Скачать или смотреть Processing Silkworm Cocoons

"[T]he weight of one cocoon ranges from 1.5 to 2.2 grams, so you would need between 450 and 700 cocoons to make one kilo. The silkworms have eaten between 18 and 20 kilos of mulberry leaves to make this quantity of cocoons. 77% to 80% of the weight of the cocoon is taken up by the pupa. The pupa is not necessarily a waste product as it is full of protein and can be used for food. Without the pupae, one kilo of whole cocoons becomes 200 to 230 grams of empty cocoons."

"Most commercial silk is reeled from top grade cocoons. A cocoon is like a miniature, hollow ball of string, where the string is lightly glued together. To reel silk, you need to loosen the glue by placing the cocoons in warm water for a while and then unwind the thread of a several cocoons. Finally you need to twist several of these very fine threads together into a slightly thicker thread, in a process called throwing."

[Source: Wild Fibres -- UK]