Fibers- Silk

In fabric construction, yarns are made from components of individual chemical makeup, also known as fibers. Every fiber is made for a specific use depending on its strengths and weaknesses and can be incorporated in to the making of yarn and fabric. There are a variety of fibers, but silk is the one that is used throughout the entire world.

For centuries, silk has been known for its elegance and the extraordinarily labor extensive process require to produce this fiber. Silk is made from the cocoons of moths but only about 1000 yards are produced per cocoon. Because the silk can only be harvested after the moth has broken out of the cocoon it is considers and treated as a staple and spun into yarn. Silk has a shimmery appeal to it and that is due to the triangular prism like structure of the silk fiber, which allows incoming light to refract at a variety of angles. It can also be produced from other insects but only the silk from the moths’ cocoon is typically used to fabric manufacturing.

Silk is a filament fiber, which means that it is produced in a continuous form which creates a smooth texture. The flat surface of the fibers reflects light giving it a natural shine. Silk’s texture is unlike many synthetic fibers because it is smooth, soft, and not slippery. Its smooth character makes it abrasion-resistant and gives it the ability to resist odors and soil. Silk is known to be one of the strongest natural fibers, but when wet it loses a portion of its strength. Similarly, it can also be weakened when exposed to too much sunlight, which makes it so it will not last forever at a window. Because of these weaknesses, silk is sold at a high cost to prevent it being used and exposed to heavy wear and harsh light.

Silk is a fiber that can be used in many different applications. For example, its versatility makes it so it can be made into blouses, dresses, scarves, pants and ties. Absorbency is a characteristic of silk and makes it possible to wear in warm weather and its low conductivity keeps warm air close to the skin during colder weather. Silk can be an all-climate fabric. Furthermore, silk’s attractive luster make it suitable for application in the home. It can be used as draperies, curtains, cushion covers and sofa covers. Although on the decline, silk has been incorporated into many industrial and commercial uses; parachutes, bicycle tires, comforter filling, and artillery gunpowder bags. Besides its luxurious smoothness and glossy beauty, silk has a lot of other benefits that other fabrics cannot match up to. Silk is the most hypoallergenic of all fabrics because of its natural protein structure. Compared to cotton, wool or nylon, silk has a much lower density making it highly moisture absorbent. This is beneficiary because it is able to absorb a third of its weight without feeling damp. These advantages of silk have earned silk its reputation as the “queen of fabric”.

All in all, I have found that silk is one of the elegant fabrics in the synthetic category and can be used in many ways. It takes color well, mixes with other animal and vegetable fibers well, and is easy to work with. The benefits of silk completely outweigh the disadvantages and because it is so commonly known, the textile industry is somewhat dependent on it.