SKEINS DYED

Here are two of the sixteen skeins I dyed. Don't they look hysterical?! Compare these with some sample skeins I dyed earlier:


These sample skeins are smooth. The skeins at the top which are for weft are quite flyaway. The yarns just seem to have a life of their own. This was true of the skeins in their undyed state as well. when I took them off the skein winder, they just went beserk. But the skeins are now even worse since they are dyed.

Here is a detail of the top two skeins:


Not only is the flyaway character of this yarn evident, but an awful messy tangle is very clear in the teal skein on the right. I have NO idea whether ot not I will be able to wind this off onto a cone.

BOMBYX SILK VERSUS SILK ORGANZINE

Both sets of skeins are silk. Both sets of skeins are fine silk. But, they are different kinds of silk. The sample skeins which lie so nice and smoothly are bombyx silk. The dreadfully messy skeins are made of tassar silk organzine.

Also, the organzine has twice has much yardage as the bombyx silk. And it feels a bit crisper than the bombyx. Yet they appear to the naked eye to be the same size. Go here to see my discussion of the size issue.

DEFINITION OF ORGANZINE

But what is organzine? I didn't find much that was very helpful online. This definition I found to be most helpful: "raw silk yarns comprised of two or more twisted singles, which are then doubled and given a tight twist in the other direction."

APPARENT OVERTWISTING

Based on the say my organzine is acting, I would guess that it is the tight twist that is causing the misbehavior. I do not know whether the singles are spun or drawn from the silk worm's cocoon. In any case, it would seem that there is quite a bit more twist in the plying then in the spinning of the singles. That is what could account for all of this.

WINDING ORGANZINE ONTO CONES

How will it impact my winding cones and bobbins? We shall see.

WEAVING WITH ORGANZINE

I suspect I will have to keep the humidity in the house up when I weave. This is generally a good practice when working with silk anyway.