Book: Story Bag

I love the feeling of silk. It’s so luxurious, and I feel really special every time I put silk anything on.The only problem with traditional silk is that the silkworm, the little caterpillar that spins the silk, lives a very short, sad life thanks to our demand for this luxurious fiber. This is why I’ve largely stopped buying silk unless it’s used or recycled.

Many people are unaware of where silk comes from, or what happens to the little worms that spin the silk that we love sliding over our shoulders.

The Life of a Silkworm

People, especially in Asia, have been making silk for thousands of years. The world’s finest and softest silk comes from the mulberry silkworm.

What’s happened is that because humans have been raising and farming silkworms for so many thousands of years, the caterpillar has evolved to become completely dependent on humans. There are no silkworms left in the wild; all of them are now raised in homes and farms.

Silkworms start out as an egg that hatches 10 days after its laid. The silkworm larvae eat an incredible amount of mulberry leaves. They’ll eat non-stop for 35 days straight! By the time they’re done, they’ll have increased their weight over 10,000 times.

The interesting thing about silkworms is that they’re incredibly delicate. Any loud noises, temperature changes, or even strong smells will cause them to stop eating mulberry leaves. If this happens, they don’t spin as much silk because they’re not as big.

After it’s fully grown, the silkworm will attach itself to a twig and begin spinning a cocoon. It secrets chemicals from its mouth that, once they interact with air, solidify to form silk. Every silkworm will spin 1,000 yards of silk fiber in just three days. This silk forms the cocoon the silkworm will stay in to become a moth.

                           A fairy tale about silkworm

The Silkworm and the Spider

Princess Lioness ordered the silkworm to spin twenty yards of silk for her royal robe. The silkworm sat by her loom and began the work eagerly.

One day, a spider came along and asked the silkworm if it could hire a web-room close by. The silkworm consented and the spider started to weave his web. He finished his work quickly and said to the silkworm, “See how delicate and lovely my web looks. And I have finished my work so quickly while you are so slow. Don’t you agree that I’m a better worker than you?”

 The silkworm replied scornfully, “Go away, you disturb me.” Then she looked at at the exquisite web she was making and said to the spider, “Your web is only a dirty trap for others and it can be easily destroyed, whereas what I design is beautiful and stored as a royal ornament.”

Thus true art is something, which takes time to produce, lasts longer. and pleases all.