Great New Natural Fiber

Many of my hand felted wool pieces are made with a Merino Wool/Tencel Blend. I thought I would post some information on this great new 'Man Made' Natural Fiber. I did a search for a few websites that had information on what Tencel was and these are some informative sites :
eartheasy.com
srfabrics.com
lenzing.com

Here are some excerpts from these sites, but please visit them for more detailed information.

Eart Easy.com-Tencel is made from cellulose in wood pulp, which is harvested from tree-farmed trees. Cellulose is the natural polymer that makes up the living cells of all vegetation. The tree farms have been established on land unsuitable for food crops or grazing.
The fiber is produced via an advanced 'closed loop' solvent spinning process, with minimal impact on the environment and economical use of energy and water. The solvent used in the process is toxic but 99% is recovered and continually recycled. Production plant emissions are significantly lower in comparison to many other man-made fiber operations.

The closed loop process process used to manufacture lyocell fiber does not require bleach, which is commonly used in the production of other fabrics. Tencel/lyocell products contain no free chlorine and are sold as "TCF - products". The European Union awarded this process the Environmental Award 2000 in the category "technology for sustainable developments".


Silk Road Fabrics.com-Tencel ,developed by Tencel, Inc for Lyocell fibers, is the first new fiber in 30 years, and being made of wood pulp cellulose, it is the first new natural fiber in a lot longer than that.
Tencel is a manufactured fiber, but it is not synthetic. Tencel begins with cellulose which is processed with a non-toxic, recyclable dissolving agent, most of which is recycled back into the fiber manufacturing process.
Tencel can be woven in 100% tencel fabrics, or blended with other fibers. Like other natural fibers, tencel is naturally biodegradable. Tencel is yarn dyed and absorbs colors much better than most other fibers, and it is particularly striking in deep tones, taking on a jewel-like appearance. Tencel is a stable a fiber as silk and better than cotton or linen. And it feels like nothing you have ever touched - it both feels and looks sensuous.