Silk Worms

Do you remember in second grade that you raised silk worms? In Turkey we met a man in the rug business. His family has made and sold handmade Turkish rugs for generations. I told him that we study the life cycle of the silkworm in our school and he was excited to share with you how he uses the product.

This is where they process the silk cocoon. The cocoon is placed in a vat of hot water to soften the threads. When warm, a brush is used to pick up some of the cocoons by the loose threads.

Can you see the cocoon suspended from the broom by it's threads?

Our expert is pointing to cocoons in the tub.

The threads are pulled from the cocoon and each string is threaded through a small eyelet. It is then secured to the wooden frame and the frame is turned to unravel the cocoon.

He used his pen to demonstrate how fine and thin each thread is. Because his shirt is white and the silk is white, it's hard to see. Look closely.

When all the silk has been removed from the cocoon, we find the moth inside. 

1,200 individual threads are woven together to produce a thin piece of string. The strands are dyed in different colors and are then available to be used. This is a loom for hand tying the strands. At the top is a photograph of the design and below you can see the rug the weaver has started.

He is holding a strand that he gave to our school so you can see what the silkworm produces.

I am modeling a cocoon tied with a silk strand that he gave me so you could see.

Here are 2 examples of rugs and 2 framed wall hangings all done by hand with silk from the worm. I would have brought you one of these so you could see the beauty and detail. It takes years to learn to hand tie a carpet and months to complete each piece so they are very valuable. The rug with colors was $7,000,00 and the next rug was $12,000. I will be empty handed.

This was my favorite. This photo does not show the true beauty and detail in this work of art.