A Study of Silk

            Over the years silk has been an immensely prized possession. The qualities of this fiber make it a wonderful luxury to have, and even can be associated with affluent demographics. It comes as no surprise if one takes a look at the processes that this lustrous fiber has to go through in order to become available to the market.

            Silk is a natural made fiber. An insect called the Silk Worm is responsible for the manufacturing of said fiber. The thought of a little bug making something that is so precious seems a little off putting, but the industrial world cannot create an alternative similar to this product. Each little cocoon can produce 1,00 yards of silk before the worm matures into a moth. This art is is painstaking, and the bug themselves are fed a strict diet Mulberry leaves to keep the fiber as white as possible. Although most of the silk harvested today is within a 'farm' of sorts, there are wild moth larva that produce silk as well. This is also harvested, and usually is brown in color. It is referred to a Wild Silk.

             Silk comes in a few different forms. When the silk if first produced it is coated with a stiffener called Serecin. It is natural and in this form the silk is referred to a 'raw'. It has to be boiled off in order to work with, and sometimes this takes place during the dying stage. Spun silk is referred to the scraps of the cocoon that cannot be reeled in. As mentioned earlier, there is wild silk which is always spun, and yields yarn called Tussah. Noil is the spun from 'silk waste' which is short fibers. Doupioni silk made when twin worms are in a cocoon together, and they produce a double strand of fibers. 

            Silk is a versatile fiber to work with. It dyes well, and takes color wonderfully. This is one of the reasons it is loved to much. It can blend with some synthetic fibers, like polyester and rayon. These other fibers can work well with silk since they allow the natural fiber to retain is color. Silk is often considered fragile, but it does have some strengths. It is abrasion resistant, and has been used to make parachutes in the past. Unfortunately, silk can be susceptible to fading, and isn't for high sun exposure purposes. It's high cost and and fragile composition make it unacceptable for high wear scenarios as well.

            While Silk is a wonderful fiber to use and to work with, it can be a little pricey. It has it's ups and downs, as well. While color takes to it beautifully, it's not the thing you should upholster your couch with. The process of making it is a little lengthy, but over all the fiber is one that cannot be reproduced by anything but the insect it comes from.