I.
Mulberry silk:
Produce by silk worm(Bombyx Mori) fed on
Mulberry leaves.
II.
Tussar silk:
Larvae of several species of moth such as
Antheraea mylitta, Antheraca proylei, Antherea pernyi and Antheraca yamamai
produce this silk. The insects mostly live in the wild on bushes and trees on
which they feed.
III.
Katiya silk:
The portion of Tussar cocoons leftover
after about 60% reelable silk is spun into katiya yarn.
IV.
Balkal silk:
The peduncle(silk that anchors the cocoon,
it is very week) are utilized for production of Balkal yarn.
V.
Muga silk:
It belong to same family as Tussar. It is
popular for its natural golden color, glossy fine textures and durability. Muga
silk is produced by Antheraea assama westwood which is an endemic species
prevent in the Brahmaputra valley and adjoining hills.
Muga silkworm is a polyhageous insect which
feeds on leaves of Som, Soalu and other plants which grow abundantly in
Brahmaputra valley.
VI.
Eri silk:
The word eri is a derivative from Sanskrit
nomenclature for Castor Plant, eranada. Castor leaf is the main food for the
Eri silkworms and so names as Eri. This is the only completely domesticated
non-mulberry variety. Its silk is as it cannot be reeled.
VII.
Spun silk:
A silk yarn made of short lengths of silk
obtained from silk wastes, pierced cocoon or floss which gives yarn its
characteristic brilliance. There are two grades of yarn Schappe and Bourette. It
is spun on special machinery which in some ways is akin to cotton and worsted.
VIII.
Noil silk/waste silk:
A noil short fiber removed in combing
operation of yarn making of spun silk is spun into Noil yarn. Noil is mostly
produced in Karnataka and Madras.
IX.
Dupion silk:
An irregular, riugh silk reeled double
cocoons or cocoons spun side-by-side which are interlocked, making it necessary
to reel them together. The unevenness of the yarn confines its use.
X.
Filature silk:
A raw silk which is reeled by machine as
distinct from silk prepared by hand in cottage industry.
XI.
Matka silk:
Mutka silk is obtained from waste Mulberry
silk by hand spinning without removing the gum. Cocoons required to produce
Matka are mainly obtained from Karnataka and Kashmir but spinning is mostly
done in the villages of malda and Murshidabad districts in west Bengal by hand
spinning.
XII.
Spider silk:
The silken filament spun by spders is so fine
that they can often be seen only with difficult. The golden garden spider spins
a filament only 0.0001 in diameter. Many attempts have been made to use spider
silk as a textile fiber.