silk farm

warning: this post is not suitable for those uninterested in the texticular arts, or for silk worm rights advocates. don't give a hoot about silk but still want to see some awesome pictures? check out our flickr sites for singapore, penang and thailand (through Bangkok). (cambodia coming soon.)


there was one thing i really wanted out of this vacation: silk. but i didn't just want to buy silk - i could buy silk here - i wanted to see the famed silk from the region AND i wanted to see if being made. when we set out on our first day in bangkok, seeing a silk factory was my goal. well, things didn't really end up going as planned. and so, it wasn't until the very last day of our vacation that i was able to finally accomplish my goal.

sok (our tuk tuk driver) took us about 30 minutes outside of siem reap to see Artisans Angkor, a non-profit organization that helps young adults from poor rural areas to develop a marketable skill - manufacturing and marketing silk. luckily, one of the areas they train students in is being a tour guide. in several languages guides explain the process of creating the amazing silk pieces they sell to keep the organization going. i went a little crazy with the photos at the silk farm. (dan actually had to take the camera away from me at one point so i would listen.) below is my version of the tour:

first of all, they grow a ton of mulberry trees since silk worms only live on mulberry trees.
(i don't have a picture of the trees)

then as the silk worms attach to leaves the leaves, and worms, are picked and put onto racks. the workers move the worms and their leaves from rack to rack until they get ready to spin their cocoons.

the worms are moved to a spiral basket where they spin their cocoons.

the cocoons are harvested and put in very hot water. the outer shell of the cocoon unravels. this outer silk is raw silk. (the color fades in a few days.)

then the leftover (inside) parts of the cocoon are put in even hotter water and the fine silk unravels. (this would be when the locals eat the silk worm. mmm... protein.)

the dry silk is dyed with all sorts of natural ingredients one small batch at a time.

after it dries they wind it and use the bobbins to warp the looms. the process of warping a loom can take a week. even longer for more complicated patterns.

looms are fitted with only two treadles and the harnesses are switched by hand to create the pattern.

the material is finished (looks like the fun job... you get to hang out and talk while you snip ends.)

then the quality assurance team looks the pieces over.

finally we get to buy them! lots of them in my case. as a weaver and an appreciator of beautiful things and non-profit organizations this was a really exciting day. dan was not so interested, but i think he enjoyed learning about the process and seeing the finished products. it was a long vacation with many highlights. this last day was definitely one of them.

a tradtional Khmer loom - so cool!!