silk yarn

See Denier. Spun silk counts are based on the 840 yards hank, as in cotton, but in folded yarns the finished count is used, not the single count, with the number of component threads placed after the actual count resulting from the doubling. Thus 40/2 has 40 hanks of 840 yards in i-lb. and is composed of two threads of 80's single. Dram System - The weight of 1,000 yards in drams gives the counts, thus if 1,000 yards weighs 6 drams it is known as " 6-dram silk." This is known as the Manchester method of thrown silk counting. Another system is the number of yards per ounce, thus 25,000 organzine or tram yarn means 25,000 yards per ounce, and is that used in Yorkshire. The expression 12/14 as applied to silk yarn counts means that the yarn is not lighter than 12 denier, nor heavier than 14 denier, the average being 13

A semifinished product for the manufacture of silk fabrics dyed in the yarn. The process of brightening is intended to increase the lustre and scroop of the silk.

A silk yarn spun from inferior cocoons and silk spinners' waste. Used in the manufacture of velvets (see Schappe)

A thrown silk yarn, rather harsh and with little lustre. Only about 3 per cent of the gum has been removed. Largely used for gauze making.

See Silk Yarn Counts.

Silk yarns are composed of a number of silk filaments twisted together, usually 8 to 12 to form a thread. The filaments have a natural coating of gum which gives strength and elasticity, but reduces lustre. The gum must be boiled off if lustre is wanted, which may be done either in the yarn state or when woven in cloth. Silk yarns are divided into two classes, " thrown silk" and " spun silk," the first being yarns that are made by the processes of reeling and throwing, and the second consisting of yarns spun from waste silk. Thrown Silk, or Net Silk comprises organzine and tram yarns, organzine being made from the most perfect cocoons and used for warps. Tram is made from the inferior cocoons and used as weft. All silk contains a proportion of natural gum, and the amount of gum removed give rise to the following terms: - Boiled-off Silk - Yarn which has had all the gum removed, and has the highest sheen (see Boiled-off). Hard Silk - Yarn that has not undergone any boiling-off process. Ecru Silk - Yarn boiled to remove about 3 per cent to 5 per cent of the gum by light washing in lukewarm water. Souple Silk - Yarn boiled to remove about one-sixth of the gum. Bengal Silk - See Bengal Silk. Berlin Silk - A silk yarn made for fancy hand work. It is produced by doubling from 4 to 8 twisted singles grege by a right-hand twist; then again doubling three of these with a left-hand twist. The thread is very round, smooth, and hard, also known as cordon-net. Blond Silk - A special silk yarn made by doubling three grege threads left-hand twist, then doubling three of these together with right-hand twist. Brights - Silk which has been entirely de-gummed in the skein and then dyed. Bourette, Bourrette Yarn - A low grade of silk yarn made from the waste produced by schappe spinning. Canton Silk - See Canton Silk. Chiffon Twist - Single raw silk threads, 50 or more turns per inch. Used for chiffons, crepe-de-chines, etc. Crepe-de-Chine - Hard twist tram silk, about 40 to 70 turns per inch. Made from 3 to 5 raw silk ends. Usually woven as weft. Crepe Georgette - Hard twist raw silk usually made from two threads 13/15 deniers, 50 or more turns, both right and left twist, used for crepe georgettes as warp and weft. Crepe Twist - This is tram silk hard twisted, having from 30 to 100 turns per inch. Used for making fabrics of a crepe character both all silk and mixtures. Cordonnet Silk - See Berlin Silk; also under Cordonnet. Eri Silk - A raw silk obtained from the wild silkworm " Attacus ricini." Flock Silk - A general term used to indicate silk yarns made from the outer uneven parts of the cocoon. Floss Silk - Used principally for embroidery purposes. It is a thrown silk and made by doubling two thick raw singles with right-hand twist together with a left-hand twist. Galette Silk - A coarse silk yarn made from waste. Grenadine Silk - Organzine silk with a large number of turns per inch. Jaspe Silk - Silk warps printed in the hank. Ombre Silk - Skein dyed yarn in a gradation of shades, which run in sequence of depth of colour, varying from five up to forty shades. Schappe Silk - A spun silk yarn which is made from silk degummed by the maceration process used on the Continent (see Schappe Silk). Soie Ondee - See Soie Ondee. Silk Yarns - In addition to the foregoing yarns see under the following terms for further silk yarns: - Cable, Cevennes, Chappe, Chine, Clochepeid, Crocheting, Crue (see Ecru), Cuite Cusier, Cusirino, Degummed, Docken, Doup-pion. Ecru, Embroidery, Etschingo, Filature, Filature a 1'Europeune, Filet, Florette, Fringe, Goffered, Grege, Gum Hainin, Hard, Kahing, Knitting, Lousy, Marabout, Maybasch, Melange, Mele, Mi-cuit, Minchcw, Nett, Noil, Organzine, Ouvrees, Oval, Pearlina, Pel, Pelo, Poie, Pure dye Silk, Raw (see Grege), Re-reels, Retorse, Senegal, Sewing, Simonita, Soft Singles, Soie Ondee, Souple, Spun, Steeped, Strafilato, Stumba, Thrown, Tors San File, Tram, Tramette, Tsatlees, Tussah, Twist, Washed, Zaguri.

A Swiss fabric used by flour millers. It is used to sift any ground material. It is made in pieces or in covers to fit any machine or appliance. Only the best Italian silk yarn is used and the fabric is carefully woven on hand looms and the texture is most uniform. It is elastic and of exceptional strength. The weavers do the work in their own homes. Standard width is 40-in., but it is also made 24-in., 28-in., and 34-in. wide. Made in numerous qualities and all are plain weave. Principal brands are: Excelsior, Bodmer, Dupour, Wydler and Schindler.

A dress fabric in a twill weave, made from all-silk yarn. Croise is the French word for twill weave.

Silk noils may be divided into two major divisions, i.e., Schappe noils, produced on the Continent, and English noils. The broad difference is that whereas the former are not free from the natural gum of the silkworm, the latter have the gum fully discharged. Owing to the difference of the processes of which they are the outcome, the English noil is whiter and longer than the schappe noil. The English noil in its turn is of two kinds "long" and "exhaust." The long noil is the simple by-product of the flat-dressing frame, and the exhaust (or short) noil has been recombed and is more " neppy " than the material from which it came. All silk noils, long or short, schappe or English, may be divided into " white " and " tussah " according as they are the produce of one kind of silk or the other. The white has many sub-divisions (" China " and " Italian," " Steam," etc.) and the tussah may be light or dark brown according as its origin is Chinese or Indian waste silk. These noils, after spinning, appear as noil yarns, which are useful among other purposes as striping yarn for cheap tweeds. They are also useful substitutes for " spun " silk at three to four times the price. Noils are used in the production of fancy effects by Continental spinners of the so-called " imitation " yarns. And in Yorkshire silk noils are periodically required by costume and dress tweed makers for procuring " knop " or snowflake effects in cheap woollens. For this purpose the " short " or " exhaust " noil is preferable to the " long " and in some circumstances the short or re-combed noil fetches a higher price than the intrinsically better noil containing the long fibre.

To convert silk cocoons into yarn requires the operations of " reeling " and " throwing."

A point made with a single line of chain stitch of coarse yarn, with the chain effect on the outside of the glove.

A tram silk yarn made by twisting to the right from 12 to 16 raw silk threads. Used as an embroidery yarn or for cords.

Yarn used as the basis for tinsel yarns and spun from silk waste. This word is Italian for above yarn used for gold and silver fabric manufacture, and is made up of from 8 to 10 strands. Also known as Pel silk.

A silk yarn of fine counts, reeled in the Banjetty factories, Berhampur, Bengal. The yarn was much esteemed about the years 1880 to 1900

Silk yarn made from the tangled waste silk from the outside of cocoons. An embroidery silk is also known by this term and is made by doubling two thick singles having a right-hand twist with a left-hand twist (see Silk Yams)

A silk yarn used chiefly for trimmings, etc. It is a thrown silk, doubled and twisted similar to cordounet silk and very thick.

This is a silk yarn made from silk noil which is the short waste remaining after the production of spun silk. The yarns are much thicker and more knotty than other silks. The fabrics manufactured from the yam are rough and harsh to the handle and have no gloss, but are dull finished.

This is a spun silk yarn. More especially when made from stock which has been degummed by the schapping or maseration process, and is a silk waste. This term only applies to silk waste prepared as above. It is also known as " chappe " and " Florette." There are many qualities of which the better are used for embroidery and sewing silks and for warps, and the poorer for weft for combining with other fibres.

Hard-twisted silk yarn, made by twisting two or three raw silk threads together. Readily recognised by the wavy appearance caused by the high twist.

(See Silk Yarns). Silk yarn made from the outer parts of the cocoons.