CAT GIRL Posted November 30, 2007 #1 Share Posted November 30, 2007 I am writing up my journal of my trip to the E. Med and I'm working on Turkey. I'm trying to remember all of the details of the whole rug making-silkworm-cocoon thing. Can you please help me fill in the details. I'm trying to be very specific so I can remember it in my old age--only I can't remember it now. LOL. So lets start with the silkworm living on the mulberry tree, then what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercedMike Posted November 30, 2007 #2 Share Posted November 30, 2007 LOL -- let's see if I remember it. We saw it in Kusadasi. The worm spins a cocoon of silk around itself. After a certain period of time (a few days?) the cocoons are gathered, and immersed in boiling water, which kills the worm and loosens the silk. The cocoons float on top of the water. Then the worker takes a thing that looks sort of like a little whisk broom, and runs it over the cocoons until she has gathered up the threads from about 30 to 40 cocoons. She twists them together, runs them through a ring and onto the winding bobbin. She spins the bobbin and the threads unravel from the cocoon and twist themselves into a single silk thread. As the silk gets to the end it turns a dirtier color so she stops at that point and cuts the thread. The worms which are left can be sold to Chinese cooks for a delicacy. I think that's the way I remember it. It was all very interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAT GIRL Posted December 1, 2007 Author #3 Share Posted December 1, 2007 Yes, yes, this is good. I forgot about the whisk broom devise. And I didn't know the silk got dirtier at the end. Thanks for helping out. Does anyone remember how long the girls work? I think the girl doing the silk rug can only work a few hours a day because the work is so detailed? Any thoughts on this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOC & BABE Posted December 1, 2007 #4 Share Posted December 1, 2007 Merced Mike, Thanks For The Info, We Have Been To Turkey And Purchased Rug But Never Heard This Story, Although We Were Shown Silk Rug. Too Rich For Our Pockets. I Can't Imagine The Amount Of Work For A Small Rug Much Less The Very Large One We Were Looking At. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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