If you went to the rug factory...

[CAT GIRL]

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?

[MercedMike]

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.

[CAT GIRL]

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?

[DOC & BABE]

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.