This silk comes from the silk worms that feed on castor plants. It was imported to Thailand in 1974
It is a very long process which takes around 45 days in total. The growth of the worm itself takes 30 days during which it is continuously eating the castor leaves from the trees in the villages.
The filament have a natural coating called sericin which is secreted by the insects themselves for hardness and waterproofing. This sericin is easily removed by boiling for about 45 minutes, then made fiber soft for spinning.
Silk Fibers has a rougher texture and is heavier than other silks but it can be spun into finer and shinier meterial. But it is softer than other silk or cotton.They are softer than cotton and not abrasive.
Interestingly the eri silkworm spins short segments of a filament and creates a cocoon that is open at one end – enabling the moth to emerge.
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