Corn is a interesting plant with many uses. Corn fiber or Corn silk as it is sometimes called is actually the starch of the plant and not the silk we remove for eating. Corn fiber is produced by breaking down the starches into sugars. The carbon and other elements in these natural sugars are then used to make a biopolymer through a process of simple fermentation and separation. The resulting resin, called polylactic acid (PLA), can then be injection molded into plastics goods, extruded for film applications, thermoformed into packaging, or extruded for use in textiles applications(yarn and spinning fiber).
PLA is a sustainable alternative to petroleum products, since the products used in producing it are actually the by-products of corn. I do think this is a better alternative to petroleum products but am unsure of the chemicals and methods used to create this product. One thing I found very interesting about this product is that it is 100% biodegradable and has been found to be recycleable.
Now that all the scientific stuff is out of the way. You are probably thinking ” That’s great but how does it look?, how does it feel?, is it soft? In my opinion it’s silky and soft but not like silk, it feels thicker than silk. It definitley has a sheen to it.
I hope everyone checked out the blog train on saturday. I had alot of fun. I’m still working on combing the cashmere out of the goats take a look.
Until next time I’m going to play with my corn.
PS. The third installment of “From Fleece to Scarf/Shawl” is coming out next Tuesday. Sign up for the newletter for your access code.
Tags: animal rescue, animals rescue maine, corn fiber, spinning corn fiber, spinning corn silk, vegan spinning fiber, vegan spinning wool, vegetarian spinning fibers, wool processing
