Mawata is a Japanese word which, loosely translated, means expanded cocoon. Both silk caps and silk hankies are forms of mawata preparations. The cocoons used to make these preparations are those that are not suitable for reeling due to being discolored, having holes in them, or being misshapen.

To make mawata, the cocoons are soaked in warm, soapy water and then stretched over a frame. Hankies are stretched over a square frame and caps are stretched over a bamboo framework, which is shaped quite similar to a knit watch cap. Several cocoons are stretched over the frame so each hankie or cap is composed of several layers, with each layer containing the silk fibers from one cocoon. These preparations contain both long and short fibers.

Silk caps and hankies are among the more affordable forms of silk fibers available to hand spinners but they are unusual looking preparations and, as such, they need to be handled differently from roving, top, or sliver.

Silk fibers are extremely fine and will catch and snag on every little rough spot on the your hands, which can be quite frustrating. Keep some good quality hand cream within reach and use it before starting to work with silk. While spinning, stop whenever the fibers start snagging on rough bits of skin and apply more lotion.

Another way to help prevent snagging is to prepare your hands before touching the fibers. To do this, pour about a tablespoon of olive oil into the palm of one hand. Add a couple of teaspoons of sugar and make washing motions with your hands for 8 to 10 minutes. Then rinse (do not wash) your hands with hot water and pat them dry. This mixture is quite abrasive so rub gently when making the washing motions. This leaves hands feeling nice and soft and very smooth.

Latex surgical gloves can be worn when preparing mawata to spin but it is difficult to spin with them on.

Preparation methods for both forms of mawata are very similar. Remember that both preparations consist of multiple layers and that silk fibers are both very long and quite strong. Spinning from these multi-layered preparations would be very difficult, if not impossible. So the first step is to divide the mawata into thin layers.

Hankies: These are easy to separate. Look at the dense ridge around the edges and find the least compacted looking corner. Grasp that corner and slowly peel off a layer. If you can not find a good corner, pinch up a layer in the center of the hankie and slowly lift a layer up and off. Latex gloves may help quite a bit with this step. Once you have a thin layer, stretch it into a rectangle and keep stretching it out lengthwise until it is about 2 inches wide. One layer of your silk hankie is now ready to spin.

Caps: These are a bit more difficult to separate. Find a good spot along the dense ridge at the bottom of the cap and slowly start peeling the top layer off of the cap. After the layer is separated, place one hand inside the cap and the other out side. Your fingers should be touching at the peak of the cap. Pinch up a layer with each hand and pull, separating your one thin layer into two. Then stretch it out the same as you would a hankie.

Spinning: Set your wheel for the lightest possible tension. Tie a few silk fibers to the leader with a knot so they will not slip off. Your forward hand will be pinching down hard on the fibers because you will be drafting against the tension provided by your forward hand, not the tension from your wheel. Your drafting hand should be back behind your forward hand by about 12 inches. Draft back; slide fingers of forward hand toward your backhand, letting twist advance and letting the yarn wind onto the bobbin. You may have to stop and bring your backhand up to draft out slubs from short fibers.

It is much easier to actually do this than it is to put it into words. I wish I could sit down with all of you and simply show you how to do it. If you have any questions, please contact me.