Silk Fabric From Spiders?

Here’s a story to get you in the Halloween mood a little early…

Of course, if you’re a fiber-a-holic it’s sure cool too!

For five years, Simon Peers, a textile researcher, and Nicholas Godley, fashion designer, have been trying to harvest silk from the golden orb spider of Madagascar.

That’s right – silk from a spider.

Think about it though, spider silk is incredibly strong – how many times have you seen a spider’s web that’s survived a storm intact?  And unlike silk worms, the spiders don’t need to be culled to harvest the silk.

Well, the two men have succeeded and for the first time in history, have created  an 11 foot long tapestry of woven brocade fabric, entirely from the spiders.  It’s now on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Apparently the spiders could produce up to 400 feet of silk in one session, and were released after a day’s harvest.

image: Stock.xchg