Sea Silk

This could be the ultimate Permi material and is so cool so rare you cannot buy it ! Amazing mini doc from the BBC

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33691781


What if other sources could be found out there ?
What other materials are out there waiting to be found ?

David

The amazing things are that someone still knows how to do the ancient art and is practicing it; and that they will not sell it--so not creating a market for it. Commercialization is what ruins a lot of things....

I ran across the subject of byssus online a few years ago. We used to find related pen shells where I grew up in Florida, but it never occurred to me then to investigate the fibers. I'd love to see and feel some of the textiles.

I think it is totally possible to discover new materials. Like figuring out how to use spider silk. http://www.wired.com/2009/09/spider-silk/

I bet people "discover" things that used to be done as well.

Reading about byssus, I wonder whether it inspired the golden fleece of legend. Fascinating. I guess it is a simlilar material to pearls.

David, said "What if other sources could be found out there
What other materials are out there waiting to be found?

Fabric can be made from kelp aka sea weed.

I remember sea silk (made from seaweed) back in the day.  I think the one I knit with was made on the Atlantic coast of canada.  Amazing textile, very similar feel to silk.  It disappeared about the same time as milk silk, corn silk, soy silk, bamboo silk, and the like  got renamed rayon (because that's how it's made).  The government is fussy about accuracy in textile lables here (for which i am glad).  I also heard there was another traditional textile called 'sea silk' but didn't know what it was at the time.


The article in the original post of this thread says "another, much rarer, cloth known as sea silk or byssus, which comes from a clam."

This byssus looks amazing. What a wonderful labour of love!