Jessicah at Spinning a Yarn comes up with the most amazing fibres. The samples she has sent in for the next NZ Yarn Sampler box are just stunning. I've never seen silk hankies before (although I'm not a spinner) and they look intriguing. Jessicah had to explain to me how to use them, and now it seems so obvious (and completely fun!) - here's what she says:
Silk hankies are a versatile and fun fibre to experiment with. They are perfect for beginner spinners, as all the drafting is done before you sit behind your wheel. However they are also able to be knitted without spinning, just give them a little twist as you go. Or you might like to incorporate them into a felting project, however they won't felt on their own, so you will need to use them with wool. Maybe you have some left from the last sampler box?
To draft them, you separate the very fine layers, there will be 8-10 per hanky, and stretch them out. Very detailed instructions can be found at knitty:
http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter05/FEATsilkhankies.html. The length of fibre you will get from this hanky will depend very much on how thin you draft them, you might be surprised by how far they can stretch! To go make them go even further, ply with wool , or even sewing thread. The possibilities are endless- experiment and have fun increasing your daily fibre intake!
Don't forget to check out the Spinning a Yarn felt store - you will be amazed!
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