About Tilia – Filcolana

Earlier this year we have experienced some delays in shipping Tilia from Filcolana due to some production challenges Filcolana was experiencing with their mills. A couple of months ago Filcolana issued a newsletter explaining why dyeing Mohair & Silk can be such a challenge and here is a more detailed explanation for those who are interested in the process:

“When you look at Tilia, you can see a silk thread surrounded by a cloud of kid mohair. This means we are working with two fibres that we want to dye the same colour. When dyeing, the dye bath must be at a specific temperature to ensure the best possible colour fastness. The problem is that the optimal temperature for silk and mohair is not the same. This means there is no single ideal temperature. At the same time, we are working with delicate fibres that must not be damaged, and the colour fastness (how well the colours hold) is also affected by temperature.

Some colours are easier to work with than others because the chemical composition of the dyes differs. If we were to use a nylon core instead, we could choose a nylon that absorbs dye in the same way as mohair, making the dyeing process easier. However, we do not want to do that. Instead, we accept slight variations from lot to lot in order to preserve the silk in the yarn.

So, in short: Tilia will have slight colour variations from lot to lot. This is unavoidable.”