Choosing a silk thread

[Mabel Figworthy]

If you're not really interested whether a silk is spun or filament, raw or cultivated, and so on, but are more likely to choose by what they look and feel like, this may help -- I've found most silks fall into one of five groups, each with their own characteristics. I'll describe the groups first, then give examples of silks that fit into these groups:

Flat – either completely flat or with a very low twist that is hardly discernible; high lustre; more likely to snag
Soft – a very low twist and a soft, dull sheen; usually stranded; easy to work with
Low Twist – slightly more twist than the previous one but still not very marked; subtle sheen; usually stranded; easy to work with
Twisted – noticeably twisted, usually a fairly strong sheen (Alyce Schroth, Baroque Silk and H of E Raw being the exceptions); can be a little tangly
Cord/Pearl – strong twist, high but textured lustre, usually single-strand though some may be divided into (flat) plies

Flat : Au Ver à Soie Soie Ovale, Colour Streams Silk Floss, Eterna Stranded, House of Embroidery Fine Silk, JEC Flat SIlk, Pearsall FiloFloss, Pipers 90 Floss Silk, Stef Francis Filament Silk, Thredfairy Erawan
Soft : Crescent Colours Belle Soie, Gloriana, GlissenGloss Color Wash, Rainbow Gallery Splendor, Thread Gatherer Silk ‘n Colors, Vineyard Silk Classic
Low Twist : Au Ver à Soie Soie d’Alger, Caron Waterlilies, Dinky Dyes Silk, Kreinik Silk Mori, Needlepoint Inc. Silk Floss
Twisted : Alyce Schroth Fine Silk, Au Ver à Soie Soie de Paris, Carrie’s Creation Silk, Colour Streams Silken Strands, Eterna Mini Twist, Gumnut Stars, House of Embroidery Raw, House of Embroidery Twisted, Madeira Silk Floss, Pearsall Filoselle, Pure Palette Baroque Silk, Silk Mill, Stef Francis Stranded, Thredfairy Stranded, Treenway 20/2, Treenway Floss, Vikki Clayton, YLI Silk Floss
Cord/Pearl : Colour Streams Exotic Lights (plies are flat), colour Streams Ophir, Eterna Silk Twist, Kreinik Silk Bella, Kreinik Silk Serica (plies are flat), Thredfairy Fine Silk Cord, Treenway 8/2 (plies are flat), Treenway cord

And then there are the silk mixes – mixed (either by plying together or by combining during spinning) with wool, linen, metallics etc. Examples are Caron Impressions (silk/wool), Thread Gatherer Sheep’s Silk (silk/wool), Thread Gatherer Oriental Linen (silk/linen), Vinyard Silk Shimmer (silk/metallic)