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worsted

  (wʊs'tĭd, wûr'stĭd) pronunciation
n.
  1. Firm-textured, compactly twisted woolen yarn made from long-staple fibers.
  2. Fabric made from such yarn.

[Middle English, variant of worthstede, after Worthstede (Worstead), a village of eastern England.]

worsted wor'sted adj.
 
 

Wool yarn made of long-staple fibres that have been combed to remove unwanted short fibres and make them lie parallel. In the spinning operation, which gives the necessary twist to hold the fibres together, worsted yarns are more tightly twisted than are the bulkier woolen yarns. The soft, heavy yarn is strong and durable and is often used for sweaters. Worsteds are also used for fine dress fabrics and suit material.

For more information on worsted, visit Britannica.com.

 

Fabric made of combed wool with a longer fiber length than that used for woollen fabrics.


 
Wikipedia: worsted

Worsted is the name of a yarn, the cloth made from this yarn, as well as a yarn weight category. The name derives from the village of Worstead in the English county of Norfolk. This village became, along with North Walsham and Aylsham, a centre for the manufacture of yarn and cloth after weavers from Flanders arrived in Norfolk in the 12th century.[1]

Technique & Preparation

The essential feature of a worsted yarn is straightness of fibre, in that the fibres lie parallel to each other. Traditionally, long, fine staple wool was spun to create worsted yarn, but other long fibres are also used today.

Many spinners differentiate between worsted preparation and worsted spinning. Worsted preparation refers to the way the fibre is prepared before spinning, using combs to force the fibre staples to lie parallel to each other. This produces overlapping untwisted strands called "slivers". Worsted spinning refers to using a worsted technique, which produces a smooth yarn with no air. Combinations of worsted preparation and worsted spinning with other techniques produce different types of yarn, notably semi-worsted yarn.

A roving is often used to spin woolen yarn, and wool top is often used to spin worsted yarn. Many hand spinners buy their fibre in roving or top form. Top and roving are rope like in appearance, in that they can be thick and long. While some mills put a slight twist in the rovings they make, it is not enough twist to be a yarn. The fibers in top all lie parallel to one another along the length, which makes top ideal for spinning worsted yarns. The fibers in roving all lie crossed to one another along the length, which makes roving ideal for spinning woolen yarns.

Contrast woolen.

The cloth

Worsted cloth, archaically also known as "stuff", is lightweight and has a coarse texture. The weave is usually twill or plain. Twilled fabrics such as whipcord, gabardine and serge are often made from worsted yarn. Worsted fabric made from wool has a natural recovery, meaning that it is resilient and quickly returns to its natural shape, but non-glossy worsted will shine with use or abrasion.

Worsteds differs from woolens, in that the natural crimp of the wool fibre is removed in the process of spinning the yarn. In Tropical Worsteds, this use of tightly-spun straightened wool, combined with a looser weave, permits the free flow of air through the fabric.

Worsted is also used for carpets, garments, hosiery, gloves, and baize.

Weight

The term "worsted" is often applied to any yarn spun from fibres three inches in length or longer that have been carded or combed, and spun, not just wool. Acrylic and other yarns can be called "worsted," and this is a reference to the weight of the yarn as much as the production process.

A worsted yarn generally has a gauge of about 16-20 stitches per 10 centimeters using US size 9 needles, though this definition may vary slightly in different countries.

History

Prior to the introduction of automatic machinery there was little difficulty in attaining a straight fibre, as long wool was always used, and the sliver was made up by hand, using combs. However, with the introduction of Richard Arkwright's water frame in 1771, and the later introduction of cap and mule spinning machines, the need for perfectly prepared slivers became apparent, and many manufactories used one or more preparatory "gill-boxes" (combing machines) before the worsting process, to ensure straightness of fibre and even distribution of the lubricant.

References

  1. ^ Worstead village history. Retrieved December 15, 2005.

External Links



 
Translations: Translations for: Worsted

Dansk (Danish)
n. - kamgarn

Nederlands (Dutch)
(stof van) kamgaren

Français (French)
n. - tissu en laine peignée

Deutsch (German)
n. - Kammgarn

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - νήμα ή ύφασμα πενιέ

Italiano (Italian)
tessuto pettinato

Português (Portuguese)
n. - fio ou tecido de lã penteada (m)

Русский (Russian)
ткань из гребенной шерсти, камвольная ткань, шерстяная материя, шерсть для ручного вязания и вышивания, камвольный, гребенной (о шерсти), шерстяной

Español (Spanish)
n. - estambre

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - kamull

中文(简体) (Chinese (Simplified))
精纺毛纱, 精纺毛料服装

中文(繁體) (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 精紡毛紗, 精紡毛料服裝

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 소모사, 우스티드, 모직물

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 梳毛糸, 梳毛織物
adj. - 梳毛織物の, ウーステッドの

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) الغزل الصوفي يستخدم في الحياكه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮חוט צמר שזור, אריג צמר‬


 
 

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Veterinary Dictionary. The Veterinary Dictionary. Copyright © 2007 by Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Worsted" Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

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