Posted by Beth P. on Tuesday, 13 April 2010, at 12:11 p.m.:
In Reply to: Question about silk roving posted by Sally on Monday, 12 April 2010, at 10:02 p.m.:
Yes, that is normal for silk roving. There are many different ways of harvesting silk. The most expensive silk is "reeled silk", where the cocoons are softened in hot water and then un-wound. This is the way you get the incredibly long silk fiber. "Reeled silk" fiber does not get spun, it goes straight to the weaving process.
There are several books on the subject of silk, try your library, The Silk Tree (they sell silk fiber and yarns) or any of the larger spinning and weaving suppliers (The Mannings, The Yarn Barn-Kansas, Webs)
Beth