Silk
Natural Fiber 2
Where it comes from and How its made
Silk is produced by the silkworm,Bombyx mori. Fed on mulberry leaves, it produces liquid silk that hardens into filaments to form its cocoon. The larva is then killed, and heat is used to soften the hardened filaments so they can be unwound. Single filaments are combined with a slight twist into one strand, a process known as filature or "silk reeling".
Uses
Silk's natural beauty and other properties - such as comfort in warm weather and warmth during colder months - have made it sought after for use in high-fashion clothes, lingerie and underwear.
It is also being used as surgical sutures silk does not cause inflammatory reactions and is absorbed or degraded after wounds heal.It is used in sewing thread for high quality articles, particularly silk apparel, and in a range of household textiles, including upholstery, wall coverings and rugs and carpets.
Other promising medical uses are as biodegradable micro tubes for repair of blood vessels, and as molded inserts for bone, cartilage and teeth reconstruction
The fiber
A silk filament is a continuous thread of great tensile strength measuring from 500 to 1 500 meters in length, with a diameter of 10-13 microns. In woven silk, the fiber's triangular structure acts as a prism that refracts light, giving silk cloth its highly prized "natural shimmer". It has good absorbency, low conductivity and dyes easily