Silk Yarn

Silk adds shine, drape and a cool hand to whatever it is blended with, and takes dye more deeply than wool. Silk-wool blends make the best-draping sweaters; silk-mohair the lightest, haziest shawls.

Pure silk has no elasticity, so it is nearly always blended. Hand-wash and dry flat — silk is strong when dry and weak when wet.

Read first: Cashmere and luxury fibers: what you are paying for · Yarn for shawls, and how much a shawl takes · Wool, alpaca, cotton, silk, linen, mohair and cashmere compared