Where does silk come from?

Minerals & Materials

	Tweet	Pin It

0

by Kate Simmons >> more about the author

Have you ever felt the softness of a silk necktie, robe, or pillow? Not only is silk smooth, but it often has a special shine! Did you know that silk comes from a caterpillar?! It’s true—silk is a material spun by the silkworm (which is not really a worm at all)!

Silkworms are often raised for their silk. Once they hatch from eggs, they are fed mulberry leaves regularly so they can get big and strong. When they’ve grown to healthy size, they are ready to spin their cocoons from silk. In fact, each silkworm creates a cocoon from one long thread of silk! This silk is first in liquid form and dries soon after it emerges from a tube in the caterpillar’s head called a spinneret. The completed cocoons are later heated, and the silk thread is then unwound and used to make the yarn that will be woven into fabric called raw silk!

While raw silk is created from cocoons that still hold the caterpillars, some silk is made from cocoons that remain after the silkworms emerge as moths! The threads may not be as long, but they can still be twisted together to create yarn, then woven into a fabric called spun silk!

Most silk today is created in the countries of China and India. The process of raising silkworms in order to produce raw silk is called sericulture.

Can you find an item made from silk in your home? If you need help locating something silky, ask a parent to help you. Is there a silk bathrobe? A silk purse or pouch? A silk scarf? If you find an item made from silk, notice how it feels in your hands, then compare it to the feel of other materials, such as cotton, vinyl or leather. Which is softer? Which is more slippery? Remember, that silk you’re holding came from a caterpillar!