But I came to talk about the draft...spinning a new fiber.

[fabricdragon]

I got my samples from South West Trading Company today...

(They make SOYSILK® brand soy fiber yarn and spinning fiber, among other things.)

I had requested a sample of their "Black Diamond Fiber” which is a carbonized bamboo fiber.  I know this doesn’t sound very nice, but what it means is that it is a beautiful silvery steel grey fiber, with a bit

Comments

Yarn

[fabricdragon]

They have a 100% bamboo fiber yarn already. It is not the carbonized form, but is still a darn nice yarn. available in a sport weight, about28? colors, some solid some shaded.. for roughly $13.00 per ball (with the usual "buy the bag" discount) and also available in a sock yarn, mixed with some nylon.. but i dont have how many colors or price handy.

Commercially it is used in socks (available at Target, among other places) that are naturally odor absorbing/ anti bacterial because thats just what this fiber does.

Its a nice yarn. I have done a small amount of knitting with the basic bamboo yarn, it shows stitch definition well, and feels like ...well, the sample i knit up, in a basic stockinette, sort of felt like cotton, but sort of felt silky...
i am looking forward to when they have the yarn in the carbonized form, because i have spun both fibers and prefer this new stuff. so if the yarn is also that much of an improvement, and i already like the old yarn...wow!

Re: Yarn

[fabricdragon]

will do!
But seriously, if you get a good spindle this stuff spins up nicely enough that i think even a beginner should get good yarn from it.
Bring your spin stuff, maybe i can help you! or maybe you are just using the wrong-for-you fiber. there are fibers that other folks spin fine, that i can't spin worth a cat toy.

Re: Yarn

[fabricdragon]

Save versus will or start a new project...
that explains SO much.

being the yarn store doesnt help MY project situation, either, if thats of any consolation...

Re: Yarn

[fabricdragon]

oh.. oh dear! i just realized... his name is Jacob, and i have a whole bag of Jacob fleece.....
must have failed that willpower roll again. Drat, new project.

Re: Yarn

[fabricdragon]

Jacob is a breed of sheep. It is a very old (period authentic) breed of sheep. It is called Jacob after the bible story of Jacob "creating" more spotted sheep, and making his fortune. They look *really* weird, since they are known for having multiple horns (as in, more than two).

Jacob sheep are spotted. They have large patches of black or brown and white. The color lightens as they get older, and in many cases they get "whiter" each year. By carefully seperating the fleece by color, you can get an entire range of shades, from almost pure white, to almost pure black, with many shades of grey in between.

It is one of my favorite breeds, although it has a coarser wool than my other favorites, mostly suited for blankets, outerwear, etc.