Gemstone Soft Twist Silk Yarn

Halcyon Yarn's Gemstone Silks are simply the highest quality silks for weaving or knitting. Our silks are a great value in several weights and rich gorgeous colors. Luster, color and beauty... like gemstones spun into a perfect silk yarn. As precious and faceted as their namesake minerals Halcyons Gemstone 100% silks capture light and add dimension to textiles.

Halcyon's Gemstone Soft Twist Silk is a heavier single ply silk that glows with a soft sheen. Comparable in weight to the 2/5 silk our Soft Twist Silk is perfect in sport weight knitting and the looser spin creates a gorgeous drape and soft texture in woven or knitted pieces. Halcyon's Signature Gemstone Soft Twist Silk is perfect for knitting on its own or for weaving as yardage for silk garments or custom silk upholstery fabric or tapestries. Soft Twist single ply silk combines well with other yarns in warp or weft to add strength, luster and soft texture to finished items. Gemstone Soft Twist Silk is available in economical 240 yard hanks.

Made of the finest Chinese silk fibers, spun in Switzerland, and dyed in the United States, these silk yarns exceed the highest standards. Silk has minimal shrinkage and very little elasticity, it is also extremely strong. Whether you are weaving silk yardage or knitting a silk scarf you will be amazed by the elegance or every piece you make from silk. Gemstone skeins are hank skeins and will need to be rewound to balls or spools before use.

Using Silk in Knitting: The luster is lovely, but the inelasticity may be a challenge eased by choosing textured stitches, and patterns which feature hems, picot or crocheted edges rather than ribs. Or blend with a soft wool or wool silk combination for ribbings. Be creative and do gauge swatches to find the best match (usually fingering to sport). Avoid highly contoured patterns as detail will tend to disappear.

Using Silk in Weaving: Since silk does not full or fill out, use a denser sett than for wools. Gemstone Silks are wonderful combined with fine wools or blends, we recommend Jaggerspun wools.

Care: We recommend dry cleaning. After testing a swatch, you can try hand washing, and then rolling in a towel and hanging to remove dampness. Do not soak. For strongly contrasting colors we recommend steaming or wet finishing with clear cool water. Detergents may cause darker colors to run.