| Once the fiber has been turned into yarn the | | | | the loom with one hand, and across a greater |
| process of making cloth is much the same for | | | | width. The invention of the drop box allowed |
| any type of fibre, be it animal or plant. | | | | a weaver to use multiple shuttles to carry |
| | | | different wefts. |
| Knitting Knitting by hand is a trend that is | | | | |
| slowly growing throughout the United States. | | | | After passing a weft thread through the warp, |
| Commonly knitted goods are scarfs (both | | | | a reed comb used to beat (compact) the woven |
| decorative and functional), sweaters, socks | | | | weft. |
| and shawls. Hand knitting can either be done | | | | |
| "flat" or "in the round". Flat knitting is | | | | Rather than having to lift each thread |
| done on a set of single point knitting | | | | individually, alternate threads can be |
| needles, and the knitter goes back and forth, | | | | separated by introducing a bar between the |
| adding rows. | | | | threads: the gap created is called the shed. |
| | | | While an inserted bar only presents one |
| In Circular knitting, or "knitting in the | | | | orientation, alternating sets of threads can |
| round", the knitter knits around a circle, | | | | be lifted by connecting them with string or |
| creating a tube. This can be done with either | | | | wires called heddles to another bar, called |
| double pointed needles or a circular needle. | | | | the shaft (or heddle bar or heald). Heddles, |
| | | | shafts and the couper (lever to lift the |
| Since knitting in essence is pulling one row | | | | assembly) are called the harness — the |
| of loops of yarn through another row, a | | | | harness provides for mechanical operation |
| knitted object will unravel easily if the top | | | | using foot- or hand-operated treadles. |
| has not been secured. Knitted objects also | | | | |
| stretch easily in all directions, whereas | | | | (Multiple harnesses can be used, connected to |
| woven fabric only stretches on the bias. | | | | different sets of warp threads in a |
| | | | draw-loom.) Sleying is the process of |
| Crochet Crocheting differs largely from | | | | threading the warp yarn through the reed. |
| knitting in that there is only one loop, not | | | | Usually one speaks of "sleying the reed". You |
| the multitude as knitting has. Also, instead | | | | set (verb) the warp at X ends per inch and |
| of knitting needles, a crochet hook is used. | | | | then you can say that its sett (noun) is X |
| Other than that it is vaguely similar, and is | | | | ends per inch. |
| often mistaken for knitting. Lace is commonly | | | | |
| crocheted, as well as a large variety of | | | | Process The first step in weaving is to make |
| other items. | | | | a warp, the threads that run lengthwise |
| | | | perpendicular to you. By hand this is done |
| Lace A lace fabric is lightweight openwork | | | | with the help of a warping board. |
| fabric, patterned, with open holes in the | | | | |
| work. The holes can be formed via removal of | | | | The length the warp is made is about a |
| threads or cloth from a previously woven | | | | quarter to half yard more than the amount of |
| fabric, but more often lace is built up from | | | | cloth they will be able to get off the loom, |
| a single thread and the open spaces are | | | | because of waste at the beginning and end. |
| created as part of the lace fabric. | | | | Since with smaller lengths of warp means a |
| | | | higher percentage of wasted yarn, and since |
| Weaving The earliest weaving was done without | | | | threading the loom can be tedious, most |
| a loom, but that is rare now. | | | | weavers put on many yards at a time. The |
| | | | weaver decides what length of a warp to put |
| Loom In general the supporting structure of | | | | on the loom, then measures it out on the |
| the loom is called the frame. | | | | warping board. Warping boards come in a |
| | | | variety of shapes, from the two nearest door |
| The frame provides the means of fixing the | | | | handles to a board with pegs on it, or a tall |
| length-wise threads, called the warp, and | | | | umbrella swift like device. |
| keeping them under tension. When producing a | | | | |
| long piece of material, the warp threads are | | | | Machine processing: fabric formation Knitting |
| wound on a roller called a beam, and attached | | | | Knitting by machine is done in two different |
| to the cloth beam which will serve to hold | | | | ways; warp and weft. Weft knitting is what |
| the finished material. Because of the tension | | | | can be seen in the pictures, and is how hand |
| the warp threads are under, they need to be | | | | knitting is done. The cloth is made from one |
| strong. | | | | yarn and the stitches are all connected to |
| | | | each other horizontally. In a warp knit there |
| The thread that is woven through the warp is | | | | are many pieces of yarn and there are |
| called the weft. The weft is threaded through | | | | vertical chains, zigzagged together by |
| the warp using a shuttle, which carries the | | | | crossing the yarn. |
| weft through separated warp threads. The | | | | |
| original hand-loom was limited in width by | | | | Warp knits do not stretch as much as a weft |
| the weaver's reach, because of the need to | | | | knit, and it is run-resistant. A weft knit is |
| throw the shuttle from hand to hand. The | | | | not run-resistant, but stretches more and is |
| invention of the flying shuttle with its fly | | | | slightly more common. The average t-shirt is |
| cord and picking sticks enabled the weaver to | | | | a weft knit. |
| pass the shuttle from a box at either side of | | | | |