weave

The term weave is used normally to describe the structure of a woven fabric or the process of weaving which is usually carried out on a loom. Woven fabrics are constructed with two sets of interlacing warp and weft yarns. The warp yarns, or ends, are usually wound lengthwise on the loom, while the weft yarns, or picks, interlace the warp at right angles to produce the fabric.

There is a wide variety of weave constructions of which tabby is the most common. The main reason for changing the structure of a cloth, by the use of a particular weave, is to achieve the best combination of weight and cover for the eventual weight of the fabric.

The following weaves are the most widely used:

• brighton - honeycomb structure
• crow - one and three twill
• double plain -  two interchanging plain cloths making a single cloth
• herringbone - chevron or zig-zag pattern
• honeycomb - three-dimensional cellular structure sometimes known as waffle weave
• hopsack - 2 up and 2 down or 3 up and 3 down structure also known as matt or basket weave
• leno - open, stable structure often used for cellular fabrics
• satin - warp faced structure often with warp yarn thinner than the weft mock-leno like leno but simpler and less stable
• plain or tabby - the simplest weave structure sateen weft faced structure often with weft yarn thicker than the warp
• twill - 2 up and 2 down diagonal weft and warp floats sometimes known as common twill