Soy silk or bamboo?

08-19-2006, 09:45 PM

Has anyone used South West Trading Company's Phoenix? I'm looking to get the Chocolate color for a shirt. My LYS doesn't have any, so I don't know what it feels like.

They did have Plymouth's Royal Bamboo, and it was soooooooo soft.

I don't know which one to use. I've thought about purchasing one ball of each in the color I want so I can compare them, but I'm on a restricted budget right now, plus I don't want to have just a ball of some gloriously soft yarn laying around.

So, before I shell out for Phoenix, I thought I'd ask you all if you'd ever used it, and what's it like? Even better if you've used Plymouth's Bamboo to tell me which is softer.

So, what do you think?

horve1 · 08-20-2006, 10:50 AM

Haven't used the other, but the bamboo feels soooooooo good! I loved using it.

rebecca · 08-20-2006, 01:35 PM

Phoenix is a tape-like yarn, if that makes any difference...it's quite soft, not as soft as the Royal Bamboo, though.

08-20-2006, 04:09 PM

Well, I've never used tape yarn before, so I don't know how I'd like it.

Hmm, and the royal bamboo is cheaper. Maybe I'll just go with that for this project, and test out the soy silk at another time.

Thanks. ^_^

rebecca · 08-20-2006, 08:04 PM

The Royal Bamboo is cheaper?! Where?! I love this bamboo and I thought the prices were about the same because you have more yardage with the Phoenix yarn than with Royal's bamboo.
Will you share wher you found it cheaper...please, please?!

08-20-2006, 08:21 PM

There's a store on ebay that sells it for $5.50 a ball. Link to search

At my LYS I think it was $6.50 or $7.50.

Other than that I haven't been able to find anywhere else to order it online. I asked the ebay store if they plan on getting the color I want in. Waiting to hear back from them.

Either way, even if I have to have my LYS order the color, it's still cheaper than the $12-something for Phoenix on yarnmarket.

rebecca · 08-20-2006, 09:05 PM

Thanks for the link!
Should you decide to go for the Phoenix, KPixie has it on sale.

08-20-2006, 10:58 PM

Turns out she no longer sells the color I want. But, I did find out that webs sells Royal Bamboo for $6.99 a ball (and it's discountable).

Thanks for the kpixie link. ^_^

Rennagayle · 08-25-2006, 08:53 PM

Though I've not yet knit with it, I did purchase a ball of the Phoenix at a little shop in Pagosa Springs, CO whil we were on vacation this summer. They had a skinny scarf made up on display, which was so pretty, and unbelievably soft.

Though the yarn sort of resembles a skinny shoelace, it was really lovely made into the scarf.

08-25-2006, 09:55 PM

I found a seller on ebay who's expanding her SWTC line to include Phoenix. She's going to let me know when she gets it in.

And cuz I need 6 balls, she said she'll cover shipping for me.

So, I've decided that I'll use the Phoenix for this sweater and come up with something else to find a need to purchase the bamboo.

That stuff is soooooooo nice.