I’ve been spinning up this stuff and trying it out to see if it goes through my knitting machine. It is carbonised bamboo, sometimes known as black gold, or black diamond. It’s not the same as dyed black bamboo fibre. It’s made in a different way and feels and looks differently.

This stuff is gunmetal grey in colour rather than a pure dark black, it also has a low sheen. When spinning it feels sort of chalky (hard to describe) rather than slick like ‘normal’ bamboo fibre, and it can’t be dyed. The reason I got it was partly curiosity and partly because I wanted something that was vegan and warm. Whether it’s warm, I don’t know yet until it’s fully knitted up into a garment and I get the chance to wear it. It could well be warm as its quite lofty once spun. It is also light and appears that it has a lot of drape to it. Like rayon bamboo it is soft.

It’s made in China. I’m not entirely sure of the process, though it seems that the bamboo is heated up (carbonised) and made into a powder The powder is then used to impregnate the fibre. I am hoping that it doesn’t include lots of nasty chemicals in its manufacture, but to be honest, I’m not sure.

There are various claims made for it online, but I haven’t found a peer-reviewed study. It is said to be resistant to odour. More here: https://www.simplififabric.com/pages/bamboo-charcoal (accessed April 2024)

It was actually quite difficult to get the fibre, in fact I had to import it from America. I’ll let you know if it’s worth it!