wild silk

Silk filament obtained from uncultivated silkworm cocoons. It is coarser than cultivated silk, often has a dinstinct shadiness and can seldom be dyed satisfactorily.

Silk yarns are composed of a number of silk filaments twisted together, usually 8 to 12 to form a thread. The filaments have a natural coating of gum which gives strength and elasticity, but reduces lustre. The gum must be boiled off if lustre is wanted, which may be done either in the yarn state or when woven in cloth. Silk yarns are divided into two classes, " thrown silk" and " spun silk," the first being yarns that are made by the processes of reeling and throwing, and the second consisting of yarns spun from waste silk. Thrown Silk, or Net Silk comprises organzine and tram yarns, organzine being made from the most perfect cocoons and used for warps. Tram is made from the inferior cocoons and used as weft. All silk contains a proportion of natural gum, and the amount of gum removed give rise to the following terms: - Boiled-off Silk - Yarn which has had all the gum removed, and has the highest sheen (see Boiled-off). Hard Silk - Yarn that has not undergone any boiling-off process. Ecru Silk - Yarn boiled to remove about 3 per cent to 5 per cent of the gum by light washing in lukewarm water. Souple Silk - Yarn boiled to remove about one-sixth of the gum. Bengal Silk - See Bengal Silk. Berlin Silk - A silk yarn made for fancy hand work. It is produced by doubling from 4 to 8 twisted singles grege by a right-hand twist; then again doubling three of these with a left-hand twist. The thread is very round, smooth, and hard, also known as cordon-net. Blond Silk - A special silk yarn made by doubling three grege threads left-hand twist, then doubling three of these together with right-hand twist. Brights - Silk which has been entirely de-gummed in the skein and then dyed. Bourette, Bourrette Yarn - A low grade of silk yarn made from the waste produced by schappe spinning. Canton Silk - See Canton Silk. Chiffon Twist - Single raw silk threads, 50 or more turns per inch. Used for chiffons, crepe-de-chines, etc. Crepe-de-Chine - Hard twist tram silk, about 40 to 70 turns per inch. Made from 3 to 5 raw silk ends. Usually woven as weft. Crepe Georgette - Hard twist raw silk usually made from two threads 13/15 deniers, 50 or more turns, both right and left twist, used for crepe georgettes as warp and weft. Crepe Twist - This is tram silk hard twisted, having from 30 to 100 turns per inch. Used for making fabrics of a crepe character both all silk and mixtures. Cordonnet Silk - See Berlin Silk; also under Cordonnet. Eri Silk - A raw silk obtained from the wild silkworm " Attacus ricini." Flock Silk - A general term used to indicate silk yarns made from the outer uneven parts of the cocoon. Floss Silk - Used principally for embroidery purposes. It is a thrown silk and made by doubling two thick raw singles with right-hand twist together with a left-hand twist. Galette Silk - A coarse silk yarn made from waste. Grenadine Silk - Organzine silk with a large number of turns per inch. Jaspe Silk - Silk warps printed in the hank. Ombre Silk - Skein dyed yarn in a gradation of shades, which run in sequence of depth of colour, varying from five up to forty shades. Schappe Silk - A spun silk yarn which is made from silk degummed by the maceration process used on the Continent (see Schappe Silk). Soie Ondee - See Soie Ondee. Silk Yarns - In addition to the foregoing yarns see under the following terms for further silk yarns: - Cable, Cevennes, Chappe, Chine, Clochepeid, Crocheting, Crue (see Ecru), Cuite Cusier, Cusirino, Degummed, Docken, Doup-pion. Ecru, Embroidery, Etschingo, Filature, Filature a 1'Europeune, Filet, Florette, Fringe, Goffered, Grege, Gum Hainin, Hard, Kahing, Knitting, Lousy, Marabout, Maybasch, Melange, Mele, Mi-cuit, Minchcw, Nett, Noil, Organzine, Ouvrees, Oval, Pearlina, Pel, Pelo, Poie, Pure dye Silk, Raw (see Grege), Re-reels, Retorse, Senegal, Sewing, Simonita, Soft Singles, Soie Ondee, Souple, Spun, Steeped, Strafilato, Stumba, Thrown, Tors San File, Tram, Tramette, Tsatlees, Tussah, Twist, Washed, Zaguri.

A wild silk obtained from the genus Antherasa moths. Also known as Muga silk. The natives of Assam make a plain silk fabric from this yarn and embroider it very gorgeously. The colour is a rich gold and is not fugitive, but is a natural fast tint. It is termed a wild silk, but is actually domesticated in Assam and is highly valued by native weavers in Madras, Dacca, Benares and other weaving centres of India.

Wild silk, brownish in colour, produced by the silkworm Antherasa Mylitta. The most important of the wild silks, and imported from India and China. The Chinese variety is of a darker colour than the Indian. Fabrics known under this term indicate that they have tussah silk as a whole or part of their construction. The yarn is generally spun as the bulk of the cocoons cannot be reeled.

A wild silk variety obtained from the Attacus atlas. The silkworm spins open cocoons and gives the so-called Ailanthus silk. The fibre is dark coloured and coarser than real silk. Also a silk fabric woven in India of rich coloured yams.

A term sometimes used to distinguish the silk produced by silkworms fed on mulberry leaves from the so-called wild silk, the worms of which feed on oak leaves, castor oil plant and various bushes. Mulberry silk is the product of the Bombax Mori silkworm and provides by far the bulk of the silk that comes into trade.

Native term for the wild silk obtained from the muga silkworm (Antheraea Mezankuri). The silk is very fine and nearly pure white. This silk is practically extinct.

Wild silk of greyish or brownish colour, produced by the Attacus atlas in India, which is perhaps the largest moth known. The cocoons are open. This silk is also termed Fagara.

A species of wild silk produced in Africa by the Anaphe silkworm - it is reddish-brown colour somewhat like tussah silk (see Anaphe Silkworm)

A wild silk, produced by the Attacus Atlas in India. See " Ailanthus Silk." This moth is the largest known and spins open cocoons.

Coarse wild silk, produced by an East Indian silkworm from six to eight times a year.

An Indian term for wild silk, produced by multivoltine worms of Bengal. The best cocoons are produced in November. It is said the worms were imported from China in 1771 by the East India Company. They are also known as Chota Poloo (Bombyx Fortunas)

A wild silk produced by Bombyx Cynthia.

A variety of West African wild silk.

Brown coloured wild silk, grown in Kweishow, China.

A term often applied to the silk produced by the Antherea mylitta, a wild silkworm of India, which gives the so-called tussah silk. The worms feed on the leaves of the castor-oil plant, and give very large cocoons. The fibre is much longer than from the cocoon of the Pombyx mori, varying from 600 to 2,000 yards in length. The colour of tussah silk varies from a grey to a deep brown. Other wild silks are also frequently given this name (see Antherea)

A trade term in Bengal for the Bombyx Croesi, a wild silkworm, introduced from China and yielding 7 or 8 crops of rich yellow cocoons a year, of somewhat larger size than desi. The worm feeds on mulberry leaves and is raised during the hot season both in India and Assam. Also known as Madrassee silk.

Coarse and stiff raw silk, produced in Chefoo, China, by the wild silkworm feeding on mulberry leaves, and used mostly for fishing nets, now obsolete.

Native Burmese for wild silkworms giving a filament which is very fine and glossy but very difficult to reel. The worms feed on mango trees and are said to be identical with the " Cricula fenestrata."