Monday 5 March 2012

Silken Strings

I see that those tireless orb-weaving spiders have been put to good use again. The fine strong silk that created the V&A's wondrous golden cape has now been used, on a much smaller scale, to produce violin strings - strings which, though less tough than gut, are tougher than modern metal-and-nylon strings. And they sound rather lovely - have a listen here... It seems we're going to have a long wait for the spider-silk suspension bridge (imagine that, swaying in the wind) - but meanwhile we're getting some rather beautiful things from our arachnid friends. What will it be next, I wonder - a cravat, perhaps? That wouldn't take those orb-weavers too long...

2 comments:

  1. Pirastro Eudoxa's aluminium or silver-wound gut strings take some beating... but I can't wait to see you in your spider-silk cravat, Nige!

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  2. Neither can I, Susan! These house spiders seem to be slow workers...

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