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usually, an arrow could not pierce itWhacky stuff! Just occurs to me that the surcoats that soldiers used to wear over their armour may have been made of silk. That would actually make quite a bit of sense if the silk slowed down the arrow and protected the soldier should the armour be penetrated. But it is just conjecture. 
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Silk was very expensive, costing more than its weight in gold. i suspect only members of the court could dress in silk. It was an advantage though, because a lord could right out among the troops, looking brave, with out any armor -- when in reality, a heavy, quilted, silk surcoat, might have given him more proctections then the leather jackets of the peasentry, and as much protection as light mail.
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I'll bring the bow and arrow! This I've gotta see.
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Everybody seems facinated that silk is so strong! it was used for parachutes.. (for the same reasons, high tensile strength..) It didn't work well in hose, because it doesn't stand up to abrasion well .... so your heal rubbing against the hose and your shoe, could wear a hole.. and while it does wick away moisture, if keep moist, it rots very fast, so inside of shoes, where you feet tend to sweat, would be hard on silk. i went a googling.. but didn't find what i wanted, i did find this
Silk, the finest of all natural fibers, has three crucial qualities: strength, elasticity and extremely long fibers. A silk thread made of seven filaments has the tensile strength of 65,000 pounds per square inch.. that's pretty impressive! from: http://www.hebrewhistory.org/factpapers/silk15.html
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the Iranian taftan, to twist, to spin.. which is thought to be the root word for tapestry, is also the root behind tafetta..
an other one of the very old weaves for silk!
Weaving is ancient, and many of the words used for textiles are just as old.. while history is good at recording the deeds of men, wars, and inventions, women keep to their looms, and created words for their wares that still are alive today...
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Re Wool. Listening to a program from our Maine PBS station I learned there is a Maine farm which strives to keep alive endangered species of domestic animals : pigs, horses, goats, sheep etc. and in process learned that the wool industry is depressed because people are not buying many wool garments.
Perhaps many folks, like myself, associated wool with the itchies ... but that is no more!
Last winter I bought a light weight wool Merino outfit -- slacks and a top (Nordstrom catalogue if I recall correctly, either that or Bloomingdale's brochure.)
In a washable wool!
It was so good, and comfy, I ordered another set in a different color.
I had been wearing heavy weight fleece "sweats" and was still cold. Swapped for the wool outfit and Voila!
Warm, no itching, comfortable, looks good, feels soft.
And, I could turn the heat down.
And it sure is more flattering than bulky old fleece stuff.
All in all it beat all the synthetics I own by a country mile. More wool for me this coming winter!
Re silk:
heavier weight is warm in winter - I used to wear silk underwear (long Johns type ) for winter sports.
And it's lighter weights are cool in summer. Some silk is diaphanous and floats around you like a rainbow cloud. Wheeeeee.
And now I find if I ever get shot by Cupid's arrow I can just pull the fabric and get rid of the pesky imp.
Good news. Thanks Helen!!
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wool, too, when thin, is cool, not warm.. i have had summer dresses made fromm hankerchef weight summer wool... wool so light weigth, it was so sheer it needed a lining! the lining was light weight cotton.. and everyone was flabergasted that my dress was wool! but wool, like cotton and other natural fabrics is superiour at wicking away moisture so it felt cool. and it was hand wash in cold water and wear -- hung to dry, it didn't need ironing..(the lining was seperate, so it could go in the machine.)
we forget, in days past, with out centeral heating, it was not uncommon for dressy evening dresses to be made from wool.
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Last winter I bought a light weight wool Merino outfit
merinofrom the spanish, after Merin, the name of a Berber tribe, any of a breed of hardy white-faced sheep with long fine wool.
another word from an arabic language that come into english via spanish..
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I have had summer dresses made fromm hankerchef weight summer wool...
I believe it. Once I had to represent the Clan at an August Gathering ... I had only a heavy weight wool kilt ... strangely, although temp was in 80s, I was not overcome ... evidently what keeps out the cold will also keep out the heat.
Aren't the black cloak things worn by Arab Nomads also a heavy wool? And aren't they worn day and night?
Helen?
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huck·a·back (hŭk'ə-bãk')
n.
A coarse absorbent cotton or linen fabric used especially for toweling.
[Origin unknown.]Also called huck.
I had never heard about this before it came up in a game of Scrabble. Sort of gives a new slant on the name Huck Finn, doesn't it?
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