Silk Factory
More pics...!
The overview...
We rented a tuk-tuk for the day which was quite a pleasant and relaxed way of getting around! First we went to visit another couple of temples around Angkor - Ta Keo & Ta Prohm. Ta Prohm is also known as the jungle temple, and it was pretty interesting with tree roots growing through the stones!
Then we went to this silk factory just west of Siem Reap. I found it really fascinating, learning and watching how the silk is made from the growing of the mulberry tree to the life of the silk worm, right through to the weaving of silk. Our guide (Tim!) was so keen to tell us everything about it :) A school was set up in 1992 in central Siem Reap to provide underprivileged youth (18-23), many of whom are illiterate, with skill tuition in several areas (wood-carving, mechanics, electrics, weaving, etc). The silk farm was introduced in 1993, and they currently have around 200 students who are housed and given tuition for six months.
The cycle begins with the silk worm producing a cocoon, which takes about 47 days.
The cocoons are then dried, before placing them in hot water, and the threads are pulled from them. Each cacoon can produce about 500m of thread!! The silk is then smoothened and strengthened, by hand-feeding it through a bicycle wheel and turning it over a hexagonal crate (or something like that!) Different dyes are then added - colours come from a variety of things such as plants, roots, flowers and even rusty nails! The silk is then ready for weaving - a process which really does take forever. In an 8-hr day, the average progress a student will make on a scarf is 50cm. From the beginning of the process, making one scarf takes approximately a year! (including growing the mulberry tree which takes about 6 months).
The overview...
We rented a tuk-tuk for the day which was quite a pleasant and relaxed way of getting around! First we went to visit another couple of temples around Angkor - Ta Keo & Ta Prohm. Ta Prohm is also known as the jungle temple, and it was pretty interesting with tree roots growing through the stones!
Then we went to this silk factory just west of Siem Reap. I found it really fascinating, learning and watching how the silk is made from the growing of the mulberry tree to the life of the silk worm, right through to the weaving of silk. Our guide (Tim!) was so keen to tell us everything about it :) A school was set up in 1992 in central Siem Reap to provide underprivileged youth (18-23), many of whom are illiterate, with skill tuition in several areas (wood-carving, mechanics, electrics, weaving, etc). The silk farm was introduced in 1993, and they currently have around 200 students who are housed and given tuition for six months.
The cycle begins with the silk worm producing a cocoon, which takes about 47 days.
The cocoons are then dried, before placing them in hot water, and the threads are pulled from them. Each cacoon can produce about 500m of thread!! The silk is then smoothened and strengthened, by hand-feeding it through a bicycle wheel and turning it over a hexagonal crate (or something like that!) Different dyes are then added - colours come from a variety of things such as plants, roots, flowers and even rusty nails! The silk is then ready for weaving - a process which really does take forever. In an 8-hr day, the average progress a student will make on a scarf is 50cm. From the beginning of the process, making one scarf takes approximately a year! (including growing the mulberry tree which takes about 6 months).
posted by Mhairi
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