Silk for Spinning: Mulberry vs Tussah Blends Compared

Spinning your own silk-blend yarn is one of the most rewarding ways to bring sheen, strength and drape to a handspun skein - but the fibre you choose changes everything. Ask a room of handspinners about silk for spinning and two names come up again and again: mulberry and tussah. They look almost identical in a braid of combed top, yet they behave very differently at the wheel. This guide compares them side by side and walks through how to blend, spin and finish each into a balanced, lustrous yarn.

Why spinners reach for silk

Silk is the strongest natural textile fibre, so even a small proportion transforms how a yarn behaves. Add 20 percent silk to wool and you get a halo of luster, better drape and a yarn that resists abrasion far longer than pure wool. Because silk filaments are long and smooth, they also let you spin finer counts without the yarn drifting apart. The trade-off is slipperiness: silk has little natural crimp, so it drafts quickly and demands a light, steady hand.

Mulberry vs tussah: the essential differences

The single biggest difference between the two silks is how they are produced - and that shapes staple length, colour and hand more than anything else.

Mulberry silk: the cultivated classic

Mulberry silk comes from the domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori, which feeds on mulberry leaves. Because the cocoon is reeled as one continuous filament, mulberry silk has an almost endless staple. It is brilliant ivory to pearly white, with a glassy, mirror-like luster and an extraordinarily smooth, cool hand. It drafts like water, takes dye with spectacular depth, and is the fibre people picture when they imagine silk. Use it when you want maximum sheen, drape and luxury in a fine yarn.

Tussah silk: the wild, textured alternative

Tussah silk is spun by wild silkworms that live on oak and other tannin-rich leaves. Those tannins tint the fibre a natural honey, tan or deep gold that resists bleaching, and the cocoons are shorter and less uniform, so tussah is usually combed rather than reeled. The staple is shorter, the surface slightly rougher and the luster softer and more matte. In the hand it feels drier and warmer than mulberry, with a subtle grip that makes it far easier to blend and much less prone to sliding. Tussah is the spinner's choice when texture, warmth and an earthy palette matter more than pure gloss.

Staple, luster and hand - what to expect at the wheel

Staple length drives how a fibre drafts. Mulberry's long filament drafts fast and slippery; you spin it fine, with a relaxed grip and a slow, even treadle, and you accept that it will not hold a woollen-style halo. Tussah's shorter staple has more tooth, so it grabs and holds twist, blends easily with crimpy wools, and gives a slightly rustic, woollen-spun character.

Luster follows the same split. Mulberry reads as liquid pearl - light bounces off it in sharp highlights. Tussah reads as soft candlelight, a gentler sheen that sits back inside the yarn rather than on top of it. Neither is better; they simply create different moods, and that contrast is exactly what makes blending them interesting.

Blending ratios that work

Silk almost never has to be spun alone. Blending it with other fibres tames its slipperiness and stretches the yardage you get from a precious quantity of fibre. A few ratios are reliable starting points:

• 80/20 or 70/30 wool to silk - the workhorse blend. Wool provides crimp and elasticity, silk provides sheen and strength. Perfect for socks, shawls and everyday garments.
• 50/50 wool and silk - a lustrous, fluid yarn with real drape, ideal for lace, fine knitwear and heirloom pieces.
• Silk with merino - merino's fine crimp lifts silk's smoothness into a soft, rounded yarn that still glows.
• Silk with cotton - silk adds strength and shine to short-staple cotton, which is why silk-cotton threads are prized for fine needlework.
• Silk with alpaca or bamboo - deepens drape and adds a subtle halo without sacrificing luster.
• A pinch of tussah noil or bourette - introduces slubs and a rustic, tweedy texture.

Blend by hand-carding for small, characterful batches, or drum-card and diz off a blended rolag when you want a consistent, repeatable yarn.

Spinning, plying and finishing a balanced silk blend

Silk rewards a light touch. Draft with your hands slightly further apart than you would for wool, and let the fibre pull in rather than forcing it, because slick fibres punish a heavy grip by drafting into slubs and thin spots.

On twist: silk needs a little more twist than wool to hold together, but not so much that it turns wiry and loses its drape. Aim for a balanced ply - a two-ply that hangs straight without kinking - and consider plying silk against wool so the wool supplies elasticity while the silk supplies shine. A three-ply round yarn shows off silk's luster best, while a two-ply keeps it sleek.

Finishing is gentle by design. Silk does not felt the way wool does, so skip aggressive agitation. A warm soak with a little wool wash, a firm snap to redistribute twist, and a weighted dry sets a balanced, glossy yarn without flattening the fibre.

Choosing silk at KnitSilk

Whether you spin from fibre or work with finished yarns, the same qualities matter: a long staple, honest colour and a hand that feels good against the skin. KnitSilk's Lace Weight Mulberry Reeled Silk Yarn 20/2 is pure cultivated mulberry in natural ivory - endlessly dyeable and a beautiful reference point for what true mulberry luster looks like. The Noile Bourette Silk Yarn, spun from the combing leftovers of mulberry silk, shows the rustic, matte side of the fibre, with slubs that add texture to blends.

For those who prefer a ready-to-use blend, KnitSilk's 3 Ply Mulberry Silk Lace Weight Yarn delivers the sheen and stitch definition of pure silk in a fine, workable gauge, while Banana Silk Handspun Yarn shows what happens when silk is blended with plant fibre for an eco-conscious, artisan-spun yarn with genuine texture.

Your first silk blend

Start small: card a 70/30 merino-and-mulberry batt and spin it as a two-ply. Then repeat with tussah and notice how the shorter staple grabs, warms and mattes the result. Keep notes on ratio and twist, and within a skein or two you will know which silk belongs in which project.

Silk for spinning is less about picking a winner than about matching the fibre to the mood you want. Mulberry brings the gloss; tussah brings the warmth. Blend them thoughtfully and you get the best of both - yarns with sheen, strength and soul. Explore the full range of natural and recycled silk fibres at knitsilk.com.