Silk Farm

I was a little resistant to the idea of going to a Silk farm seeing as I had no need for silk and it just sorta seemed like a kitschy thing to do. But Andrew insisted it was really interesting and boy am I glad we went. I had no idea what a lengthy process it was and how fascinating it truly is. I took way more photos than I've posted here and there are several key steps missing, but I put the ones I thought most photogenic :)

Step 1: Plant mulberry bushes
Step 2: Put silkworm larvae in with said mulberry leaves and let them go to town

Step 3: Fatten 'em up (they eat for about six weeks straight...)

Step 4: Let 'em start their spinnin...(cocoons take about 3 to 8 days to make)

Step 5:  Take the cocoons and get 'em ready for treatment (FACT (that I didn't know): the cocoon has both types of silk: raw and fine. Raw silk is the outside layer and fine, the inside.)


Step 6: Put cocoons in boiling water and then the silk somehow magically unwinds and becomes tiny tiny threads (this part may have been the coolest, but I didn't get a good photo)
Step 7: Silk is this yellow color so these beautiful ladies spool it before it gets dyed.

Step 8: Prep for dying

Step 9: Dyed silk is then put onto spools.

Step 10: Silk is dyed into several colors using tumuric, black/blueberries, indigo, etc etc

Step 11: Ladies be weavin' (I made this baby cry)