Fibres are straightened and laid parallel by combing prior to being spun into a continuous yarn. Silk filaments are much simpler to convert into yarn as they need only the twisting together of several filaments. Two or more strands of yarn are then woven together on a loom to make cloth. Warp threads run lengthwise on the loom and weft threads intertwine these horizontally. Weaving the warp and weft threads with each other in various manners changes the textile’s pattern and texture. Pile carpets, for instance, are created by weaving an extra set of warp threads, which are then cut to give the textile a plush, textured surface.

Modern looms utilized in America and some European countries are almost fully automated and can be programmed to rapidly change their weaving pattern for various batches of cloth. Older looms, for example those used in China and South Korea, are slightly more labour intensive.

Nevertheless, Chinese looms are slowly being replaced by modern automated machines as investment and restructuring brings the country’s textiles industry up-to-date. Knitting is another typical technique of producing fabrics. Items as diverse as stockings, tights, jumpers and heavy outdoor coats are knitted by interlocking loops from one or more yarns. Knitting could be done by hand or on a knitting machine. Industrial machines are highly specialized and operate at speeds of up to one million loops a minute.

Dyeing in colour

Synthetic fibres are normally coloured as they’re created by adding coloured pigments or dye to the polymer solution before spinning. But if fabric has been produced using white or off-white natural fibres, it needs to be dyed to give it colour. You will find over 3000 different synthetic dyes obtainable in every shade and colour. You will find also numerous different dyeing methods.

The most typical ones consist of immersing the cloth in a bath of dye, roller printing the cloth to produce multicoloured patterns, screen printing and batik. After the textile has been coloured it passes through one or more finishing stages, which alter the appearance or properties of the cloth. A fairly plain cloth, for instance, could be given a smooth, glossy surface that’s wrinkle-free. Alternatively the cloth could be strengthened by adding sizing to it, or it could be bonded to foam backing with a thermally activated adhesive.