Tutorial: How to Spin Silk Hankies

This video features a simple method for spinning silk hankies that allows you to work comfortably and without hand fatigue. Silk hankies can be a little tricky to spin because they need to be drafted, if you want to spin yarn, before you start adding twist. Don't hurt your hands! Working inch-worm style, you'll be able to smoothly draft and spin yarn without cutting your fingers, making your hands sore, or straining your arms and shoulders.
Helpful extras: Lotion (oil or water based is fine, as explained in video) and a smooth surface to keep the silk from sticking to your clothing as you work (optional)
My original thoughts about silk spinning when we did a challenge several years ago: expertlydyed.bl...
Want more tutorial videos? Post in the comments with other ideas you might have and I'll add it to my filming schedule. :)
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[@ExpertlyDyed]

Hey everyone, thanks for watching! Subscribe if you haven't already because I'm keen to use the Community feature on my channel to get feedback from ya'll about polls or questions about the next video you want to see. You'll also get some teasers! The world of hand spinning is very complex and varied and there are TONS of great topics...but some of them may be more burning than others. If so, being a part of the ED Community will give you the chance to weigh in on what goes live next. :) OOO. Enjoy spinning the silk hankies too!

[@janelleroads6011]

This is the very first video I've ever watched about spinning any kind of yarn. Your details were so minute I could understand every movement you made. Thank you for breaking it down in such a way that even I, an absolute novice, can understand it.

[@ExpertlyDyed]

Thanks, I'm glad it was so helpful ☺️ Join my livestreams where you can ask me questions in real time too!

[@howlingwind1937]

I know it's an older video, but I am glad it came up, sometimes KZbin gets it right! Thank you for showing us how to spin silk, I'm an old spinner and I always enjoy learning. I mostly spin silk the way you do, but the prep before taking it to the wheel was always fraught with frustration, but now that I've had a refresher lesson I'm enjoying spinning silk again. Thank you for sharing your video. Cheers from Australia!

[@ExpertlyDyed]

Glad it was helpful! I'm glad I decided to edit and upload such an old video...I nearly forgot I filmed it in 2015 :)

[@howlingwind1937]

@@ExpertlyDyed I'm glad you decided to up load it as well. Cheers from Australia!

[@autumngreen2579]

so the way you hold the silk saved my hands, silk used to hurt to spin but even a fresh top comb is manageable.

[@ExpertlyDyed]

Oh good! I'm glad I found that footage because it could have gotten lost in my "to edit" folder forever 😅 I should get more hankies and design a new project. It'll be good to show off some silk after so much wool on my channel 😆

[@lisageyer4723]

This spinning technique works extremely well with silk roving / top also! Thank you for the inspiration to go ahead and spin 100% silk.

[@ExpertlyDyed]

It's very meditative and easy on the hands. I'm glad it works with silk top too. I haven't tried it with anything other than silk hankies!

[@anymoose6685]

Thank you! I think a lot of this will apply to the mass of silk I was gifted, even though it’s not in hankies.

[@feelfreetobeyou4945]

Great video. Thanks

[@thermodynamicallybored9247]

Okay I've never messed with spinning or anything in my life, but recently I've wanted to try raising silkworms n of course I'm curious on how to make silk. I have been up since 5 AM looking for a video on how to make thread from them between my lectures, and now that I know how to make a hanky this video is EXACTLY what I needed. Thank you so much, I was about to actually go ballistic.

[@ExpertlyDyed]

Great! I love spinning silk hankies...probably more so than spinning silk top. The texture and strength for the diameter is amazing. :)

[@deblucero4685]

Thank you for this great video. I just bought my first silk hankie at our fiber festival, have wanted to try spinning one with no idea how. You answered questions I did not know I even had. So excited to give it a go.

[@ExpertlyDyed]

Haha, exactly! I hadn't seen anything else like this before on KZbin so I'm glad it continues to be very helpful. :) I love how hankies can be used in art yarn too.

[@EsteeDarla]

this is amazing great tutorial thank you

[@stevenogborn5892]

Your spinning info is always on point. So happy you have your hair going in the right direction. Another foot of growth and it will stay out of your way.

[@stevenogborn5892]

I know you've worried about it before. When you can pull it behind your shoulders and work...then you'll understand.

[@ExpertlyDyed]

Haha, this video was filmed 4 years ago...my hair is well down my back now. This was part of the retro content I've been editing and launching. I thought I did this video so well that it didn't need to be filmed again. :) I've actually been thinking about cutting my hair to this length again!

[@tammibaker]

Very informative video! I use this overhand spinning technique with all the fibers I spin. I also use the feel of the fiber going under my ring and pinky fingers to help gauge the consistency of my singles. I've found that I have a lot of control over the single before it goes on to the bobbin just with those two fingers. I can literally spin blindfolded or in a pitch dark room using that overhand technique. It definitely reduces the hand and possible shoulder fatigue. I'm definitely going to try this drafting technique for the silk hankies! Thanks again for a great video!!

[@ExpertlyDyed]

Great! I'm not in the habit of spinning this way; perhaps I'll see how I like this method with wool and other types of silk. 🙂 Thanks for watching!

[@joyceohman4789]

You mentioned adding more twist when you ply. Are you going to ply in the same direction that you spun? That’s unusual, but intriguing. This is inspiring me to dip into the pound of silk hankies I bought a few years ago and dye some up. I’ve only dyed wool or cotton before, so this should be fun! I’m envisioning a 3 ply with a ply each of wool, angora, and silk. I have a large amount of angora from my German bunny who passed years ago; but angora’s usually better used with some wool for elasticity.

[@ExpertlyDyed]

You know, you could ply in the same direction you spun the hankies. If you under spin them slightly, then ply them together in the same direction as you originally spun them, you'd get a really nice effect in your knitting/crochet/weaving--spin patterning is totally a thing! People have been doing it since at least the Iron Age, several thousands of years ago. I love plying wool yarn with a thin silk single. Because it's a hankie, twist is less important and allows for a lot of creativity. Be sure to tag me into your post whenever you make it (I'm on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). :)

[@jenniferbrighty5120]

Hi Jennifer, I hope you're OK xx ❣ I've been toying with the idea of getting and Spinning some Silk Hankies. You've definitely given me the inspiration to di this. Think I might try these on one of the Challenge Days of the TDF. Thanks again. Happy Spinning and TDF 🐑🚲 Take care and stay safe. Love Jen xxxx 💖 🐏🐈‍⬛❣

[@ExpertlyDyed]

Yes, do it! Now is an excellent time to do so; there's so much wonderful creativity and inspiration flying around right now. Day 2 episode is coming up soon...a short one but it's still progress. :)

[@ExpertlyDyed]

Yes, do it! There's so much wonderful creativity and inspiration flying around trigger now. Day 2 of my spin is going live shortly. It was difficult to get the recording, edit, and upload on a long work day but I did it! Keep going. :)

[@jillainesmith2265]

Thanks so much for this one. I'm frequently drawn to those silk hankies at festivals and I've resisted the urge because of fear of not knowing what I'm doing. But you break it down very well, and this gives me hope I could actually draft and spin these. Thanks!

[@ExpertlyDyed]

I know exactly what you mean! I was very obsessed with my first silk hankie purchase and it sat in my stash for months. I'd drag it out and look at it, get intimidated about spinning it, then I would spin something else. Because they're so expensive, I felt overwhelmed and concerned that I'd do something wrong. I lived so frugally back in those days (a student at the US poverty line) and couldn't bear to ruin them. I'm definitely more empowered these days, so hopefully I can give others support in their silk hankie spinning endeavors! Come back if you struggle--we'll work it out. :)

[@Hippespinster]

Very informative, thank you for filming this!

[@ExpertlyDyed]

Great, glad you found it useful. :)

[@mammaearly]

This method of hand position should be easier to spin silk because I already spin overhang. I especially like how you draft out the silk. I'll try this. Thanks for the video

[@ExpertlyDyed]

Great, should be easy for your hands to adapt! I spun like this when I switched from spindle to wheel, but didn't like how it drafted the wool. But it seems to work well with silk!

[@angelicinspirations]

What a superb tutorial. Can't wait to try this. I'm thinking that if I screw up, I can always use it for art yarn. Thanks for sharing your expertise.

[@ExpertlyDyed]

Exactly! If it doesn't turn out as expected, it transcends into something else. :) It really is relaxing once you get the motions down. I have one bobbin of this that is plied, and another 10g left to spin. It's incredibly shiny, despite the hankies being a rougher silk texture. Good luck!

[@bjchadwick4261]

Very thorough demonstRation. Thank you,

[@as_creates]

So happy I found this video. Thank you!

[@ExpertlyDyed]

Thanks for watching! Let me know if there's more you'd like to know. :)

[@cheryldambrowski8751]

Great video! I recently was gifted some silk hankies so perfect timing for me. Thank you.

[@ExpertlyDyed]

Great timing! I love spinning silk hankies and using them to ply with wool because they make gorgeous art yarn too. :) Thanks for watching!

[@rachelmarcum8321]

Very educational thank you!

[@ExpertlyDyed]

Thanks for watching!

[@onegreenev]

An Interesting technique. Going to try that with my Flax and my long staple cashmere.

[@ExpertlyDyed]

Ooo, this technique may very well work with flax. I have some and should set up my wheel to try it. I've never heard of long staple cashmere since the stuff I normally have is about 2-3 inches. Tell me more...

[@thatonegirlelaine]

Pete McWade Hmm, I have some flax that has been a little hard to spin. I think I'll try this methods as well.

[@ExpertlyDyed]

@@thatonegirlelaine I haven't spun my own flax yet but now I'm curious to see if this method works similarly. Honestly, I hadn't considered any other long staple fibers aside from silk when I made this video 4 years ago, nor when I posted it a week ago! Great discussion and spread of ideas. :)

[@bjchadwick4261]

Thank you for this video.

[@ExpertlyDyed]

Thank you for watching. :)

[@aprilfoote9539]

Thank you so much for posting this video! It helped me so much! Just out of curiosity, what kind/brand of spinning wheel do you use or recommend?

[@ExpertlyDyed]

I'm glad it helped. I very much prefer Kromski. My wheel is a Minstrel and I love it. I get my best and most consistent yarns with it, and I've also owned a Babe wheel and an Ashford Traditional. Try them out if you can, but there's no shame in buying used and trading it for something else if you don't like it.

[@aprilfoote9539]

@@ExpertlyDyed Thank you so much! I really appreciate such a quick response!

[@ldsvenusk9524]

I really enjoyed this. I got some degummed silk cocoons and found a video on making them into silk hankies and thought, ok now what. This was perfect! Can you use the drafted out silk hankies on a drum carder to mix in with other fiber?

[@SuziQZ]

I have been hanging on to my silk hankies for two years. Watching this, I finally feel confident enough to try😊Thank you! If we don’t want to ply it, do we just set the twist and we are good to go with a single?

[@ExpertlyDyed]

Absolutely! If you just want a single that won't pill or snag so easily, a little twist helps a lot. In that case, just finish the skein as you would normally for silk yarns. :) I'm glad you found the video. Sounds like two years was too long to simply be contented with looking at them!

[@teacat55]

Did you dye the hankies or is that a natural yellow color? Lovely instructive video

[@ExpertlyDyed]

Thank you! The hankies were dyed, so the yellow is dye. If you look at my recent blog post (expertlydyed.com/blog/silk-caps-are-back), you'll see what the 'natural' color is for bombyx silk (which is usually what you see as hankies/caps).

[@teacat55]

@@ExpertlyDyed thank you

[@teacat55]

You know, I just rewatched this and caught that you dyed them! I just dyed mine that I pulled into mawatas…. Mine are much sillier looking but the color is intense and gorgeous…. Hopefully I’ll spin them up nicely.