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Well, I got a very quick and helpful reply from Carrie, but the process is unfortunately rather labour-intensive . Here's what she wrote:

"What to do if you need to wash the silk. OK.....

First off, what you haven't yet stitched with, we are going to deal with differently than what has been used.

The unused silk, take that aside and begin rinsing in lukewarm water. Cold will not work as it is spun a bit tightly and will repel water. This works in your favor if you need to spot clean something in the future. Work the water into the skein, rubbing between your first two fingers and thumb to loosen any dye that may be hanging around. Scrunch if you like, you won't hurt it, but rinse and wring well. If there is still color in the rinse water, keep on going. The red you may want to let soak. Eventually, all the loose dye will come out and will be evident by the rinse water running clear.

I like to then lay the threads on a white paper towel to dry as any residual color will seep on the white towel, informing me I need to rinse more.

Silk isn't as problematic as the cotton, but I'm going to explain like it is the cotton, so if you find a lot of the steps unnecessary, then I apologize in advance.

For the silk that has been used, that will be trickier. Not to wash, but to prevent the colors from re-attaching onto your fabric where you do not wish them to reside. Tricky buggars those dye molecules. You shouldn't have too much trouble as you won't set the colors into the fabric but some may want to stick around. For this, I recommend using a special soap and I don't know if it is available in the UK. It is called syanthropol. It is a commercial soap for textiles that has an additive that wraps around dye molecules, preventing them from attaching where they aren't wanted during washing. Check your specialty quilting shops.

If you are unable to get any, let me know and I'll be happy to obtain some for you. It is relatively cheap and I believe shipping will cost more than the cost of the product (isn't that the way of things) BUT you can use it on any hand dyed item you need to wash."

I thought I'd have a look round the stitching show later this year to see if they have the soap there. Perhaps we can buy one bottle for the whole forum, and keep sending it round !

Edited
Found some on eBay for £4 including postage, which isn't too bad!

i had to do a doubletake when i saw my name in the new title!

i have to say that i pretty much despise this piece. i love the inkcircle designs and i can't wait to do some of them, particularly the blackstone fantasy and geometric set (circle/triangle/squares) but this piece....

i still carry it around with me and bought more of the week thread to be able to finish it. a coworker loves the color palette and i will probably just give it to her if i ever finish it. i think i'm over the halfway mark, somewhere around the second "set" of red/white blocks. i keep meaning to scan all the things i'm working on and get them on the forum. maybe this thread will get me motivated again.

Oh, April, I am so sorry you are not enjoying it a much as we all did...

Mabel, was the thing you found on e-bay called syanthropol? I might need to buy some, too. I rinsed my Caron hand died threads before starting the BFG but did not wait until rinse water became clear - just couldn't. So I am still afraid they will be running.
No hurry, though, it is still far from completion - but I plan to take it out for UFO week!

April, I do hope this will get you inspired again -- it would be such a shame to throw away so much work. On the other hand, if it has really become a chore, not a pleasure, then perhaps it's best to decide to cut yur losses and not spend more time on it which could be spent so much more pleasurably on a project you enjoy -- goodness knows we've all got much less stitching time than we'd like and it seems a shame to spend it doing something you actively dislike!

Agy, there was a typo in Carrie's mail, it's called Synthrapol; the eBay item is here. Postage outside the UK will be a bit more expensive, probably, but you can always ask beforehand to make sure.

Monday stitching group, and yes I did take BoInk (although I was tempted to take my Stashaholic Sampler instead, as I haven't had time for that for almost a week). Done some more of the gold edge with blending filament, not an awful lot to see so no pics, but will hopefully get on a bit more quickly next week

That looks lovely Mabel..so sparkly
I actually finished mine last night, I have not taken a photo yet as it needs ironing,it's just pinned up to a curtain to breath a little after being stored in a bag for months on end

Look forward to seeing it JillY!

I like your bit of Sparkle Mabel!

Oooh Jilly looking forward to seeing the finished work!

Photo, photo! *stumping her feet*

Jilly, really, don't be so tempting! Please

I am right next to Agi with a stamping foot wanting pictures also!!!!

Hello, here I am!

Yes, I used Carrie's threads on Blackstone Fantasy Garden, and NO i definitely did not wash it. You might remember it had a sad run-in with a dram of whisky, however... well luckily it was only in a corner, mostly unstitched at the time. I used White Wizard paste to remove the offending stain, and it worked fine. With hindsight, I might have tried setting them in vinegar or something before I began, but really, I just wanted to START STITCHING...

I rarely ever wash my handiwork... I never notice it to be grubby by the time I finish. What am I not seeing!??

Another two hour's worth, and some visible progress so I rewarded myself with a progress picture

And it looks great. Remind me, are you using a metallic with the gold, or is that just the photo?

I'm using one strand of Madeira no.40 blending filament 24 Pale Gold, with two strands of Carrie's Creations Golden Glow. It gives it a nice subtle sparkle

love the gold. i have a small project that calls for different colors its a 2x2 and i think i am going to blend a sparkly peice in here or there....

Looking good Mabel!!!!