Is Silk Sustainable?

What a life!! The silkworm is now a way to a mean.......The silkworm doesn't exist in the wild anymore and is farmed for the silk it creates when making its cocoons. Silkworms don't even get the chance to transform into its moth form. Once it has spun the silk in the cocoon the work is done and its basically killed by way of boiling. To keep population numbers some will get the chance to mate. But only for the purpose to produce the silk..

The silkworm

I do like silk and the luxury it brings but I didn't realise the larvicide that is happening to these poor worms.
If the raw silk of a single cocoon is unfolded, it will contain raw silk thread of about 300 to 900 meters in length. The raw silk fibers, which are about 10 micrometers in diameter are very lustrous and fine. To make one pound of silk, about 3000 cocoons are boiled in water. This kills the silkworms and makes the extraction of silk easier.

Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/silkworms-facts-about-silkworms.html

I'm a little put off using silk painting technique now as all I would see is dead silk cocoons.... I did think about buying silk that had been already made and using that! Maybe buying from ebay or second-hand shops. But I think for now I will look at another material.  I'm not sure why I feel annoyed about this as I do eat chicken and well the life of a silkworm compared to that of a farmed chicken would be pretty nice even if it does end in a hot bath.
 You do have to appreciate the way that the Chinese developed this technique so many years ago.

The life of a designer is starting to effect my view and my morals that I didn't even realise I had! Again more questions starting to play and I do feel a little exhausted by it all. Right or Wrong..
Is Silk sustainable?

 Well yes I guess it is but that all depends on your view of the processes behind it. Like in many cases it comes down to money to!             The  price you pay for fashion!       Can I sell my morals for fashion.... I'll think or this next time I'm eating a chicken leg haha




Source of information came from internet

BBC bitesize used Design and Technology

Also google images