BC Garn Jaipur Peace Silk

On an Eri silk worm farm in the Northeast of Thailand, the raw material for this wonderful silk yarn is harvested in a totally cruelty-free way:

I searched for a long time for a supplier of “cruelty-free silk”! Did you know that to obtain mulberry silk, the premium silk produced by unwinding the cocoons, the cocoons with the silkworms inside are boiled? BC Garn’s Jaipur Peace Silk is silk from the Eri silkworm, which lives on plants like cassava. The silkworm eats its way out of the cocoon and escapes before the cocoons are boiled. The cocoons are then collected by hand. This elaborate process is practiced on the silk farm in north-eastern Thailand, where the raw silk for Jaipur Peace Silk comes from. Eri silk isn’t quite as smooth and lustrous as mulberry silk because it’s not a continuous thread; instead, it feels rather dry, a bit like bourette silk, but more uniform. It even has better climate-regulating properties than mulberry silk.

As far as I am aware, BC Garn are currently the only ones offering this type of cruelty-free silk as hand-knitting yarn!

The wonderful climate-regulating properties of silk make this yarn a super comfortable all-rounder. In summer, the yarn cools, while in winter a silk sweater is perfect for heated rooms where a wool sweater would be too warm.

Attention: The smooth texture will only be maintained with proper care: Please wash by hand only!

Oh yes: Plant fibres have no inherent elasticity and are rather heavy compared to animal fibres. This means that knitted garments made of silk, cotton tend to stretch out of shape. This can be prevented by using a suitable knitting pattern, such as a cable pattern. Alternatively, you can simply allow for 5 to 10% extra length and knit the garment slightly shorter.

Caution: Because silk requires a lot of dye, it may bleed slightly during the first wash. A little vinegar essence in the rinse water will help with this.

To avoid an unwanted colour change when starting a new ball of yarn, we recommend the “alternating skeins” technique with this yarn. When the first ball is running low, knit one row alternately with the yarn from the first ball and one row with the yarn from the second ball. Repeat this step until the first ball is empty, ideally 5-10 times. This way, there is no harsh colour transition. We also recommend this technique if both skeins of yarn come from the same dye lot.

BC Garn is the home of natural and sustainable yarns, a global leader with the most GOTS-certified yarns in the entire industry. There are currently 14 GOTS-certified yarns that are produced according to the strictest animal welfare and environmental protection standards. In addition, the GOTS seal guarantees fair wages, occupational health and safety, good working conditions and social responsibility.

The Danish company BC Garn was founded in 1996 by Bo Carstensen, who comes from a long line of weavers. The focus has always been on developing yarns made from natural fibres in a wide range of colours. In spring 2018, Marianna and Bo handed over BC Garn to Britta and Carsten Kremke, who vowed to continue on in the tradition of its Danish founders.