How is Recycled Silk Sari Yarn Made?
THE RAW MATERIALS Silk thread scraps left over from the making of Silk Indian Saris (traditional clothing in India) are purchased from small mills in India. The top photo to the left shows the fringe remnants after a sari has been woven on a hand operated loom. These remnants are called thrums and are the pure silk threads that are the fringe of warp threads left on a loom after the saris has been woven and cut off. These threads are collected, separated by color and bound into the skeins of pure dyed silk that you seen in the lower photo to the left. Red and maroon colors predominate because these are auspicious (good luck) colors in India. PREPARING THE SILK The skeins of silk threads (called Fiber – literally the individual filaments of silk) are separated by color, unwrapped and laid out. Contrary to the name “recycled silk yarn”, the raw materials are all new remnants left over from making saris – not used saris! While it might seem straightforward and simple to separate the vario
