nope- banana fiber is called "naar pattu" in Tamil- literally means "fiber silk"- it is very thin and the saris drip dry very easily. If ever you get to Chennai, go to a good silk saree store and ask for Naar pattu- u will find it.
Raw silk on the other hand is silk in the "raw" ie it has not yet been spun into yarn- for the most part, in Karnataka it is usual to twist 2 strands to make yarn for the saris there whereas the Kanchipuram saris (that tend to be heavier) are made of 3 strand twists! The thinner Tussars are made with just one! Raw silk is the basic protein strand that is removed from the cocoons. Tussars also happen to be ahimsa silks because traditionally they allowed the pupas to "hatch" into moths and then the ripped open cocoons were carefully carded and sorted into thread. That is why you will find raw silk and tussar have "texture". The satin finish for the south indian varieties are more cruel to the moths as they are boiled in hot water in the cocoons and then the threads are unravelled neatly in one strand (less work) and it is smoother and finer, the texture (all this from trade fairs!)
awesome pics, angeldark- thanx 4 posting them! The 1st orange sari appears to be a Kantha print, 2nd one, a lovely Bengal cotton and the third, the green, a south indian classic. Nice...
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