Mudmee (Mat Mee)

Mudmee is a resist-dyeing technique and the most widely recognized of all types of Thai silk. The process works by tying sections of silk thread with string before dyeing. The tied areas resist the dye, creating patterns when the string is removed. This is the same principle as ikat weaving found across Southeast Asia, but the Thai variation has its own distinct vocabulary of geometric and symbolic motifs.

The patterns emerge from the rhythm of the tying: how many threads are bound together, at what intervals, and how many rounds of dyeing the threads undergo. Multi-colour Mudmee silk requires the tying and dyeing process to be repeated for each colour, with the weaver working from lightest to darkest. A complex Mudmee design with four or five colours can take weeks of preparation before the loom is even set up.

Jok (Tin Jok)

Jok is a supplementary weft technique and one of the oldest types of Thai silk weaving still practised. The weaver uses a pointed tool (traditionally a porcupine quill) to lift individual warp threads and insert coloured weft threads from below. The result is a raised, textured pattern that appears embroidered but is actually woven directly into the fabric. Jok is most famously used to create the decorative bottom border (tin jok) of a pha sin, the traditional Thai wrap skirt.

The three-part structure of a pha sin with tin jok consists of the head (hua sin, the top band), the body (tua sin, the middle), and the foot (tin jok, the elaborate bottom border). The complexity and beauty of the tin jok border historically reflected the wearer’s social standing and economic status.

There are two methods of jok weaving. The traditional method uses porcupine quills to pick up individual threads, producing raised patterns with equal detail on both sides of the fabric. A master weaver using this technique can take 30 days or more to complete a single piece. The faster method uses multiple heddles to lift groups of threads, reducing weaving time to 7 to 10 days but producing a less clean reverse side. Collectors and connoisseurs strongly prefer the porcupine quill method.

Khit

Khit is a pattern-pickup technique and one of the more distinctive types of Thai silk weaving. It produces continuous geometric designs running across the full width of the fabric. The weaver uses a khit stick (mai kep khit) to lift warp threads at set intervals, creating a rhythmic, repeating pattern. Unlike Jok, which produces isolated motifs in specific areas, Khit patterns extend across the entire fabric surface.

The visual effect of Khit is dense, geometric, and hypnotic. The spacing and frequency of the thread pickups determine the pattern, and skilled weavers can create remarkably complex designs from what is fundamentally a binary system of thread-up and thread-down. Khit textiles are commonly used for pillows, ceremonial cloths, and decorative household items.

Yok Dok

Yok Dok is the most prestigious among all types of Thai silk. It is a brocade technique where the weaver uses heddles to lift selected warp threads and pass supplementary weft threads through them, most commonly gold or silver metallic threads (din ngoen din thong). The result is a fabric with raised floral or geometric motifs that shimmer against the silk ground.

Historically, Yok Dok was reserved for royalty and the aristocracy. The gold and silver thread content made these textiles extraordinarily expensive to produce, and sumptuary laws restricted their use by commoners. Today, Yok Dok remains the formal choice for Thai state occasions, weddings, and ceremonial dress. The gold-threaded varieties are among the most expensive Thai silk textiles you can buy.

Praewa

Praewa is a type of Thai silk shawl traditionally measuring approximately one wa (about two metres) in length. Among the different types of Thai silk, Praewa is perhaps the most collectible. It features elaborate raised patterns created by supplementary weft threads in multiple colours, traditionally set against a deep red base. The number and complexity of patterns on each piece varies, and highly intricate Praewa pieces are considered works of art in their own right.

Praewa weaving is most strongly associated with Kalasin province in Isan. Each shawl can contain dozens of different motifs woven with silk threads of different colours, and the best pieces represent months of work by a single weaver. Praewa is sometimes called “the queen of Thai silk” by collectors.

Kret Tao (Ta Samuk)

Kret Tao, meaning “turtle scale,” creates a subtle checked pattern by alternating dark and light coloured threads in both the warp and weft. The weaver sets up the warp with approximately ten threads of dark colour alternating with ten threads of light colour, then weaves the weft in the same pattern. The result is a softly textured, small-scale check that resembles a turtle’s shell when viewed at a distance.

This is one of the simpler weaving techniques among the types of Thai silk, but its understated elegance makes it popular for everyday clothing and accessories. The colour interplay between warp and weft creates depth and visual interest that a solid-colour fabric cannot match.

Pakama (Pha Khama)

Pakama is a checked or plaid cloth created by alternating coloured stripes in both the warp and weft using a simple plain weave. The distinctive border (choei) is left as fringe at each end. Pakama is traditionally woven from both cotton and silk, though silk versions are considered more refined.

This is perhaps the most utilitarian of all types of Thai silk, used historically as a waist wrap, head covering, baby sling, and all-purpose cloth. Its cultural significance is enormous despite (or perhaps because of) its everyday nature. Pakama is woven across Thailand and remains one of the most commonly produced Thai textiles.

Hang Krarok

Hang Krarok, meaning “squirrel tail,” is created by twisting two silk threads of different colours together before weaving. One thread is darker and the other lighter. When twisted into a single strand and woven in a plain weave, the resulting fabric has a shimmering, two-tone effect where the colours shift and blend depending on the angle of light. The name comes from the way a squirrel’s tail catches light with similar colour variation.

This iridescent quality is unique among the types of Thai silk and makes Hang Krarok a favourite for formal clothing where light plays across the fabric. The technique is deceptively simple, but the colour matching of the two threads requires an experienced eye to achieve the right balance.