 We're not using the front door anymore. Not until the worms have gone, he explains. Inside, the lush green branches of mulberry leaves are withered and brown. The silkworms sit listlessly. They're at their last stage now and will never eat again, their bodies turning translucent as they prepare for their metamorphosis. Once the worms have finished spinning their silk into a cocoon, they're collected and put in sacks and will need to be taken quickly to the Hever Silk Factory on the road to Urgench, the city that gave its name to organza silk.