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100% Silk Thread

20 Meters of Thread per Card

^{* Denotes Availability in 150 Meters Spools}

Kanagawa's Orizuru 8 - is a 23 dtex 16 x 3 silk thread; which means that sixteen cocoon filaments are twisted together and the three strands of the twisted filaments are then twisted together. It is the best way to compare silk thread brands. It is a high quality filament thread manufactured in Japan by Kanagawa Co., Ltd. It is 860 dtex, 774 denier and 12 weight. The spools contain 20 meters [ 21 yards ] of silk thread and come in (162) one hundred and sixty-two different and vibrant colors. Silk threads are the easiest to use due to their higher strength; it's tensile strength is higher than rayon or kevlar thread. It's uses include general sewing, hand embroidery, blind stitching, attaching buttons, button holes, and Kaga thimbles. Orizuru 8 is equivalent to Tire 16 and Gütermann's R753 silk thread. If you are purchasing three or more cards of a single color and your thread color is available in 150 meter spools; then purchase the 150 meter spool. It is a bargain!

Shipping and Handling Charges - are set for the purchase of a single spool of thread. Every additional spool is $0.15 additional for shipping and handling. We ship via USPS to anywhere within the United States. After decades, I have settled on a pricing policy for shipping and handling that is fair to me and treats you in a manner in which I would want to be treated.

Colors - we have the largest selection of colors outside of Japan. These swatches were professionally photographed under the same conditions. So while the colors are consistent under the photographic conditions used; they may appear different on your screen. The most reliable color rendering can be obtained by viewing the largest photographs. Following are color swatches of what we offer.

Available colors for Kanagawa Kinsuzu #8 / 20 m Silk Thread
167 Mushroom	163 Shrimp	186 Pale Beige	080 Ash
167 Beige	163 Dark Flax	186 Neutral	080^* Black
041^* Midnight Black	058 Midnight Brown	150^* Prussian Blue	077 Midnight Grey
147 Midnight Green	059^* Charcoal	060 Dark Charcoal	075 Midnight Charcoal
122 Sable Brown	155 Olive Green	027 Dark Forest	026 Ripcord Black
144 Violet	117 Hydrangea	025 Midnight Blue	154 Persian Indigo
040^* Deep Turquoise	021 Royal Blue	153^* Bruise	152 Blue Black
800 Team Blue	745 Peacock Blue	116 Teal	085 Turquoise
020 Ocean Blue	151 Denim	118 Dark Teal	033^* Wedgewood
104 Light Blue	101^* Brown	057^* Coffee	082 Cherry Bark
123^* Milk Chocolate	084 Taupe Brown	124 Peanut	083^* Walnut
054 Driftwood	052 Wood	828 Toad	157 Umber
119 Antique	827 Khaki	051 Light Ecru	050^* Linen
158 Amber	019^* Apricot	078^* Gold	079^* Light Olive
814 Classic Chestnut	184^* Bronze	122 Dark Grey	061^* Shadow
056 Tungsten	053 Grey Ash	062 Dark Sterling	128 Storm Cloud
090 Steel Grey	064 Grey Mist	129 Herringbone	072^* Stormy
063^* Anchor	069 Steel	071 Pewter	068 Light Silver
067 Dove	133 Lime	086 Phthalo Green	028 Deep Sea
148 Dark Jungle	029^* Sacramento	030 Emerald	134 Highland Green
113 Moss	132 Light Olive	112 Basil	160 Dark Sage
114 Chartreuse	165 Mint	156 Japanese Laurel	111 Artichoke
013^* Pastel White	014 Palest Pink	825 Pastel Coral	179 Turkey Red
091 Salmonberry	099 Aura	005^* Chinese Red	177 Orange
055 Cinnamon	100^* Cocoa	824 Java Brown	092 Tea Rose
183 Squash	011 Fuchsia	171 Flamingo	172 Bubble Gum
822 Maroon	188^* Silver Violet	821 Bitterroot	170 English Rose
093 Antique Rose	007 Light Peach	008 Pastel Pink	190^* Dusty Rose
094 Rosy Peach	140^* Pale Pink	012 Baby Pink	107^* Loganberry
108 Lavender	192 Mauve	817 Deep Eggplant	818 Claret
023^* Amethyst	024 Purple	022 Blackberry	801 Purple Accent
191 Dark Mauve	189 Strong Lillac	135^* Dark Claret	001^* Crimson Red
002 Brick Red	178 Claret	003^* Light Claret	089 Rose
004^* Cardinal Red	010 Scarlet	168 Deep Coral	006 Magenta
795 Shocking Lips	069^* Silver Grey	073 Silver	066^* Blue Grey
044 Grey Sky	070^* Light Sky	037 Grey	039 Buff
115 Pale Bluegreen	031 Sea Mist	046 Caribbean	136 Deep Aqua
138 Hens and Chicks	139 Peacock Green	035 Steel Blue	034^* Azure Blue
721 Powder Blue	401^* White	000^* Natural White	149 Golden Olive
196 Primrose	097 Putty	141 Eggshell	016^* Straw
018 Lemon Yellow	017^* Yellow

FAQs

Silk Thread

How can I tell if one brand of silk is equivalent to another?

That is a difficult question, given all the labels attached to a silk thread. I suggest you use something I call weave. You can see it expressed for example as 23 dtex 16 x 3, 16 x 3, or even 16. Silkworms have been bred for thousand of years, and a given manufacturer employs a specific species with a specific food source. In the example (23 dtex 16 x 3), the 23 dtex is a reference to the silkworm the manufacture uses; a single silk filament will be 23 dtex.
Then what does the 16 x 3 mean? It means that sixteen individual cocoons or silk filaments have been woven together to form a single strand. And the 3 means that three strands of sixteen silk filaments are woven together to form a thread.
So are all 23 dtex 16 x 3 thread for all producers identical? Well not exactly. Silk has the ability to stretch before it breaks. This stretch is called elongation and is expressed as a percentage. So when the silk producers wind the thread on spools, they apply a tension, thus elongating the thread. And this elongation affects the thread's final dtex, denier, and weight. Although this does not seriously affect property difference between silk producers.

What thread is suitable for making jewelry or string beads?

It is known that 100 weight, 50 weight, and 30 weight YLI silk threads and not suitable for this application. However, #8 silk threads can be used for beading applications on material. So it may be suitable for stringing beads or jewelry. If not, you may be able to use it by twisting two or more strands of #8 silk thread together. Until someone tells me, I just do not know the complete answer to this question.

Can this silk thread be used for fly tying or fly rod eye binding?

Yes, I have personally used 100 weight Kanagawa silk threads for binding eyes to fishing rods. And my grandchildren have also used it on their rods beginning with their first fishing rod. I used a rod wrapping jig and the 100 weight silk. You just need to take some care with it so as to not snap the thread in the middle of a wrap. Kanagawa 30 weight and 50 weight silks are also used for this application and are stronger. These threads work equally well with bobbins. Do not use the @8 silk thread as it too highly twisted.

What silk thread is the strongest?

The short answer from the strongest / thickest to the weakest / thinnest silk threads it is #8 Silk > #30 Silk > #50 Silk > #100 Silk. But to better understand why, it is helpful to understand some thread terminology.

Weight – is a way of indicating the thickness of a thread. The most common weight system specifies the length of the thread in kilometers required to weigh 1 kilogram. Therefore, the higher the weight number, the thinner the thread.

Denier – is a weight specification that states how many grams 9,000 meters of the thread weighs. The greater the denier number, the thicker the thread. The denier weight system also specifies the number of strands of the specified weight which were wrapped together to make the finished thread.

Tex – is the mass in grams of 1,000 meters of thread. If 1,000 meters weighs 25 grams, it is tex 25. The larger the Tex number, the larger the thread.

	Tex	Weight	Denier
#8 Silk	105	8	1000
#30 Silk	60	30	567
#50 Silk	27	50	243
#100 Silk	12	100	125

What size needle do I needle to use with silk thread?

That, obviously, varies with the size of the silk thread so while I am at it, I may as well provide some additional information on each silk thread.

	Machine Needle	Available Colors	Applications
#8 Silk	90 – 100	100	Topstitching, Quilting, Beading Silk Ribbon Embroidery, Cross Stitch and Other Embellishments
#30 Silk	90 – 100	35	Hand Buttonholes, Topstitching, and Quilting; Rod Wrapping and Fly Tying
#50 Silk	80 – 90	88	Construction, Machine Quilting, and Embroidery; Rod Wrapping and Fly Tying
#100 Silk	60 – 70`	67	Machine Quilting, Hand or Machine Appliqué; Rod Wrapping and Fly Tying

Can I machine wash an application made with silk thread?

Well you can wash it anyway you want, but I would not recommend it. My wife tells me to hand wash and drip dry or dry clean anything made with silk thread. And I trust and listen to my wife. The internet contains many articles on how to wash silk; so use the online references.