CROSSBRED FABRICS

These are woollen cloths woven from crossbred wool yarns and this type of wool is generally classed in three qualities - fine, medium and low. Fine - The fibre has good length, is uniform, and has a spinning limit of about 48's worsted counts. These are used for coatings, and dress fabrics of a medium quality. Medium - Similar to fine, but of a lower quality and the spinning limit is about 40's worsted counts. Used for such fabrics as Cheviots, and others that require a crisp handle. Low - Spins to about 32's worsted counts, and is used for cheap low worsteds.

A coarse, woollen cloth known as early as the 12th century, a finer quality being called " say." It was much used during the Middle Ages for all portions of attire by the poorer classes, and in the piece for the decoration of houses. ———————— The specification issued by the U.S.A. Government is as follows: - Cotton and worsted serge for overcoat lining shall be of single or 2-ply cotton warp and single or 2-ply worsted filling, the wool to be not below 46's grade; the width shall be full 36-in. exclusive of the selvedge and shall weigh from 6-oz. to 7-oz. per linear yard; it shall be woven in regular serge weave and constructed so as to give a fabric with good body and twill line on the face and containing approximately equal quantities of worsted and cotton yarns throughout; to be navy-blue, fast to the light, with both sets of threads and to be put up into bookfold. ———————— This term was formerly applied in Yorkshire to rough handling coarse wool fabrics woven in a twill design. An old 6-end serge was a simple diagonal 3 up, 1 down, 1 up, 1 down. The term serge is now almost universally understood to mean the 2 & 2 twill, and sometimes the 3 & 3 and the 4 & 4 twills. In wool fabrics it is the practice to add to the name serge, the definition of botany to distinguish fine wool serges from cross-bred qualities. A typical botany worsted serge, 2 & 2 twill weave, 21-02. per yard, 56/58-in. is made with 2/20's worsted 64/70's quality, S twist, 46 ends and 46 picks per inch, 72-in. wide in loom, woven white arid piece-dyed. The cloth is clear finished so as to obtain a well-defined twill effect. A usual weight for ladies' costume serge is 12/13-oz. per yard. Serges are made in many qualities ranging from 12-oz. to 26-oz. per yard. Crossbred worsted yarns are used in making the rougher and stronger types, while woollen yarns are also used. A serge which is extensively used in uniforms for transport workers is made with two-fold cross-bred worsted yarn for warp and single Cheviot woollen yarn for weft. The cloth is woven white or grey and piece-dyed.

(See knitting). All yarns used for knitting are termed hosiery yarns in Leicester, but in America only yarns actually used for knitted footwear come under this term. These yarns are much softer than required for weaving. Miscellaneous Yarns - Goat wools, such as llama and alpaca are employed in spinning. yarns for the knitting trade. Vicuna and camel yarns are used to a limited extent. Ramie yarn is specially employed for knitting gas mantle fabrics. Soft spun flax yams have been used for making underwear fabric. Chenille and other manufactured threads are used to a small extent in warp knitting. Composite yarns, such as union yarns - spun from a mixture of wool and cotton fibres; cordon yarns - cotton and worsted singles, doubled together; wool and rayon or spun silk, cotton and rayon or spun silk are largely used to produce self or two-colour effects. Fancy yarns, such as slub yams, voiles, and curled and loop yarns are also employed. Hosiery Yarns (Cotton) include condenser, hosiery, condenser lisle thread, mercerised and sewing cottons. Condenser yarns are spun in coarse counts from low-grade cotton, Indian and American. They are carded, condensed and mule spun, and possess little twist. Hosiery cotton yarns vary considerably in counts and qualities, practically all varieties of Indian, American and Egyptian being used in varying proportions to obtain suitable mixture for quality and price. Cheaper yarns are carded and mule spun. American and Egyptian cotton yarns are combed mainly with the object of removing seed particles. High-class Egyptian and Sea Islands cotton yarns are super-combed. The chief features of a hosiery cotton yam should be: (1) Regularity; (2) cleanliness; (3) fullness. Regularity prevents the making of cloudy fabric, showing thick and thin places. Cleanliness is essential, as the seed particles clog the eyelet hole in the yam guides and cause breakages. Fullness is desirable to cover the loop interstices. Elasticity and pliability are quite as essential as tensile strength. Yams are usually soft spun and if two-fold soft doubled, average twists in two-fold being 2/10's 6¹/₂T., 2/20's 8¹/₂T., 2/30's 10T., 2/40's 16T., 2/80's 20T. Softer twist less 25 to 30 per cent of average (T= turns per inch). Lisle thread is a comparatively hard-twisted and doubly-gassed thread in which there are no projecting fibres. It is always of a two-fold character, and the doubling twist varies from 24 to 34 turns per inch in 2/60's. It is used largely in the manufacture of ladies' hose tops and feet and for lace hosiery. Mercerised yams are used largely in the fancy trade, a comparatively soft twist again being employed. Sewing cottons for seaming, linking and making-up are specially prepared in two to six cord open and reverse twist. Woollen and Worsted Yarns include lamb's wool, wheeling, skein yarns, gala yams (woollens), worsted, crossbreds, fingering, cashmere, dry spun botany (see under each name). Worsted and crossbred yarns of various qualities are used. These yams are spun softly with " hosiery twist." The drawing may be open, cone or French, and the spinning may take place on cap, ring or flyer frames. The chief essentials of hosiery yarn are softness of fibre, fullness, minimum of twist consistent with the requisite tensile strength, regularity, pliability and elasticity. Cashmere Yarns, as used in the knitted goods industry, are spun from short, loose and weak wools as well as from better qualities by French drawing and mule spinning. A small proportion of real cashmere is used for outer garments. In recent years nylon yarns have been largely employed.

Fabrics woven with fine warp and coarse weft, with a rough surface produced by an irregular crepe weave from 5 shafts upwards. The oatmeal weave is much used as a ground weave for dobby and jacquard effects. The oatmeal weave given is on 8 ends and 8 picks, but can be woven on 5 shafts. A fair quality is 76 ends and 76 picks per inch, 30's warp, 28's weft. all cotton. A coarser cloth has 50 ends and 40 picks per inch, 30's warp, 10's weft. Oatmeals are also made in wool, using crossbred yarns and a low reed and pick.