Silk processing — sericulture

Sericulture = rearing silkworms for silk.

1. Silkworm eggs hatch into caterpillars that eat mulberry leaves.
2. Full-grown caterpillar spins a cocoon around itself (takes 2–3 days).
3. Cocoons are collected, dipped in warm water to loosen the sticky gum.
4. Reeling: carefully unwind each cocoon into a single silk thread (up to 1,000 m long!).
5. Threads twisted, dyed, and woven into silk fabric.

Originated in China thousands of years ago; the Silk Route carried it west.