Hi, I'm located in WA and I am looking for a good sorce for silk and and other high quality fiber fine gauge yarns.. where do you go when you want to buy several pounds of silk....I've been using bambu from silkcityfibers but now I'm trying to find natural silk to dye and weave with.... I know about henry's attic is that a good place to go to find nice natural yarns for dyeing?
Thanks!
Nik
http://www.handweaver.us/georgia_yarn_company.htm lowest prices online, I know I own the company.
Take a look,
Michael
You might also consider http://www.colourmart.com - I've done a lot of business with them over the years. They sell luxury mill ends from the top European mills...mostly cashmere but they frequently have silk in various weights as well. If you are buying several pounds at a time, you might email them (colourmartcashmere@gmail.com ) and ask if they're willing to do a quantity discount. They have excellent prices and better quality than the yarns I've seen which originate from China/India...about 25% of my stash is from Colourmart, with good reason.
If you want a yarn twisted up to a thicker yarn, they can do that too, but there is an additional charge.
Colourmart's prices also include shipping from the UK, so there is no additional shipping charge. It takes 1-2 weeks for the yarn to arrive - it used to be 5 days, but with the increased scrutiny of foreign packages things get delayed.
The one downside to Colourmart is that their selection varies depending on what they get in (mill ends, you know). I don't see any white silk currently on the site, but email them and ask - they generally have LOTS of stock that they haven't gotten around to listing on the website.
Another possibility is http://www.eurestex.com - they have natural silk (from China I think) at excellent prices. I have gotten samples from them, which looked fantastic, but have not purchased from them yet. They carry a full line of natural silks - look at the Specials to find the better priced ones. (Note that their silks are priced by the kilogram, which is about 2.2 pounds. So when they say 46 GBP per kilo, that translates to about $32/lb.)
I'd go with Colourmart first, then try Eurestex if they don't have any.
I have to second the recommendation for Colourmart. Their yarns are fantastic, but their customer service is beyond description. I have never been treated as well by any other company in any industry.
Keep your eye on their ebay store too. They'll put things up there that aren't in the online shop.
Treenway specializes in silk for weavers. http://www.treenwaysilks.com.
I've used Silk City Fibers and have been happy with their products.
I'll have to check out Michael's site, I had no idea!
Regards, Charles
Of Indian silk. Attached are pictures of a long scarf woven with 1 1/2 skeins of 20/2 spun silk (Natural) dyed with indigo. This scarf won 1st place and a cash award at SAFFSoutheast AnimalFiberFestival, http://www.saffsite.org/The lady that won the award is a customer and was also a spinning instructor at the festival.
I have sold hundreds of pounds (Kilos) of Indian silk and have had only three customers express displeasure with what they got. One lady said her skein had too many knots, I told her to return it to me and I would replace it. A other lady ordered 10 Kilos of Sari silk selvages and did not like the fact that they were not 100% silk (selvages can contain other yarns in the binding) and she did not like the colors. So I had her ship back to me what she did not want. I ordered 2 Kilos of uncut cocoons and when they got to two different customers the cocoons had started to rot ( from the heat) I torn up one ladies check and replaced the other uncut cocoons with a kilo of cut cocoons which the customer loved. I do not sell mill ends of cotton or silk. I do stand behind what I do sell. If you don't like what you get send it back.
The things that bother me about the silk I've received from India may not bother other people. Here's what I've found:
- more knots and slubs than in other silk yarns
- more variation in yarn thickness (about 20% when I sampled multiple lengths using a McMorran balance)
- some rather unpleasant-smelling spinning oils which left a yellow chemical residue in the water on first wash - washes out but which leads me to wonder just what is in it?
I'm not sure this would matter to most people - I am admittedly fussier about yarns than most. Also, Indian manufacturers can differ, but that's been my experience more than once and is why I generically avoid yarns from India. I have no opinion on the quality of Michael's yarns as I haven't ordered from him.
The main complaint I've had about Chinese-spun yarns is that the ones I've gotten have been slightly slubby, but the quality has been better in my experience. Colourmart has the best quality of all (and outstanding customer service) which is why I buy with them...but again, their selection varies. (If buying in bulk, do ask if they will give you a quantity discount...they give me one because I rarely order less than a few kg and will take it on larger cones, saving them the cost of rewinding.)
Has anyone ever ordered from Henrys attic?
I don't believe it is possible to order directly from Henry's Attic unless you are a business and have a resale number.
That said, I've woven with Henry's Attic yarns and found them to be quite good quality. The best prices I've found on HA yarns are at Catnip Yarns, http://www.catnipyarns.com . Their prices are so low that they're not allowed to advertise the Henry's Attic name, but it's the same yarn.
Thanks! ya HA is strickly wholesale. I think I'm going to get samples from them...
anyone know where the cheapest place to get natural linen is?
I want it to be really fine tho... like 70/2 or something like that...
thanks!
nik
If my supplier still has it I can get you 2 Kilo of 66 Lea linen app 19.800 ypp for $75 Kilo. Plus shipping from GA.
Michael
http://www.handweaver.us/georgia_yarn_company.htm
Even though I'm not the one who initiated the original post, reading all of this, I have gained a lot of information about different suppliers. Will check all of them out. Thanks to everyone.
For many years, I sold my woven work at high-end shows and some galleries and a guild sale. Henry's Attic was wonderful. Personal service, high quality, good selection of yarn sized and fibers in undyed yarn and black, some with colors as well. I used their silk to weave garments and a shawl for my son's wedding in 1995 and they still use those pieces sometimes. I had to make a sort of large order the first time, but you can include items for friends if you want. Actually it would not take a lot of cones of silk to add up to a minimum amount of dollars. I have not ordered recently but friends say the company has not changed. They are very reliable and have been in business for many decades.
Bonnie
I also have an account at Henry's Attic...have had it for nearly 20 years I think, maybe more, and I like their yarns. I also buy yarn from Michael White and am thrilled with the quality of the silk I have received. I buy yarn from Shel B Small at www.iloveyarn.com and get some great deals. Being a former production weaver, I was able to open accounts that I am still able to maintain, but I now have so much yarn in my stash that I don't buy nearly as much as I used to. I used to love the mill end mercerized and unmercerized cottons I could get from the place in GA that has been closed for a long time, so I opened an account with UKI to supplement my cotton stash.
