plant fibre : cotton - schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org · read more: silk has many properties,...
TRANSCRIPT
Natural fibers are obtained from plants and animals. They can be classified as Plant Fiber and Animal Fiber. Fiber is a threadlike strand which is used for spinning yarn. On the basis of source, fibers are classified as natural and man-made or synthetic fibers. Natural fibers like cotton, silk, wool, jute etc. are obtained from natural products.
Plant Fibre :
Cotton
Cotton is the most important
fibre crop not only of India
but of the entire world. It
provides direct livelihood to
6 million farmers and about
40-50 million people are
employed in cotton trade
and its processing.
Jute
Jute is a commercial plant. It grows upto a height of more than 16 feet. It has a straight, cylindrical stalk with branches only near the top. It contains golden bast fibre. The fibre in the plant forms into continuous strands and run the entire length of the plant stem. Characteristics of the fiber that makes it of commercial significance are softness, strength, length and uniform size. Areas of Jute cultivation in India: The low, nearly level, alluvial and deltaic plains of the Ganges and Brahamputra rivers, with their friable soil the fertility of which is renewed by annual inundation are main areas of jute cultivation.
Animal Fibre: Silk comes from the cocoons of certain insects, such as the mulberry silkworm.
When the insects create their cocoons; harvesters extract the fibers and spin them into thread.
Each cocoon may contain more than 1,000 yards of fibers, but it takes several to create thread
strong enough to make cloth.
Silk
Sorting and softening the cocoons
6 The filature is the factory in which the
cocoons are processed into silk thread. In the
filature the cocoons are sorted by various
characteristics, including color and size, so that
the finished product can be of uniform quality.
The cocoons must then be soaked in hot water
to loosen the sericin. Although the silk is about
20% sericin, only 1% is removed at this stage.
This way the gum facilitates the following stage
in which the filaments are combined to form
silk thread, or yarn.
Read more: http://www.madehow.com/Volume-
2/Silk.html#ixzz4RJvBtc98
Silk has many properties, such as high
tensile strength, luster, low density, good
insulation and resistance to deformation
and certain insects. It is a natural fiber that
comes from the cocoon made by
caterpillars of the moth, which are known
as the silkworm.
Silk is known for its luxurious style as well
as its comfort. It is a smooth and lustrous
fabric, which has good insulation qualities
that make it suitable for wear in either
winter or summer. It is also resistant to
moths and mites.
Silk comes from the cocoons of certain
insects, such as the mulberry silkworm.
When the insects create their cocoons;
harvesters extract the fibers and spin
them into thread. Each cocoon may
contain more than 1,000 yards of
fibers, but it takes several to create
thread strong enough to make cloth.
Wool
Stages of getting Yarn from Sheep:
1. Sheep: Wool comes from sheep. They grow a wool coat and once a year this wool
coat is sheared off the animal. In Wisconsin, this is frequently done in the early spring
shortly before they have their lambs. A shorn ewe will be more likely to stay out of the
wind and bad weather and protect her new-born lamb if she does not have a thick wool
coat on her.
2. Fleece: The shorn wool coat is called a fleece. It is also called "grease wool" because of
all the oil and lanolin in the wool. This fleece must be cleaned before it can be processed
into wool yarn. There is much vegetable matter, manure and natural oil that must be
removed. Sometimes as much as 50% of the weight of the fleece is not wool.
3. Skirting a fleece: The wool from the back end of the sheep, their legs and sometimes
their belly is too full of manure to use. These are removed first before washing the fleece;
this process is called skirting, as all the edges of the wool coat are removed.
4. Washing the wool
The grease must then be removed from the wool.
5. Picking: The washed and dried wool is then "teased" or "picked" which is the
beginning of the process of opening up the locks of wool and turning it into a consistent
web.
6. Carding: The wool fibers are then put through a series of combing steps called carding.
7. Roving: The final step in the carding process divides the web into small strips called
pencil rovings.
8. Spinning: The roving as it comes off the card has no twist. It is held together by the oil
and natural hooks that exist on the surface of the wool fibers. The spinning frame will
put the actual twist on the roving and turn it into yarn.
Observing Silk Yarn
Collection of Silk Yarn
Testing cotton Yarn & thread
Making cotton Yarn
Collecting different types of yarn and finding its sources...