Category Science

Knitting is the process wherein thread – or sometimes yarn – is made into cloth and other crafts. It consists of stitches (or loops) of the material consecutively run together. Weaving, on the other hand, is the process in which two types of yarn or threads are interlaced together to form a fabric or cloth. The two types of threads run in different directions, with the warp threads running lengthwise and the weft threads running crosswise or horizontally.

In knitting, the yarn follows a course, or a path, forming well-proportioned loops over and under the yarn’s path. These oblique loops can be elongated easily from most directions, which give the end fabric more elasticity. In weaving, the threads are always straight and perpendicular to each other; they tend to run side by side.

The end fabric of weaving can usually be stretched in only one direction (except in fabrics like spandex), which means less elasticity compared to fabrics formed from knitting. The threads used in knitting are thicker than those used in weaving; knitted fabrics are usually bulkier, while those formed through weaving have more drape and flow resulting from the use of finer threads. In knitting, as each row is done, new loops are pulled through the existing loop. Stitches that are active are held by a needle until a new loop passes through them.

There are also different kinds of yarn and needles that can be used, and they result in products of various colors, textures, weight, and integrity. The loom-a device that holds the warp threads in place while the filling threads are woven through them– is the main equipment used in weaving.

In weaving, the two sets of threads are woven by being interlaced at right angles to each other. Weaving can also be done by hand or machine. The variety of woven products is also largely dependent on the thread colors and the sequence of the raising and lowering of warp threads that can result in different patterns. Both knitted and woven products have recently reached new heights in design and patterns with the advent of more complex but easily used computerized machines.Hand knitting has gone in and out of style several times since then, but many people still pick it up as a hobby. Some types of knitting practiced by manual knitters are flat knitting, circular knitting, and felting.

Compared to knitting, weaving seems to be a much older craft, as some findings have indicated that it has existed since the Palaeolithic era. The Bible also points out several instances of weaving being practiced by Egyptians. Unfortunately, in the modern world, hand weaving is already close to non-existent, as fabrics are mostly designed and created in factories. Some examples of weave structures are the plain, twill, and satin weaves. However, with computer generated interlacing, numerous other weave structures are available in our modern times.

Moreover, knitting can be done individually or in a group as a hobby, and it has also become a social activity. Its popularity has given birth to different knitting clubs formed by knitting enthusiasts who not only knit together, but share patterns, designs, and newly finished products with each other. Weaving is still recognized as a popular craft, but due to its complexity, most processes for clothing fabrics are done in factories with machines that make the procedure much faster and easier. That being said, do not expect to encounter weaving clubs composed of housewives getting together to share weaving patterns like they do in knitting clubs.

Picture Credit : Google

Threads from plants and animals are usually not more than a few centimetres long. To make a long, strong thread for weaving or knitting, they must be spun. A carding machine combs the fibres so that they are all lying in the same direction and form a loose rope. This rope is then gently drawn out into a thinner thread and twisted into yarn.

Spinning is the twisting techniques where the fiber is drawn out, twisted, and wound onto a bobbin.The yarn issuing from the drafting rollers passes through a thread-guide, round a traveller that is free to rotate around a ring, and then onto a tube or bobbin, which is carried on a spindle, the axis of which passes through a center of the ring. The spindle is driven (usually at an angular velocity that is either constant or changes only slowly) and the traveller is dragged around a ring by the loop of yarn passing round it. If the drafting rollers were stationary, the angular velocity of the traveller would be the same as that of the spindle and each revolution of the spindle would cause one turn of twist to be inserted in the loop of yarn between the roller nip and the traveller. In spinning, however, the yarn is continually issuing from the rollers of the drafting system and, under these circumstances, the angular velocity of the traveller is less than that of the spindle by an amount that is just sufficient to allow the yarn to be wound onto the bobbin at the same rate as that at which it issues from the drafting rollers.

Each revolution of the traveller now inserts one turn of twist into the loop of yarn between the roller nip and the traveller but, in equilibrium, the number of turns of twist in the loop of yarn remains constant as twisted yarn is passing through the traveller at a corresponding rate.

Artificial fibres are made by extruding a polymer through a spinneret into a medium where it hardens. Wet spinning (rayon) uses a coagulating medium. In dry spinning (acetate and triacetate), the polymer is contained in a solvent that evaporates in the heated exit chamber. In melt spinning (nylons and polyesters) the extruded polymer is cooled in gas or air and sets. All these fibres will be of great length, often kilometers long.

Natural fibres are from animals (sheep, goat, rabbit, silkworm), minerals (asbestos), or plants (cotton, flax, sisal). These vegetable fibres can come from the seed (cotton), the stem (known as bast fibres: flax, hemp, jute) or the leaf (sisal). Many processes are needed before a clean even staple is obtained. With the exception of silk, each of these fibres is short, only centimetres in length, and each has a rough surface that enables it to bond with similar staples.Artificial fibres can be processed as long fibres or batched and cut so they can be processed like a natural fibre.

Picture Credit : Google

Substances called dyes are used to colour threads and textiles. In the past, natural dyes were used, made mainly from plants. Onion skins, for example, give a soft, reddish colour. Most natural dyes fade gradually when washed or exposed to light, which can be very attractive. Many people like the faded colour of denim jeans, for example, dyed with a natural plant-based dye called indigo. Modern chemical dyes do not fade so easily. They give strong, bright colours. Either skeins of thread or finished fabrics may be dyed by passing them through a dye bath, then fixing the dye with other chemicals and drying the result.

Dyeing in textiles is a process in which color is transferred to a finished textile or textile material (like fibers and yarns) to add permanent and long-lasting color. It can be done by hand or by machine. Dyes can come as powders, crystals, pastes, or liquid dispersions and they dissolve completely in an aqueous solution like water. When the textile and the dye come into contact, the textile is completely saturated by the dye and colored.

But what’s the difference between paint and dye? Paint is a complex substance, and when you use it, you’re usually coating the surface of something. Unlike paint, dyes actually change the crystal structure of substances. The details involve a long chemistry discussion, but what you really need to understand is that dyes are more saturating and more permanent. This is important because you want the fabric color to last through many wearings and washings. And yes, most dyed textile material is used to make clothing.

Humans have been dyeing textiles for a very, very long time, and in fact, scholars find early mention of dyeing textiles as far back as 2600 BCE! Dyeing can be done at any stage of the manufacturing process. Makers don’t have to wait until the whole cloth has been made in order to dye it.

Before we discuss some dye types, you should know that there are many different types of dyes and we’re only going to discuss a few of them. Now, let’s review two primary categories before moving on to dye types. Natural dyes come from sources like plants, minerals, and animals. They have a long history, but aren’t used much for commercial textiles anymore. You’ll find artists and craftspeople using them for hand-made products and for traditional crafts. Synthetic dyes are made in a laboratory, and the chemicals are often derived from sources like coal tar or petroleum-based substances.

Basic dye dissolves in water and requires a mordant. A mordant is a chemical that forms a bond with the dye to make it insoluble, which means the color stays on the textile when it’s rinsed following dyeing. This process tends to be used with fabrics like nylon and polyester. Direct dyes, on the other hand, don’t require a mordant, and are used to dye natural fibers like wool, cotton, and silk. Then, there are vat dyes, made of materials like indigo. Indigo is a plant that provides a deep blue color and is one of the oldest natural dyes. Substances used in vat dyes must be treated with a liquid alkaline substance (something that reduces acid) to allow them to be used as a dye.

Picture Credit : Google

At one time, fibres for textiles came from either plants or animals. The former included cotton from the cotton plant and linen from flax, but also coarser fibres for rope, sacking and matting, such as hemp, jute, sisal and even coconut fibres. Animal-based fibres have been spun from the coats of sheep, goats, camels, llamas and, by real enthusiasts, dogs! Nowadays, there are also artificial fibres, spun from mixtures of chemicals. By mixing different fibres together, it is possible to make fabrics for every purpose.

Fiber is a hair-like strand of material. It is flexible and can be spun or twisted for weaving, braiding, knitting, crocheting, etc. to make desired products. Fibers can be obtained in natural form from plants and animals as well as in synthetic form. Man-made or synthetic fibers are either made up of chemicals or by processing natural fibers to create new fiber structures/properties.

Fiber is the fundamental component required for making textile yarns and fabrics. There are two types – natural and synthetic. Natural fibers come from animals (sheep, goats, camelids, etc.) or vegetable-based fibers (cotton, flax, linen, and other plant fibers). Mineral fibers (asbestos, etc) are also classified as a natural fiber.

Synthetic fibers are man-made and manufactured from synthetic chemicals – (byproducts of the petrochemical industries) – nylon, polyester, acetates.The characteristics of fibers directly affect the properties of the fabric it is woven into.

The history of fibers is as old as human civilization. Traces of natural fibers have been located to ancient civilizations all over the globe. For many thousand years, the usage of fiber was limited by natural fibers such as flax, cotton, silk, wool and plant fibers for different applications.

Fibers can be divided into natural fibers and man-made or chemical fibers. Flax is considered to be the oldest and the most used natural fiber since ancient times.A unit of matter which is capable of being spun into a yarn or made into a fabric by bonding or by interlacing in a variety of methods including weaving, knitting, braiding, felting, twisting, or webbing, and which is the basic structural element of textile products.

It is the smallest textile component which is a microscopic hair-like substance that may be man-made or natural.They have length at least hundred times to that of their diameter or width.

Picture Credit : Google

The word “textile” may be used to describe any woven material, or, more broadly, any cloth. Most fabrics are made from threads. These may be looped or passed under and over each other to create a firm cloth, or they may simply be matted together to form a kind of felt. There are thousands of different kinds of textile, each with its own properties and uses.

Textiles refer to materials that are made from fibers, thin threads or filaments which are natural or manufactured or a combination. Textiles are created by interlocking these yarns in specific patterns resulting in a length of cloth

The textile fibers are spun into yarn and then made into fabric by different methods like weaving, knitting, and felting. It forms the building block of a garment. So many properties of the fiber, like fiber type, yarn gauge, twist yarns per inch, weave float, and how it is processed and finished determine the final product.

When you got up this morning, you likely threw off the bed covers. Then, you went into the bathroom where you stepped on a rug. After leaving the bathroom you probably put on some clothing. Then, you sat down at a table that may have had a tablecloth on it. From there, you went to your car and sat down on a car seat. You came in to work and sat on a padded chair.

Those covers, rugs, clothes, tablecloths, car seat upholstery, and chair upholstery, were all example of textiles. A textile is a material made of natural or synthetic fibers.

Picture Credit : Google