Glossary of terms used on this site

The process by which a mass of staple fibres is converted into a yarn or thread to meet required specifications of thickness, evenness, twist and composition.  Spinning can be done by hand, by hand controlled machine (like a spinning wheel) or mechanically.  There are many types of spinning mechanisms all based on five different principles:

• Fly spinning
• Cap spinning
• Ring spinning
• Centrifugal or pot spinning
• Rotor spinning

See ring spinning, rotor spinning, jenny and mule 

Yarn spun from waste silk which has been processed and spun like cotton.

Used to describe a small mass or tuft of animal, vegetable or man-made fibre illustrates the fibre length, hence, for example, the terms \'short staple wool\' or \'long staple cotton\' or \'short staple polyester\'.

Usually used to describe man-made fibres which have been cut or broken into pre-determined lengths, for example, 50mm polyester staple fibre.

The length of staple fibre compared to the length of natural fibres, for example, \'mountain wools have a staple length of 50mm\'or\'the staple length of Indian cotton averages 20mm\'.

One of a series of finishing processes when the selvedges of an open-width textile fabric are held at a predetermined width and the tension maintained.  The attachment to the selvedges can be by needles, hooks or clips.  Traditionally done on simple frames, is now done in a stentering machine which usually contains a dryer.  The term stentering is used for passing a fabric through a stenter, or tenter. Stentering is done for a variety of reasons:

• drying and setting fabrics
• heat-setting of thermoplastic materials
• dye fixing
• controlling the width of fabrics

A flexible stick, called a stenter or tenter, is often used when weaving on a handloom to maintain a constant width of the fabric under an even tension, as it is being woven.  Hence the term \'to be under tenter hooks\' means to be tense.

A single knit fabric which derives its name from stocking stitch traditionally used in the manufacture of socks and stockings.  Stockinette is now associated with cotton cleaning cloths, although it can be used for nightwear or dresses.  Although similar in weight it is generally looser than the knitted fabric used in the manufacture of T shirts.

A method of vigorously washing and tumbling a fabric or garments, to create a \'peached\' or suede surface and soft handle, using water, sand or pebbles.  The process is used in finishing silk and cotton fabrics and garments. 

A single or multiple yarn used as a component of a rope or cable.  The term also refers to a strand of raw silk which is composed of filaments reeled from several cocoons at the same time. 

A fine stripe or streaky effect, created (sometimes by accident) in the length of the fabric produced by random warp yarns having been dyed in a variety of tones of the same colour.

A thick, folded yarn made from jute, hemp, sisal, cotton or any strong fibre.  String yarn is coarse mercerized yarn often used in the manufacture of gloves.

Often refers to woven cloth, specifically worsted, which has not been made into a garment. The word stuff derives from a French word for cloth: étoffe.

A broad term used for a range of wool, silk, cotton or man-made fibre fabrics that have body and can be tailored into men\'s and women\'s suits.

Or songket in Brunei or sungket in Malay.  A highly decorative woven cloth approximately 2m by 84cm wide.  Used as a ceremonial garment and worn by men like an apron or kilt over a silk suit.  The term comes from the Malay word menyongket meaning \'to embroider with gold or silver threads\'.  Sungkit is not embroidered but is a woven fabric belonging to the brocade family of fabrics.

A soft, bast fibre obtained from the stalk of the Crotalaria juncea L. plant.  It is light in colour and lustrous. Also known as sunn hemp, san hemp, sana, sewnee, itarsi, Indian hemp, Jubbulpure hemp, Madras hemp, Benaras hemp or Bengal hemp, although it is not hemp.  Used to make string and used in paper making.  Chiefly grown in India and Sri Lanka.  See hemp.