History and Development of Silk

Legend says that silk fibers were discovered in 2640 B.C. when the Lady His-Ling, wife of emperor Huang-II, accidentally had a silkworm cocoon drop in her teacup and saw it dissolve into threads; when she fished it out of the cup, she saw how strong the threads were. Silk dyes well, it can be woven or knit, and it's warm, making it ideal for the bite of Chinese winters.

 After silkworm larvae hatch from their eggs, they eat local mulberry leaves for up to a month (the worms supposedly prefer them chapped), and are then placed on wooden racks, where they start spinning cocoons. Before the silkworm can erupt as a moth, though, it is steamed or baked, to prevent the cocoon from being damaged; one unbroken cocoon can produce up to a mile of silk filament, which is then woven into thread.

 There are five annual silk harvests. The first, in early spring, provides the strongest grade of fiber. Quality diminishes after that; the last harvest, in October, is the pits, gritty and scratchy. The higher the grade, the better the "hand" - the way the fabric is feels and drapes to the touch - and the better the fabric's ability to take dye.