Worsted (pronunciation: [ˈwʊstɪd]), is the name of a yarn, the cloth made from this yarn, and a yarn weight category. This article is about the fiber product For the type of joke see Shaggy dog story. A textile is a flexible material comprised of a network of natural or artificial Fibres often referred to as thread or Yarn. The name derives from the village of Worstead in the English county of Norfolk. Worstead is a Village and Civil parish in the English County of Norfolk. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Norfolk (ˈnɔrfək is a low-lying county in East Anglia, England, United Kingdom. This village became, along with North Walsham and Aylsham, a centre for the manufacture of yarn and cloth after weavers from Flanders arrived in Norfolk in the 12th century. North Walsham is a Market town and Civil parish in the English County of Norfolk. Aylsham is a historic Market town and Civil parish on the River Bure in north Norfolk, England, about 15km (10 miles north of Flanders (Vlaanderen Flandre Flandern is a geographical region located in parts of present day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. [1]
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Technique & Preparation
The essential feature of a worsted yarn is straightness of fibre, in that the fibres lie parallel to each other. Traditionally, long, fine staple wool was spun to create worsted yarn, but other long fibres are also used today. Staple is a term referring to naturally formed clusters or locks of Wool fibres throughout a fleece that are held together by cross fibres Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles of animals in the Caprinae family principally sheep, but the hair of certain species Spinning is an ancient textile art in which plant, animal or synthetic Fibers are twisted together to form Yarn (or thread Fiber or fibre is a class of Materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces similar to lengths of thread.
Many spinners differentiate between worsted preparation and worsted spinning. Short draw is the spinning technique used to create Worsted yarns Worsted preparation refers to the way the fibre is prepared before spinning, using gilling machines which force the fibre staples to lie parallel to each other. Once these fibres have been made into a top, they are then combed to remove the short fibres. The long fibres are combined in subsequent gilling machines to again make the fibres parallel. This produces overlapping untwisted strands called slivers. A sliver (rhymes with diver is a long bundle of fiber that is generally used to spin Worsted yarn Worsted spinning refers to using a worsted technique, which produces a smooth yarn where the fibres lie parallel .
Roving and wool top are often used to spin worsted yarn. A roving is a long and narrow bundle of fiber with a twist to hold the fiber together Topmaking mills make wool top, a semi-processed product from raw Wool. Many hand spinners buy their fibre in roving or top form. Top and roving are ropelike in appearance, in that they can be thick and long. While some mills put a slight twist in the rovings they make, it is not enough twist to be a yarn. The fibers in top and rovings all lie parallel to one another along the length, which makes top ideal for spinning worsted yarns.
Worsted-spun yarns, used to create worsted fabric, are spun from wool fibers that have been combed, to ensure that the woollen fibers all run the same direction, butt-end (end that was cut in shearing the sheep) to tip, and remain parallel. Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles of animals in the Caprinae family principally sheep, but the hair of certain species A comb is a device made of solid material generally flat always toothed and is used in hair care for straightening and cleaning hair or other fibers Sheep shearing, shearing or clipping is the process by which the woollen fleece of a Sheep is cut off A short-draw is used in spinning worsted fibers (as opposed to a long -draw). Short draw is the spinning technique used to create Worsted yarns Long draw is the spinning technique used to create Woolen Yarns It is spun from carded Rolags It is generally spun from shorter
In short draw spinning, spun from combed roving, sliver or wool top, the spinners keep their hands very close to each other. Spinning is an ancient textile art in which plant, animal or synthetic Fibers are twisted together to form Yarn (or thread Combing is a method for preparing Fiber for spinning by use of combs A roving is a long and narrow bundle of fiber with a twist to hold the fiber together A sliver (rhymes with diver is a long bundle of fiber that is generally used to spin Worsted yarn Topmaking mills make wool top, a semi-processed product from raw Wool. The fibers are held fanned out in one hand while the other hand pulls a small number from the mass. The twist is kept between the second hand and the wheel - there is never any twist between the two hands.
The cloth
Worsted cloth, archaically also known as stuff, is lightweight and has a coarse texture. The weave is usually twill or plain. This article describes textile weaving For other senses of this word see Weaving (disambiguation. Twill is a type of fabric woven with a pattern of diagonal parallel ribs Twilled fabrics such as whipcord, gabardine and serge are often made from worsted yarn. Whipcord is the name for either a fabric or a form of braided cord Gabardine is a tough tightly woven fabric used to make Suits Overcoats Trousers and other garments Serge is a type of Twill fabric that has diagonal lines or ridges on both sides made with a two-up two-down Weave. Worsted fabric made from wool has a natural recovery, meaning that it is resilient and quickly returns to its natural shape, but non-glossy worsted will shine with use or abrasion.
Worsteds differ from woolens, in that the natural crimp of the wool fibre is removed in the process of spinning the yarn. Woollen ( American English: woolen) is the name of a Yarn and Cloth usually made from Wool. In Tropical Worsteds this use of tightly-spun straightened wool combined with a looser weave permits the free flow of air through the fabric.
Worsted is also used for carpets, garments, hosiery, gloves and baize. A carpet is any loom-woven felted textile or grass floor covering Clothing (also called clothes, accoutrements, accouterments, or habiliments) protects the Human body from extreme Weather Hosiery is knitted coverings for the legs and feet Also referred to as legwear hosiery describes garments worn directly on the feet and Legs The term A glove ( Middle English from Old English glof) is a type of Garment (and more specifically a Fashion Baize is a coarse Woollen (or in cheaper variants Cotton) Cloth, sometimes called " Felt " in American English based on a
Weight
The term "worsted" is often applied to any yarn spun from fibres three inches in length or longer that have been carded or combed, and spun, not just wool. Acrylic and other yarns can be called "worsted," as much a reference to the weight of the yarn as the production process. Acrylic fibers are Synthetic fibers made from a polymer ( Polyacrylonitrile) with an average molecular weight of ~100000
A worsted yarn has a thickness of 12 wraps per inch. Depending on a knitter's personal technique, a worsted yarn generally has a gauge of about 16-20 stitches per 10 centimeters using 5. In Knitting, the word Gauge, technical abbreviation GG refers to "Knitting Machines" fineness size (not to the proportion thickness or fineness of the finished knitted 5mm (US size 9) needles.
History
Prior to the introduction of automatic machinery there was little difficulty in attaining a straight fibre, as long wool was always used, and the sliver was made up by hand, using combs. However, with the introduction of Richard Arkwright's water frame in 1771, and the later introduction of cap and mule spinning machines, the need for perfectly prepared slivers became apparent, and many manufactories used one or more preparatory "gill-boxes" (combing machines) before the worsting process, to ensure straightness of fibre and distribute the lubricant evenly. Sir Richard Arkwright ( Old Style 23 December 1732 / New Style 3 January 1733 – 3 August The water frame is the name given to the Spinning frame, when water power was used to drive it A factory (previously manufactory) or manufacturing plant is an industrial Building where workers manufacture goods A lubricant (sometimes referred to as a "Lube" is a substance (often a liquid introduced between two moving surfaces to reduce the Friction between them improving
References
- ^ Worstead village history. Retrieved December 15, 2005. Events 533 - Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone
External links
- Standard Yarn Weight System - Lists recommended needle sizes, gauge, etc. , for the various yarn weight categories.
- Woolen and Worsted Yarns
- joyofhandspinning.com on Dutch combs
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