Silk proteins, extensions of an arthropod’s phenotype, are used for a variety of purposes including protection from natural enemies, thermoregulation, and courtship arenas to name a few. A review of some of the more unusual silk spinners will be presented with a spotlight on one of the least studied of all insect orders, the Embiidina (or Embioptera). These soft-bodied and vulnerable insects live behind a shield of silk, which varies in color within the order from bright white (Antipaluria urichi) to pale lavender (Pararhagadochir trinitatis). Arboreal species spin complex arboreal dwellings and coverings over foraging zones, detritivores use silk as stitching to tie dead leaves together, while subterranean species line deep crevices in the soil with their silk. Their body shape has been constrained by living in tight confines of silk tunnels and as such is remarkably homogeneous throughout their cosmopolitan range. This overview of recent research on embiids will include the diversity of their spinning behaviors and uses of silk, implications for maternal care, short and long term costs of spinning, and how the variable reliance on silk as a building material relates to colonial behavior.