All about Silk

It's the weekend so I took the opportunity to go to the War Museum and to a memorial Stupa for the 1970s.  After lunch I went to the silk farm attached to Angkor Artisans, the organisation that trains young people in sustainable skills.  It was a free trip with two Germans, two Canadians, a Kiwi and me (all women) on the bus.  The Kiwi and I hit it off and exchanged phone numbers and will meet up to exchange teaching stories soon I hope.

The farm grows mulberry bushes but keeps the silk worms inside on flat woven baskets so they don't stray or get eaten by birds.  Each mulberry bush type has it's own silk worm.  Cambodia's are yellow while China's are white.  The grubs feed and sleep until they start to get ready to build a cocoon. 

At this stage they are transferred to this type of whicker frame which holds them securely while they change.  Most of the worms are killed by exposing them to sunlight at this point but a few hatch into moths so that they can lay eggs for the next generation.  There are two types of silk on the cocoon - the outer layer is coarser and makes raw silk but the inside layer is soft and the better type.  The worms are gathered and fried for a quick snack.

The cocoons are soaked in water and the threads are drawn off into a single line.  These girls are then combining several threads together to make one strong line that can be woven easily.   As you can see bicycle wheels have been converted into a power source to drive the spindle.  Of course, the speed is slow so the process can be easily controlled.  They do also have a powered version which is spinning thirty threads at one time.  I was fascinated by this as, before I left I went with Catherine to the carpet museum in Kidderminster and saw the same process.

After spinning the threads are made into skeins and move further down the 'factory'' floor.

The threads are bleached first because the yellow colour fades in the light - either natural materials are used (this is morning glory flowers which gives this beautiful colour) or synthetic dyes. As you can see it's a traditional method of dyeing but the organisation is very keen to employ safe methods so the young women tending this cauldron had big gloves and masks.

After dyeing, the silk is woven on traditional looms using traditional methods.  At the early stages the girls weave simple patterns then, as they get more experienced go onto diamond shapes.  Setting up the loom takes a day.

Then the beautiful material is made into scarves, table runners and the most amazingly beautiful clothes (all in very small sizes!)


I think I might have cracked the photo problem so will go back into my previous Blogs and post some pictures.

Today is Sunday am - it is very quiet at the guesthouse as a huge group of volunteers has just left to build some houses and although the family here are having the same religious festival to commemorate their ancestors, this has not yet started. 

This afternoon I am going with some volunteers attached to the organisation I am working with over here to take food and water to villagers who have been affected by the floods.  The money for this has been donated from contacts in Holland where the owner originates.  Our area is the catchment for the mountains of Thailand and, although the rainy season is coming to a close, the local Siem Reap river is still very high and people up the valley are still badly affected.