Spinning silk in Khon Kaen (video)

In this video you can see how silk is spun in Khon Kaen. Khon Kaen is one of the four major cities of Isan also known as the "Big 4 of Isan", the others being Udon Thani, Khorat, and Ubon Ratchathani. It is also the capital of Khon Kaen province.

Everything starts with the silk moth. A butterfly-like creature that lives only a few days, but lays 300-500 microscopic eggs in that short time. After nine days, silkworms appear, which are six centimeters long after three weeks. From this moment on, the caterpillar begins to form a cocoon.

It produces a thread of 12 centimeters per minute and when the caterpillar is completely wrapped, this thread is about 900 meters long. Before the caterpillar becomes a butterfly, humans must intervene. Boiling the cocoon kills the moth and loosens the thread. The doll is eaten. Thais consider it a delicacy, but I remember from many years ago a sickly, almost spoiled taste.

Now the thread, called raw silk, must first be stripped of sericin, a glue-like substance on the outside that served to make a strong cocoon. Then the spinning wheel comes into operation to make a more robust thread. These threads are dyed, in the past with vegetable dyes, but nowadays with chemical products.

Silky smooth

Finally the real weaving. In plain colours, in classic patterns or in beautiful imaginative designs. It is extremely labour-intensive work, which ultimately determines the selling price. Thousands to tens of thousands of Bahts for a sarong or other piece of clothing.

Silk feels soft, supple and pleasant to the touch and has the unique property of cooling when it is warm and warming when it is cold. Furthermore, silk hardly wears and absorbs a relatively large amount of moisture. Silk is naturally dirt-resistant and does not need to be washed often.

Text: Dick Koger

Video: Silk spinning in Khon Kaen

Watch the video here: