what is silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons.The best-known silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity (sericulture).ilk is described in a chapter on mulberry planting by Si Shengzhi of the Western Han (206 BC â 9 AD). There is a surviving calendar for silk production in an Eastern Han (25â220 AD) document. The two other known works on silk from the Han period are lost.