#5 - WEAVING AND KNITS

     In the first video, a man is learning the process of how fabrics are made. He learned how to weave and knit. He first learned how to hand-weave and then used a sitting weave, which has 4 pedals that control the movement of the warp yarns. It was very cool to see how a simple loom works. The man talked about how hard it was to place the warp strands onto the loom properly. He also talked about how his first textile took nearly 12 hours to complete. The second video describes the weaving process on a loom in more detail. It shows each part of the loom and describes what each piece does. The yarn is pulled from a loom beam where it is rolled up. It is then strung across a tension or whip roll, which makes sure the yarn is at a constant tension throughout the weaving process. Then the yarns pass through a drop wire, which stops the loom if a yarn drops too low or breaks. It is then strung through harnesses that control the raising and lowering of the warp yarns. The yarns then pass through a reed, which maintains the spacing of the yarns. Filling yarn is then inserted and pushed to the fell of the cloth, which is when it goes from being yarn to being cloth. The finished cloth is then rolled onto a cloth roll.

        There are different types of weaving, including twill and jacquard. Twill fabrics are known for their diagonal lines called wales. This is caused because the weft thread goes over and under multiple warp threads in a staggered pattern. There are also different possible weave structures, like 2/1 or 3/1. This can change the look or appearance of a fabric by adding strength, flexibility, or texture. This weaving pattern is commonly seen in denim. Another weaving pattern is jacquard. It is made on a jacquard loom, which is one of the earliest mechanical looms. There is a series of cards with holes punched in them that act as a pattern code. This helps the loom read which threads to lift. This allows complex patterns to be created. 

It is very important to be able to differentiate fabrics. One way to do this is through a burn test. Seeing how a fiber reacts to fire can give clues as to what kind of fiber it is. It is important to take safety precautions when performing a burn test. Cellulose fibers, which include cotton, rayon, linen, etc., ignite and burn quickly. The smoke is white or light colored and smells like burnt paper or leaves. Protein fibers, which include silk, wool, alpaca, etc., burn slowly and produce very little smoke. The smoke smells like burnt hair, and a dark, gritty powder is produced. Synthetic fibers include nylon, polyester, and acrylic. These fibers burn quickly and can continue to burn even after the flame is removed. They produce black smoke and hazardous fumes. They also create strong acidic and chemical fumes. 

The tensile strength test is also important for determining a fabric’s durability. It measures how much pulling force a fabric can withstand before it breaks. For this test, a piece of fabric is placed in a tensile testing machine. The machine grabs two ends and slowly pulls the fabric apart until it breaks. This test helps manufacturers and designers compare materials. It is also used to improve fabric performance. The last video shows the Martindale Abraison Testing. This test is used to measure a fabric's resistance to surface wear, such as rubbing. Fabric is mounted onto a machine and clamped into place. A piece of wool or another abrasive cloth is rubbed against the fabric in a circular motion. The machine usually runs through about 500 cycles before it is checked for wear. Fabrics that show little to no surface damage or pilling are considered abrasion-resistant. 

One Step Further:

For my One Step Further, I looked into alternative methods for abrasion testing. One test I researched further was the Wyzenbeek method. This test involves rubbing a fabrics back and forth against a wire mesh or cotton duck abradant. Fabric is pulled tight on the Wyzenbeek machine, and an approved fabric is used as the abradant. The fabric is then faced with as many double rubs as it can take before it breaks or there is noticeable wear. This determines the fabric's abrasion rating. The main difference between the Wyzenbeek and Martindale tests is that the fabric is rubbed in the warp and weft directions in the Wyzenbeek method, and is rubbed in a figure-8 pattern in the Martindale method. 

Resources:

Joseph Noble. (n.d.). Textile abrasion test: Wyzenbeek vs Martindale. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://www.josephnoble.com/inspiration/textile-abrasion-test-wyzenbeek-vs-martindale/

Dharma Trading Co. (n.d.). Burn testing for fabric & fiber identification. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://www.dharmatrading.com/home/the-fire-test.html

Material Bank. (n.d.). NFPA 260 flammability. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from                         

            https://knowledgebank.materialbank.com/terms/nfpa-260-flammability/