The Silk Farm - Cambodia

One of the pleasantries of having a private guide and driver is the ability to see and enjoy the things that interst us most. So yesterday afternoon my guide and driver took me into the country to visit the silk farm. The drive out and back was an adventure in itself. Just outside of Siem Reap the road of full of pot holes. I saw many people including children with missing legs a grim reminder that the countryside is still full of land mines. Pigs were being brought to market trussed on thier backs three abreast on a motorcycle. They were still alive. They didn't seem to be in any distress.

At the silk farm I was met by a wood carver that spoke English. We visited the mulberry pasture where the tender leaves are harvested daily for the silk worms. Then we went into the silk worm house, some had just been born and other were beginning to spin thier cocoon. Then onto the silk processing plant. Here the cocoons were boiled and the outer layer of the cocoon was reeled off first. This is called the silk noil. The inner cocoon was then transferred to another boiling pot and the spinner had a tool to capture about 20 strands of slike and unwind them onto the reel. This is the smooth silk. The reeled silk was then taken to another spinner and she would smooth out the silk threads removing any debris. The final step before the dying was to skein the silk. Into the dye house we went. They use all natural dyes. By this time my guide realized I was very familiar with the process and he took out a notebook and pencil to write down the english translation of all the equipment and processes. It was at this point that my interaction through the guide and the ladies took place and all of us were enthralled.

I was taught how to wrap the yarns for ikat, dye, warp a loom, weave. And then onto the shop where I purchased a few treasures. I was happy happy.