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Bamboo (Top)
$3.75 – $28.94
100% Viscose of Bamboo.
Very clean combed top, pearly-white in colour. Staple length is 3.5 to 4 inches.
PRODUCT of CHINA
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Corn Fibre (Top)
100% Corn Fibre. Also known as Ingeo.
Extremely clean combed top. Pristine, true white in colour. Staple length is 4 to 5 inches.
One of the "new" man-made fibres, and apparently it stands up pretty well to any "green" claims about its manufacture. As a spinning or knitting fibre, it is soft and lustrous, breathes and absorbs moisture well, has good drape and warmth and is easy to care for. Corn is machine washable but should be air or tumble dried only. Do not iron!
Considered a plant or cellulose fibre but neither acid nor fibre reactive dyes will work on corn fibre. Natural dyers could try using techniques used on cotton, such as alum-tannin premordanting, or Aluminum acetate. We do not know yet how corn behaves in an indigo bath.
That being said, when blended with protein fibres, acid dyes will leave the corn alone during dyeing, which makes for some wonderful streaky or heathered effects, depending on how well the fibres are blended.

Soy Fibre – Bleached (Top)
100% Soy Fibre.
100% Soy Fibre.
Extremely clean combed top in "natural" ivory. Staple length of 4 to 5 inches. SoySilk® is a registered trademark, but our supply is a very similar product from another manufacturer. It turns out that what we have been selling for years is the bleached version of soy fibre.
Lustrous and soft, soy fibre is enjoying great popularity by itself or in blends with wool and other fibres. Very well-suited to summer wear since it's great at absorbing moisture. Soy fibre is manufactured from the waste pulp that remains after soybeans have been pressed for oil.
Surprisingly, though it comes from plants, soy fibre has more in common with protein fibres in the dyepot. It takes colour beautifully using acid dyes and will respond well to the usual natural dye premordants that are used on animal fibres.

Tencel (Top)
100% Lyocell.
Very clean combed top, in "natural" white. Staple length is about 4 inches. Technically this manmade fibre is called lyocell. It's in the rayon family and made from wood pulp. Tencel® has been embraced by spinners and knitters alike, because it is fantastically soft with a terrific sheen and wonderful drape. Excellent for lighter summerwear as it absorbs moisture well.
Tencel® can be spun alone or blended with other fibres. An intriguing choice for those that can't wear wool. <
Since this is a plant or cellulose fibre dyers must use fibre reactive dyes. Natural dyers can resort to techniques used on cotton, such as alum-tannin premordanting, or Aluminum acetate. We don't know how Tencel® responds in an indigo vat.
That being said, when blended with protein fibres, acid dyes will leave the Tencel® alone during dyeing, which makes for some wonderful streaky or heathered effects, depending on how well the fibres are blended.

Bamboo Top – Topaz
100% Viscose/Rayon of Bamboo.
Beautiful and shiny amber gold, richer than the photo portrays.
PRODUCT of CHINA