Dyeing silk caps

The dyed caps before fixing

Dry and catching on everything they touch! Predrafted and extra drafted

Singles

I thought I'd have a go at dyeing and spinning some silk caps which I bought a while back. I already tackled some silk hankies a few months ago and got on pretty well with them. Well, I dyed the caps first, and when they were dry, I separated a few of the layers and predrafted them. These produced a rather lumpy yarn, so I resorted to completely drafting it into very thin strips. This worked better although there are a lot of slubby bits. I could only do this much before my hands were complaining. Pulling silk around is quite hard work, the fibres are very long and stick to anything they come in contact with. I tried wearing some vinyl gloves, which helped for a while until static built up and then they were useless. It must have been quite a sight, me shaking these lengths of silk about trying to make them let go.

Knitting wise, I've done a few rows of the third clue for the Secret of the Stole, and my mindless knitting sock has grown a bit. I'm using my new Knitpicks circulars, 2.75mm, for these and they are marvellous, the points are nice and pointy and the cable join is excellent. I was so pleased to find a supplier in the UK. I'm seriously tempted by the Options set.