The Cocoon of the Caterpillar

The cocoon of a caterpillar is made up of thousands of fine, thin and strong strands. These strands have been taken by men and made into comforters and other household items. Is there a particular species of caterpillar that is the source of mankind's silk fibers? It turns out that even though silks are made by other critters, only the material

from that of moth caterpillars has been introduced to textile manufacturing. The major supplier of the caterpillars and cocoons is from the manufacturing sector known by the name "sericulture", literally the farming of caterpillars.

Popular in Asia

Particularly in Asia, silk has become a dominant filler of choice for comforters due to its lightweight yet tremendous insulating capacity. A good silk comforter is one of the great down alternatives. Expect it to take the place of a medium down comforter, good for moderate to cold climate regions. In other regions, this comforter is known as a silk quilt or duvet. Here in the U.S., silk comforters have become more popular recently due to the relatively loosening of trade between China, the world's largest producer, and all other countries.

Comfortable Bundles

The production of filler is a technically challenging task. First the cocoons of the caterpillars must be collected and boiled to loosen the strands. Then the strands are stretched manually to create bundles. These bundles are stretched to the length of the comforter, which are then laid flat into increasingly thick laters. Hundreds of layers put together make up the comforter. Don't be misled by the thickness of the resulting product. The fibers are excellent for trapping air and insulating against the environment. A silk comforter of equivalent warmth is much thinner than a wool one.

Incorporated into Fine Products

After layering, the silk is then placed inside a fabric cover which completes the process. The end product is a lightweight, hypoallergenic covering for bed time. Some shifting of the silk fibers is expected which can, over time, cause gaps and holes in the blanket. Silk down alternatives are popular in winter time as well as summer, due to the breathability of the material.

Soft and Luxuriant but Expensive

Here in the U.S., most silk down alternative comforters are imported from far eastern countries like China and Taiwan. Buyers will note that the prices when compared to wool are roughly equivalent. As production begins to ramp up, expect to see price decreases. A difficult point is that there is no commonly agreed-upon standards for classifying all the different kinds of products such as one we have for fill-power or warmth-to-weight ratios in down comforters. Expect transparency to underlying product to increase as manufacturing methods become more efficient and productive.

Caveat: Care is Difficult

Another point to note is that silk is difficult to care for under regular wear-and-tear usage. It loses its shape if washed and hung out to dry. The correct way to clean it is to bring it to the dry cleaners. If there are no deep stains then it may be sufficient to hang it out for drying once a month, much as futons in Japan are hung out to dry every day.