Stretching Silk Cocoons + Knitting from a Hankie (mawatta)

[mandy1234f]

what size frame

[RebLin51]

How big is your stretcher frame? Thanks for the vid. You answered my other questions already.

[wisstew]

I visited my brother in Thailand and brought back a bunch of yellow silk cocoons but had to cut a small hole in the cocoon to take out the worm as custums would not let me take the cocoons with "live animals" in them. My question is, can I still use the cocoons to make hankies or are they ruined. If they are ruined what can I do with them?

[vermontfelter]

@wisstew -typically hankies (mawattas) and caps are stretched from the cocoons that have holes in them (i.e. they let the moth emerge). so yes, your cocoons are useable and not ruined.

[AlissaE]

totally awesome. thank you!

[deatbird]

You are wonderful. I have had the cocoons forever and didn't know what to do with them. Now I can!!

[silkmothspinnery]

The person working with the cocoons makes the hole.When the moth emerges, it secretes a liquid called cocoonase that dissolves the silk, making its own hole.When a silkworm spins its cocoon, it makes one thread.When the hole is made by the moth, that thread is broken.

The mawatta will be imperfect.

I have seen here on YT mawattas being made and the person getting rid of the pupa.

[vermontfelter]

Tho' I used a cocoon that had been stifled for this demonstration (it's what I had), when you buy a silk hankie, mawatta, or cap to knit you are using a cocoon that allowed the silkworm to emerge. ONLY COCOONS FROM WHICH THE MOTH HAS EMERGED ALIVE are used for hankies, mawattas, & caps. Once a hole is made for the moth to emerge, the silk is considered inferior by the textile industry (they like to reel the single long strand of stifled cocoons) so they stretch it into hankies for us knitters!

[silkmothspinnery]

Lilith 1706 clearly does not know that these moths live only to mate and lay eggs. If we let them all live to mate, we would have bilions of caterpillars that would have to die because there is NO WAY to feed them all.Plus, the moths do not eat or drink. Its the same for all our wild silkmoths here in the USA.

And the silkworm is actually a caterpillar, not a true worm.I think it is kinder to kill one moth than billions of babies.

I give the video a 10!

[Lilith1706]

You´re very wrong nomofomo, unfortunately, wha´t you see in the video is "the body of the developing worm, the crysalis" as the author of the video explains. When the moth comes out of the cocoon ruins the thread... so let´t KILL the worm!!

[Lilith1706]

It would be nice if it didn´t mean to kill the poor worm... other creatures don´t just exist to be used and abused by humans. Being "superior" should mean to be able to respect "inferior" creatures and not kill just to be able to knitt a scarf... revolting!!

[nomofomo]

If you know the ways of nature, a cocoon is the place where a worm transforms into a butterfly or in this case, a moth. Nothing was killed in using this cocoon. The moth has already flow away.

[hpygl]

I am sooo wondering where I can buy the cocoons, unbroken?  Or, can I only buy the hankies?

[SeeKelp1438]

@hpygl - Sometimes you can find silk "play packs" - and they'll feature hankies, noils, coccoons and other by products that are also silk. :D Look on Etsy. A lot of shops that sell spinning fibers sell these packs. :D

[jimih4213]

Wow! very impressed! The ONLY place I have seen silk cocoons is in China - where in Australia?????? If only! Wonderful stuff!

[Kiirs5]

Awesome video! Thank you!

[bunnysbabe22]

This was excellent. I can spin it but wondered how to knit from the hankie. Fascinating.

[Ratherknit]

You are a natural for You Tube! Great job...!

[klstoltz]

Very interesting video. I probably won't ever use the process but like to stretch my brain.

[MrJbicknell]

The video looks great! I'm getting fired up for the fiber challenge--the last one was so much fun! Dorian is looking forward also(with a few groans over the PINK silk...) I've just got to narrow down the possibilities.