivated Silk Cocoons, Degummed
Silk cocoons come as natural (usually with a dead worm inside), which are sort of firm and egg-shaped, or degummed, which have had the seracin (i.e. silk worm spit/glue) removed. Most common are Bombyx (Cultivated, Mulberry) cocoons, but sometimes other kinds of silk are available as well, though we have yet to locate a source.
Cocoons are adored by makers of Novelty/Art yarn, by felters, and sometimes by spinners.
Degummed Bombyx or Mulberry/Cultivated silk cocoons. These can be used for spinning directly, as a textural component in needle or Nuno felting, in paper making or added for texture to novelty yarns. They dye up just like regular silk top or roving, using either acid or fibre reactive dyes.
PRODUCT of CHINA
Silk Noils, Cultivated
100% silk.
Bits and pieces of off-white cultivated silk, also known as Mulberry or Bombyx silk. These are waste from the textile industry, and therefore sometimes have debris (like bits of silkworm poo) and could use a good shake before spinning.
Noils are easy to dye. We find it's best to take the extra few minutes to tease them open before presoaking (with hot water and soap), to allow for maximum colour penetration.
Spinners love to use noils to provide bumpy texture to a spin, carding them in with the fibre of choice. Felters also make use of them for embellishment.
Silk Top, Cultivated
100% silk.
Combed top, pearly off-white in colour. Staple length is about 7 to 8 inches. Also called Mulberry or Bombyx silk.
Silk top is easy to dye, using either acid dyes, fibre reactive dyes, or natural dyes.
For spinning, silk top may be spun all by itself or used for blending with a myriad of other fibres. Silk does not felt but is beautiful as a felting surface embellishment on top of a wool foundation.
PRODUCT of CHINA