Have you ever seen silk for real? Visit the Angkor Silk Farm and know interesting facts about the complete process of sericulture. Read on to know the refined process of silk production.
Overview
The ‘golden silk’ of Cambodia is known for its unique lustre, natural golden colour, and strength. Today the majority of silk is imported from China and Vietnam owing to the decline in Cambodia’s native golden silk during Cambodia’s civil war. The process begins when the silkworms are fed with Mulberry Leaves. Once the cocoons are formed, they are kept in hot water to kill the larvae and thereby to make them ready for the next stage of production.
Dyeing
It’s amazing to view how diverse techniques are combined with design in the dying process! Those colours are obtained from bark, leaves and plant extracts. When in Siem Reap top things to do would include visiting the Angkor Silk Farm to witness the art of Golden Silk industry. For those staying at any hotel or resort in the area such as Anantara Angkor Resort, the Silk Farm is just 24 minutes away.
Spinning
The bundle of dyed silk is placed on a spinning wheel for winding. Spinning is not an easy task since it needs great concentration to get twisted thread by hand. Then, the bobbins are inserted into shuttles!
Weaving
The twisted thread is woven using a multi-shaft wooden loom. It’s about 3 metres long and 1 metre wide. The entire process can take up one whole day because it needs to be handled in a subtle way.
Caleb Falcon is a travel writer who specializes in writing content based on the many exciting world adventures that await intrepid travellers. Google+
