SILK YARN: Where it comes from, it's history, and how it becomes
the beautiful fibre we know as silk. The discovery of the
product silk from the silkworm species Bombyx mori occurred
around 2700 BC. According to Chinese tradition the bride of
Emperor Huang Ti, a 14-year-old girl called Hsi Ling Shi,
discovered the invention of the first silk reel. Sericulture,
the cultivation of the silkworm, spread through China making
silk a highly valued commodity much sought after by other
countries. In 139 BC the world's longest trade route was opened
stretching from Eastern China to the Mediterranean Sea. It was
named the Silk Road after its most valuable commodity. By 300 AD
the secret of silk production had reached India and Japan. Silk
manufacture eventually reached Europe and America. During the
18th and 19th centuries Europeans produced several major
advancements in silk production. By the 18th century England led
Europe in silk manufacturing because of English innovations in
the textiles industry. These innovation