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GLOSSARY
Hie tsumugi fabric & Silk pongee yarn
Silk pongee is a spun yarn that is much admired by the Japanese for its warm feel and understated elegance. Tsumugi weaves, of which there are many, are among the most prized of Japanese fabrics. True pongee yarn is drawn from the cocoon of a species of silkworm that feeds on oak leaves,but in Japan most pongee yarn is drawn from the outer, flossy layer of the cocoon of mulberry-feeding worms. The floss is twisted into yarn by hand,saliva being used to moisten and strengthen the mass of filaments into a continuous thread.The term pongee is said to have originated in the Chinese expression "pun-chi": meaning "home-woven": In modern times, fabrics with the typical slubbed finish of pongee (often referred to as "shantung") are popular throughout the world as dress or furnishing fabrics.