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The cecropia cocoon consists of two cocoons: an outer and an inner. It suspends the
inner cocoon inside the the outer cocoon with loosely distributed fibers that also act as a cushion. The caterpillar
excretes the silk from its spinerettes and adds sericin which is a gluey protein to fabricate the cocoon
form. Itis believed that the sericin is what gives the cocoon its brown color. The
different layers in the cocoon also bring different characteristics in fibers. The inner cocoon is spun very tightly
therefore the emergence hole disrupts the silk strands to create shorter fibers. The outer cocoon, which is more
loosely spun and is much larger, has longer and stronger fibers. It is also more lustrous. The inside
cocoon is removed and therefore the insect sheddings are also easily removed.
The outer cocoons are boiled in
a water solution. Boiling the cocoons removes the sericin and therefore the cocoon becomes soft and loses
its shape. The cocoon can now be easily pulled apart. After the boiling is finished the cocoons are rinsed.
The cocoons stretched
over pegs to dry. This format makes it easy to create spun yarn.
The silk is then spun. This silk is comparable
to Tusseh in its spinning qualities. I-silk's natural color is a soft taupe with pink undertones. Each
cocoon is slightly different in coloration to the next, making interesting variations.
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