How to Harvest Cocoons for Silk

Silkworms are small white caterpillars with a soft texture. They build cocoons to prepare their larva for hatching and to do so they spin tiny silk threads along the inside of the cocoon. Each cocoon harvested only constitutes a fraction of an entire yard of silk and the process of harvesting silk is time consuming and tedious, which explains the preciousness of silk. Silk making dates back to 552 A.D. in China.

Things You'll Need

  • Silkworms
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Instructions

  1. Harvesting Silk from a Cocoon

    • 1

      Let the caterpillars weave their cocoons; the process will take three to four days. The finished cocoon will look like a small fluffy white ball. Leave the cocoon in a warm space for around eight days.

    • 2

      Steam or boil the cocoon. This will kill the larva inside. You will need to boil the cocoon before it hatches as the silk threads will break upon hatching.

    • 3

      Put the steamed or boiled cocoon in water to loosen the silk filaments.

    • 4

      Twist the silk. You will need to boil or steam four to eight cocoons to be able to twist the silk filaments together to create one silk thread. The thread can be up to 1,600 yards long.