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Recycled Sari Silk: Yarns and Fiber
Sari sometimes translated to “strip of cloth” is the traditional women’s garment in the Indian subcontinent. Saris are made with a few different types of fibers, but silk is the most well known.Sari silk is often made of silk filaments that are spun together and then woven into the final garment, most of our recycled fibers are the wastage of the weft. Some recycled sari products are damaged saris that are cut into ribbons for while some saris are shredded into fibers that that can be used for blending in other projects.
Sari is a growing inspirational element in cultures outside of South Asia. With dynamic colors and a singular texture Sari Silk is inspiring designers, knitters, and artisans. The recycled yarn works wonderfully for an embellishing element or creating innovative projects. You are only limited by your imagination!
Helping the Earth and its People: We work with women’s development groups in Nepal to produce this unique yarn and other hand knitted silk yarn products. Women make this yarn and various knitwear in their homes while not neglecting their other responsibilities. This work provides additional income to support and improve their family earnings.
If you’re going to wash anything with Sari Silk, please hand wash with care! Many fibers and yarns are heavily starched during processing and careful washing often softens the yarn.
Recycled Sari Silk Yarn. A worsted weight single ply yarn, it’s spun from the loose ends of saris collected from industrial mills in India and hand spun into yarn in Nepal. Women in Nepal are provided with additional income are able to help supports families as they spin around their other responsibilities. Due to the often rural locations of the spinners there can be up to 1% hay caught in the yarn. Sari Silk has a weight to it and this yarn is often heavier than most people expect it to be, some find it difficult to handle as it has little to no elasticity.
We carry this yarn in two different yardages, 70 yards or 132 yards.
Recycled Multicolored Sari Ribbon
Sari Ribbon is made from damaged or old Saris that are cut into strips of fabric, and then tied end to end, to create a multicolored yarn. The yarn showcases the shine and elements of the original fabric with some parts having a visible pattern. The ribbon maintains the texture of the fabric as the ribbon is ¾ of an inch wide. The changes between Saris are not gradual with this yarn but rather is series of strips. This yarn is made of completely recycled Sari material from recycled clothing in Nepal.
Sari Silk is an awesome fiber for blending it adds a flare of silk to any fibers. There are a few different ways for the recycled silk to be processed, and therefore different fiber types have to be blended differently. There are a few different names for recycled Sari Fiber: Raw, Waste, shredded to name a few however there is no uniform naming system for the fiber.
Recycled Multicolored Sari Silk is a multicolored grab bag, each color is a collection of long strand in a small glob. The fibers are long, in no order. They can add lovely colors in unexpected mixes when blended. This fiber can also spun by itself to create amazing yarn to ply for contrast or use on its own.
This unique fiber can be used for other crafting ideas beyond blending and spinning, such as doll-making, Scrapbooking, beading, and hand-sewn embellishments.
We also carry 99.9% Black Sari Silk. This is a stunning way to add a true black adding richness and depth to any fiber blend. The silk showcase the colors it is mixed with creating a stunning contrast.
Both fibers have long strands so if you’re going to be blending on a drum carder you’ll have to cut the fibers down. If you want to keep the long fibers without cutting you can try using a blending board or hackle which can let you blend to a degree without having to cut the fibers.
Multicolor Sari Silk Blending Fiber: This is the fiber that is immediately ready to be blended. It can be blended on with the least amount of work, the fibers are shorter. This fiber doesn’t need to be cut to blend with but if can contain dust, so shake out the dust before you start blending. This fiber is also known as Sari Silk Pulled Waste, it is the ends that are considered
too small to do anything with. It is a true blend of all of the colors together to create a multidimensional color that is unique to this fiber type. This fiber can be spun directly without blending as well.
