Anandam (Finespunned Eri Stole)

The cultivation and weaving of wild silk are rooted in the culture of the people of in Assam. From the various types of silk of Assam, eri silk or ahimsa silk is quite interesting, as it is processed without killing the silkworm. Commonly silk cocoons are boiled with the worm inside to maintain one continuous filament, which results in a smooth and shiny fabric. Interestingly the eri silkworm spins short segments of a filament and creates a cocoon that is open at one end – enabling the moth to emerge. The humid climate of Assam favours the eri cultivation. For around 30 days the silkworm grows and munches on castor leaves until it reaches its final size. It then starts to spin its cocoon, which takes another 15 days. Once the moth leaves its cocoon, the silk is processed. The empty cocoons are degummed by boiling in water, made into small cakes resembling cotton pads and then thrown against the mud houses for drying. Once the cakes are dry, they are used for spinning. Dye description: The fabric is dyed using colour extracted from indigo.