||| Concept |||
In making this yarn, I was interested in combining textures and materials in unusual ways. I was drawn to the flax or linen thread (made from the stems of plants) precisely because of it's natural character. Later I found out that spun flax is one of the oldest kinds of fiber used in textiles. I like the texture and above all historical weight of this thread. I was also drawn to the copper fiber for precisely the opposite reason: it seemed a relatively new kind of fiber available to be used for projects like this, and even though it is metal (and metal is natural), I liked the idea of combining metal and plant in a harmonious embrace.
Ultimately, i hope this yarn would be used for a necklace. As such, I was more concerned with aesthetics than functionality for ends such as knitting or conductivity.
||| Procedure |||
The flax thread was extremely thin. Because I wanted this to be a necklace, one strand was too thin and difficult to see. I attempted to spin 2 flax threads and 1 thin strand of spun copper. But this was still problematic: 2 flax threads was still too thin and difficult to see. Moreover, if thin spun copper is spun consistently throughout the yarn, one looses the emphasis on the copper's presence.
Additionally, because flax thread and spun copper have little or no crimp, they hang quite nicely and suit my end goal of a necklace. However, this also meant the strands didn't stay well twisted.
Ultimately, I decided to make a yarn spun of 3 yarns: 2 yarns consisted for 2 flax threads spun together clockwise on a drop spindle, and the third yarn consisted of copper top fibers twisted by hand clockwise.
Once these three sections were complete, I spun them all together, on a drop spindle, counter-clockwise, so that the energy in their twists would allow them to hang together better. Finally, I soaked the yarn in hot water for about five minutes to set the twist a little more.
||| Properties |||
Total yarn length: ~ 2.6 yards
Diameter: variable; ranging from 1000 micrometers to 4500 micrometers
Ply: variable; 4 or 5 depending on section (4 flax threads spun with spun copper)
Fiber Length: flax: NA (continuous filament), copper: ~50 millimeters
Twist direction: two-way (2 pairs of flax thread spun clockwise, and 1 copper yarn spun clockwise. These 3 pieces were ultimately spun together counter-clockwise.)
Twist: variable; at most twisted ~13 turns/inch, at least twisted: <1 turn/inch
Conductivity: end-to-end: not conductive (spun copper is not consistent throughout yarn) However, where the pieces of spun copper exist (ranging from 9 in to 20 in.) conductivity is approx. 0.2 ohms / inch.
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