Louet North America

	Fibers

	– Wool
	– Alpaca & Llama
	– Mohair
	– Silk
	– Exotic, Vegetable and More
	– Soysilk

	Dyed Fibers
	– Northern Lights
	– Louet Dyed Corriedale
	– Louet Dyed Merino/Silk
	– Louet Dyed Merino Top (New)
	–Eastport Carded Sliver (New)
	– Dyed Bamboo (New)
	– Dyed Bamboo Blends (New)

	Needlefelting
	Needle Felting Kit

If you enjoy spinning silk or Tencel, you will find the same pleasure spinning this new fiber.

With a staple length between three and four inches, a fine fiber diameter and surface that allows the fibers to slide past each other, drafting this material to the thickness you want is easy.

Split the roving to a pencil thickness and spin from this. Keep your hands at least four inches apart due to the fiber length. Draft the fibers to the thickness you want before allowing any twist into the fibers which will lock them together. Ply to produce a balanced yarn.

Skein up your finished yarn. To set the twist, soak in warm water, gently squeeze out the water by hand or by rolling in a towel, snap the skein between your hands to realign the strands and hang to dry.

Do not be alarmed if at this point your skein looks a little bedraggled. Just wait until it is completely dry and snap the skein between your hands. If it still seems a little stiff, wad the skein into a ball and restraighten.

I have spun a low twist, 2-ply sportweight and two fine, high twist, 2-ply yarns. The sportweight (14wpi, 4 tpi in ply) has a fuzzy halo and will knit a cuddly sweater with the feel of a well aged t-shirt. The fine yarns were equivalent to a 10/2 (36 wpi, 12 tpi in ply) and a 3/2 (24 wpi, 11 tpi in ply) cotton and had no halo.

Want to dye your own SOYSILK ® Fibers? Download this article Dyeing Fibers by Jonelle Raffino

** NEW ** 6 new shades of Karaoke Dyed Fiber - See Below

** NEW ** Dyed Karaoke Angelfish - 12.772
Karaoke is 50% SOYSILK ® fiber and 50% wool

** NEW ** Dyed Karaoke Parrotfish - 12.773
Karaoke is 50% SOYSILK ® fiber and 50% wool

** NEW ** Dyed Karaoke Gourami - 12.776
Karaoke is 50% SOYSILK ® fiber and 50% wool

** NEW ** Dyed Karaoke Calico - 12.774
Karaoke is 50% SOYSILK ® fiber and 50% wool

** NEW ** Dyed Karaoke Black Betta - 12.775
Karaoke is 50% SOYSILK ® fiber and 50% wool

** NEW ** Dyed Karaoke Tiger Shrimp - 12.771
Karaoke is 50% SOYSILK ® fiber and 50% wool

Karaoke White Top (1/2 lb) – 7.104
Karaoke is 50% SOYSILK ® fiber and 50% wool

Rayon from Bamboo Top (1/2 lb) – 7.105
Another fiber from the South West Trading Company line, Rayon from Bamboo top is manufactured using new cutting edge bioengineering technologies. This Top is made from the fibers of the bamboo plant, a grass farmed commercially throughout Asia. Straightforward to spin, this fiber has a beautiful shine and produces a stunning yarn with excellent body.

Our Rayon from Bamboo Top is also available in several dyed shades.

Dyed Rayon from Bamboo Top

Black Diamond Top (1/2 lb) – 7.106

Black Diamond Fiber
According to the American Chemical Society, in 1879, Thomas Edison invented the first incandescent light bulb. It used electricity to heat a thin strip of material, called a filament, until it glowed. Edison may also have created the first commercial carbon fiber. Early filaments were made from bamboo slivers which were formed into the proper size and shape then baked at high temperatures. Since bamboo consists mostly of cellulose, a natural linear polymer made of repeating units of glucose, the filament was "carbonized," when heated. It became a true carbon copy of the starting material - an all-carbon fiber with the same exact shape. Tungsten wire soon displaced these carbon filaments, but they were still used on U.S. Navy ships as late as 1960 because they withstood ship vibrations better than tungsten.

This carbon fiber, called Black Gold or Black Diamond by those in the industry is a rich grey, with a matte finish but a deep luster. This extremely fine fiber produces a stunning, unique and instantly recognizable yarn. A delight to spin, Black Diamond is one of the newest fibers on the handspinning market, sure to be a show-stopper and conversation piece. Very fine and soft with some elasticity, Black Diamond is an exciting fiber everyone wants to try!

Latte Top (1/2 lb) – 7.107
Silk Latte is made from the milk proteins. Like SOYSILK, it is a luxurious champagne color fiber but even softer than SOYSILK.They are produced in much the same process.

Optim Top (1/2 lb) – 7.108
OPTIM is a very fine wool processed through special equipment that stretches the fiber. It increases the staple length and the micron to 12-14, in the range of cashmere.

Soysilk® Top Natural (1/2 lb) – 7.090

What is SOYSILK® fiber?
SOYSILK® brand fiber is made from the residue of soybeans from tofu manufacturing. This process is 100-percent natural and free of any petrochemicals, making it an extremely environmentally friendly product. Soy is a completely renewable resource - coming from the earth and being wholly biodegradable. As early as the 1940s, textile experts dreamed of a fiber made from soy. (In fact, Henry Ford had a suit made of soy as an early prototype.) SOYSILK® brand fiber offers superior moisture absorption and ventilation properties along with beautiful draping, softness and warmth.

What are the benefits of SOYSILK® brand fiber and how does it differ from other fabrics?

SOYSILK® brand fiber has the softness and smoothness of cashmere but isn't hazardous to the environment
SOYSILK® brand fiber is beautiful to look at and has excellent wearability
SOYSILK® brand fiber has the same moisture absorption as cotton but with better moisture transmission, making it more comfortable and sanitary

How is SOYSILK® brand fiber manufactured?
SOYSILK® brand fiber is manufactured using new, cutting edge bioengineering technologies. It is produced by extracting proteins from the residual oils of soybean cake - a liquid "batter" is created and cooked, then the fiber is produced by wet-spinning and stabilized by acetylating, and is then cut into short staples after curling and thermoforming.

What is the washability of SOYSILK® brand fiber?
SOYSILK® brand fiber can be washed in home washing machines and air dried. It is not recommended for commercial/industrial washing machines. In textiles, SOYSILK® fabrics are known to be wrinkle-free and have little to no shrinkage.

How does SOYSILK® brand fiber affect the environment?
SOYSILK® brand fibers are part of the new class of green textiles. Soy fibers provide the environment with a unique "cradle-to-cradle" approach - coming from the earth and being wholly biodegradable. SOYSILK® brand fibers contain no petroleum and all products are manufactured to be eco-friendly. In addition, the United States is currently the largest exporter of soybeans in the world.

Soysilk® Top White (1/2 lb) – 7.091

Corn Top (1/2 lb) – 7.109

Corn fiber is a unique new fiber made from the poly lactic acid present in corn. This process is natural and free of any petrochemicals, making it an extremely environmentally friendly product. Corn is an annually renewable resource, coming from the earth and being wholly biodegradable. Like SOYSILK® brand fiber, Corn fiber offers superior moisture absorption and ventilation properties along with beautiful draping, softness and warmth.
Benefits of Corn Fiber:
Corn fiber isn’t hazardous to the environment
Corn fiber is extremely soft, lustrous and has excellent wearability
Corn fiber is machine washable and dryable and the color doesn’t fade. Machine wash in cold water and fluff dry without heat or lay out to dry. Do not iron.
Corn fiber is manufactured using new, cutting edge bioengineering technologies. It is produced by the poly lactic acid from corn. Then a liquid "batter" is created and cooked, then the fiber is produced by wet-spinning and stabilized by acetylating, and is then cut into short staples after curling and thermoforming.
Corn fiber is part of the new class of green textiles. These fibers provide the environment with a unique "cradle-to-cradle" approach, coming from the earth and being wholly biodegradable. Corn fiber contains no petroleum and all products are manufactured to be eco-friendly.
This product will be available for delivery approx the end of November 2007.