The machine has 4 spindles and a wooden wheel of 50-cm circumference for winding the yarn. It is driven by a foot pedal and the cocoons are reeled by hand. Boiling for 30 min. Approximately 90 percent of Eri cocoons are hand spun in Assam, India. The characteristics of Eri cocoon bave are shown in Table 27.
Floss silk is beneficial as paddy against cold weather and as a basis for hand spun yarns.
The procedure to create floss silk involves degumming, opening-up and finishing. Degumming Cocoons are boiled in hot water with added alkali to remove gum and make them soft. Opening-up Degummed cocoons are put in clean water and opened up individually by turning each one inside out to remove pupae and other waste. Several cocoon shells are stacked to form a bog into which the fingers of both hands are placed and spread in the water. These are then hung on a frame.