PLY article index

Silk may be slippery and challenging to spin, but with a few practical adjustments and a little practice, you’ll find that spinning silk is both enjoyable and rewarding.

Take a trip back in time to uncover the origins of sericulture – the practice of raising silkworms – and the creation of silk thread and fabric.

Between staple lengths and types of silk, it can be hard to know where to start with silk top. Learn about the challenges of spinning silk top and get some tips on working with this prep method.

Get some tips on prepping, drafting, spinning, and finishing silk in this article.

How do different spinning choices affect the drape of silk fabric? This article examines how drafting methods, amount of twist, number of plies, and finishing can change the fabric of a spun skein of silk.

The Japanese silk reeler, the zaguri (English spelling: zakuri), is a tool used to reel silk. Learn about the history of this interesting tool and the production of silk in Japan.

Michael Cook shares his heartfelt personal journey of how he learned and left the world of silk processing.

This article discusses several factors to consider when choosing a spindle for spinning silk, including whorl shape, weight, and staple length of the fiber.

As a protein fiber, silk is a joy to dye. Since silk comes in a variety of preps, a dyer has many options – including many color possibilities in the world of natural dyes.

How is a handspinner to know which tool to use and what differences it will yield when blending with silk? Learn the considerations to keep in mind and limitations of each blending tool when creating fiber preparations.

Blends provide untold options in spinning, but how does blending in silk affect and change our yarns?

Silk possesses a host of qualities that make it a valued material in different industries. This article shares the ways it has been used beyond clothing.

This article looks at the elasticity of silk yarns and what techniques we can use to maximize the stretch of our spun silks.

The first weekend in May signals the annual Silk Cocoon Festival in Northern Cyprus, celebrating silkworms and their part in Cypriot history and culture. This article shares the experience and photos of attending this festival.

What are some ways in which silk could enhance the unique qualities of wool? The fibers may surprise you with how much they have to say not just to you but to each other.

Throughout history as well as today in hospitals and biotech labs, silk continues to fascinate scientists and confound expectations. This natural material, prized for beauty and luxury, is also capable of protecting the body and helping it to heal.

Silk is one of the strongest fibers, but also one of the easiest to ruin if handled incorrectly. This article shares a variety of finishing methods to show how they changed the surface of the yarn.

Learn about creating work found in the intersection of fine art and fibre art by incorporating fibre arts practices into fine art pieces, taking parts of traditional art forms such as drawing or ink work and combining them with something from the fibre arts to create an artwork that is neither all fine art nor all fibre art but with characteristics of both.

While silk has many strengths, this article experiments with the vulnerabilities silk has and shares the results.

Wool was the mainstay of a Viking Age person’s attire, but silk was not only available to Northern Europeans of the time due to widespread trade networks, it was a frequent element of a high-status individual’s garb. This article describes a recreated silk brocade band, modeled off a fragment of a piece of tablet-woven brocade.

Dyeing silk is a beautiful blend of science and artistry, requiring a delicate balance of chemistry, patience, and creative intuition. Examine the chemical makeup of silk and why it’s so similar to wool when it comes to dyeing. This article focuses on using acide dyes

The glow and shine of silk is pure magic, but there is enormous variability in luster across different silk yarns. This article explores the factors that contribute to how lustrous a finished silk yarn can be.

Silk behaves differently from wool; it’s wonderfully slippery, is sometimes a little flyaway, and calls for careful attention to twist both when spinning and plying. Explore and compare the intricacies of plying Bombyx and Tussah silk.

Which is better for embroidery thread: silk top or silk hankies? Learn tips for spinning these two options with notes on twist amount and number of plies.