Interesting as it is, the silk and the history of the family, it seems odd that Vigo teaches weaving it to a few people but not how to make it shine. Or at least it wasn't specifically mentioned about the process of lemon juice and spices.

This strikes me more as keeping it a secret within the family more than protecting people from God. Business failed sure but that's no reason to keep the process of making it shine a secret if she is hit by a bus or drops dead that's it for the knowledge.

I always enjoy stories like these. It reminds me of this one on making a panama hat from about a month ago.[1]

[1]: http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/08/08/34068270...

This is an interesting history. And perhaps it's nothing more than uniqueness which makes this interesting; however, ms Vigo seems very well suited as ambassador for this dying tradition. She has the lineage, the myth, and aura to make it interesting for a new crop of artisans now that there is more interest in traditional methods.

Good collection of links on the topic a few weeks ago at Metafilter: http://www.metafilter.com/151993/It-was-necessary-also-to-fi...

Anyone have a video of the silk shining? Would love to see it.

A 15 minutes drive from my birthplace!

It seems somehow profane, but I'd love to get some into a materials lab and see how it behaves.

It's a beautiful story. Thanks for sharing it.