Eco-spinning in Namibia
Today's LA Times has an article on spinning in Namibia at page A36. You can also find it online, but I am not sure how long the page will remain in the non-membership area, and couldn't find a permalink. Focus of the article is the Namibian Wild Silk Project (NWSP) also known as Kalahari Wild Silk Project, sponsored by the Centre for Research Information and Action in Africa (CRIAA SA–DC).
The project involved teaching local women to process the cocoons of an African wild silk moth and spin them. It's called eco-spinning because unlike the most common form of cocoon spinning, this one does not kill the pupae to preserve the intactness of the thread. Since the cocoons are allowed to hatch, they get broken at one end causing the final spun silk thread to include some rough thick spots. Depending on the use you want to make of your silk, this can be a decorative element. I am a big fan of wabi-sabi and believe that it's your purpose that makes something appropriate or not.