Making Yarn from Milkweed

Making yarn from Milkweed Floss is an amazingly rewarding experience – albeit one that requires some skill and finesse.

Spinning Milkweed Floss – most commonly, combined with wool – creates a yarn that feels like angora and spins easily. It is soft and has a slight sheen to it in the places where the Milkweed Floss has woven with the yarn, much like hints of spun silk.

It is recommended to use a blend when making yarn from Milkweed Floss. As Spinoff Magazine writes about making yarn from Milkweed:

Milkweed seedpod fiber, or floss, tends to create a brittle yarn when spun alone. But blending the floss with another fiber such as wool or cotton will add structural strength to the shimmering milkweed fiber. The ratio of wool to milkweed blend is a personal preference, although it is important to keep a higher percentage of wool for the sake of strength and structure. The process of blending milkweed floss with wool is similar to creating any carded wool rolag or batt, such as those combined with silk or mohair. As with any specialty fiber, if the milkweed is overcarded, it can break and tangle.

Ready to give it a go? You can buy our Grade A Milkweed Floss here – perfect for spinning and making yarn from Milkweed Floss.