I had been asked “just how did you do that?” in regards
to not only turning silk cocoons into flowers but adding them to yarn. Spring
is upon us so why not add flowers to your fiber? So, as promised, especially
for Mara in Germany, this is exactly how I made the flowers and added them to
yarn.
Please, before
you start out be sure to check that you will be able to put your silk
cocoon flower through your orifice. They are quite forgiving as to being pushed
through the orifice and helped over your flyer hooks. As for bobbins? Size does
matter. The bigger the better! My pictured sample was produced on an Ashford
Joy with Freedom Flyer.
Of course there is no reason why you can’t do this technique
with a spindle.
All is not lost if your wheel’s flyer cannot take in the
cocoon flowers and you are not a spindler as you can attach your flowers to
your finished yarn by securing them with sewing thread.
What you need:
Flowers:
- Whole, undyed silk
cocoons Oh, and that rattle you hear? That’s the silkworm.
- Sharp exacto
knife or scissors
- Toothpicks or
bamboo skewers
- Craft painting
brushes. Japanese calligraphy brushes are ideal
- Silk paints
- Paper towels
- Styrofoam
block
- Steamer or
double boiler (non-food use only)
- Rubber gloves
- Old towel
- Craft flower
stamens
The yarn:
Making the flowers:
1. With a sharp exacto knife or sharp pointy scissors
like embroidery scissors, you are going to cut a zigzag opening around the
middle of the cocoon. I cocoon makes 2 flowers. For
your first one or feeling a little tentative, try drawing your zigzag cut line
first with a pencil. Just a word of
warning: this process doesn’t smell so great…just so you know. Once the 2
halves are separated, discard the worm.
2. Setting up to paint, cover your surface well and set
out your paints/dyes. I use steam set silk dyes. Poke a skewer or toothpick
through the bottom of each cocoon half and stick the other end into the block
of styrofoam.
3. Glove up to protect your skin and now you are ready to
paint your cocoons.
4. Have fun with your paints then set aside to dry
5. Once dry, set according to silk dye manufacturer’s
instructions. What I do is wrap the cocoons separately in paper
towel. Line your steamer with an old towel and then place your cocoons on top
of the towel. Fold the towel over and close your steamer. Do not use anything you use for food. I picked up a great steamer
at a thrift shop I only use for crafts. Once the dye setting process is
complete (approx. 20 minutes), you can remove the cocoons and whilst still a
little warm and pliable, you can shape the petals.
Now I guess you want to know just how to get them on the yarn, eh?
1.
Your plies are of course your own choice
but I will say in order to aesthetically balance the yarn, I recommend one
thick or thick/thin ply and the other a thin one. The thin ply is what you will
be adding the flowers to as you go. For the pictured example I used a
commercial metallic filament.
2.
I add approximately 12 cocoon flowers
per 2oz handspun but this is entirely up to you. I also add it randomly
so…..start plying and stop in a thin
section of the thick/thin ply when you want to start with your first
cocoon.
3.
Insert your crochet hook from the inside
of the flower to outside through the hole put in earlier during the painting
process.
4.
Catch your thin coordinating ply and
pull it through the hole into the inside of the flower.
5.
Insert 2, 3 or how many stamens you want
through the loop of the ply you just pulled through.
6.
Fold the stamens in half and pull the
ply at the back of the flower firmly. This secures the stamens inside the
flower.
7.
Carefully continue to ply, ensuring the
back of the cocoon flower is plied in snug. Also observe how it passes through
the orifice and flyer hooks and help along as needed. You can continue to ply
without fussing over the flowers that are on the bobbin. You will have to pay a
little more attention to filling your bobbin as you won’t want your flowers to lie
on top of each other in order to get as much yarn onto your bobbin as possible.
I haven’t had any problems with any tangling if I let them lie on the bobbin
how they go naturally. I don’t wind off onto my niddy noddy perhaps as fast as
I would a yarn without add-ons, but these flowers should be securely in place.
So Mara and others, this is how you do it but if you have
any questions or get into any trouble with my directions, please do ask. It
really is quite easy and opens up oodles of possibilities for adding you your
yarn with the same technique. You could always add a bead instead of the
stamens or lock all kinds of goodies with a loop in your plying. Please enjoy
and I would love for you to share your yarn pictures.