My husband is traveling in Thailand and sent me these photographs. I think he knew I would like them. This first photograph shows a Thai man spinning silk. Look closely and you will see the delicate silk thread being pulled from several silkworm cocoons.
They were taken at the Jim Thompson House in Bangkok. Jim Thompson, as I soon learned, was an American architect who moved to Bangkok after World War II and subsequently established the Thai Silk Company. Look at all those silkworm cocoons!
I love this photograph of a beautiful Thai girl winding the silk thread.
I have high hopes of receiving a hank or two of Thai silk yarn when he returns. (Hint, hint).
Agujas 
Gorgeous photos thanks for sharing. It is great to learn how fibres are processed. We had silk worms as pets when the children were little. Those caterpillars can eat so much. Oh the memories you have brought back for me đŸ™‚
I will pass on the photo compliments to the husband. After I received these pics via email, I looked up silkworms on the web and learned that they are great teaching aids in schools. I never knew!
Yes they are fun pets and the kids get to learn all about the life cycle. Warning though , they are very noisy during the mating season as they flap their wings at a rapid pace.:)
I wonder if this is the same company as ThaiSilks? I’ve been buying fabric from them for some time. Opinions?
Hmm, here’s a link to the company information. Not sure if it’s the same.
Forgot the link. Here you go: http://www.jimthompson.com/about_us/about_us.asp
Wow! Those are some amazing pictures!
Aren’t they? I would have loved to tag along. He knew I would especially like these photos.
It’s so amazing that they can remove the silk from those cocoons without ruining them.
Amazing! Such delicate work.
It must feel so soft going through their fingers.
That’s exactly the kind of thing that would have had me fascinated had I been there. Brilliant. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you liked. I would have loved to see it in person but these pics do the trick.
Thanks for sharing this, very interesting and the photos are lovely too x
I was fascinated when I saw the delicate threads being pulled up from the cocoons! I ended up googling silkworms (not recommended near mealtime) to learn more. So glad you liked.
Let’s hope he reads your blog! đŸ˜‰
Many hints have been dropped.
To read or donate?! đŸ˜‰
I’ve been there – it’s fantastic. I’m not sure if you can buy hanks of silk but the fabrics are to die for as well as all the finished products – table linens, bed linens, other home furnishings…sigh…
How wonderful! He did send me a sneak peek of a silk scarf he got for me. I can’t wait!!
OMG! We tried that process in a Fiberguild meeting not too long ago. It was so time consuming…I bet these folks have been doing it all their lives, have it down to a science and can whip up some silk in record time. So jealous!
Love these photos!
I have one silk hankie that’s been waiting to be spun but spinning directly from the cocoons? I was amazed. You’re probably right that they’ve been doing this a long time.
I suspect he’s not spinning the silk, but reeling it. The individual threads aren’t quite strong enough to spin, so three of them are singled up, to make the threads which we get in hankies, or as mulberry roving.
SIlk is labor intensive, in a different way to flax.
Interesting. Thanks for the insight.
WOW! That’s just so beautiful!!! I love that we all share a common passion for yarn, colours, tradition! Thanks a lot for sharing.
Glad yĂ´u stopped by.
It’s so amazing that people can do this. I was reading a social history of American knitting (http://www.amazon.com/No-Idle-Hands-American-Knitting/dp/0345362535) that mentioned that 18th and 19th century American women raised their own silkworms to have silk for stockings. Which they of course also spun and knit themselves. So impressive.
Interesting. Thanks for the link.
The area around Pasadena Calif. has a lot of mulberry trees because there was a thriving silk industry there in the early 20th century.
You made my day!!!! This is sooo interesting!!!
Glad you liked it.
removing silk fibre directly from the cocoon is termed “reeling” – thus reeled silk – the highest grade of silk yarn. the fibre is taken from several cocoons at the same time while they float in heated water. the worm is stifled/killed so that it can’t make a hole in the cocoon when emerging, you would therefore not have a continuous thread.
Fascinating. Thank you for sharing this.
Thanks so much for liking my knit hat with garter stitch bands on Bmore Energy, http://bmoreenergy.wordpress.com/. Your post on spinning silk thread in Thailand is so interesting as are the comments you got. đŸ™‚
I also loved all your snow scenes.