3. ANGORA
There are two types of Angora:
- Mohair (made from the Angora Goat)
- Angora Rabbit Hair (made from the Angora Rabbit)
When we talk about Angora, we refer to Angora
Rabbit Hair, while the fibers from the Angora Goat are
more commonly known as Mohair.
There are 4 different angora rabbit breeds, namely,
English, French, Satin and Giant.
Angora wool harvested from these rabbits are
lightweight, silky, fine, and very soft. It is 7 times
warmer than wool, and is ideal for baby clothes,
winter underwear, sweaters and mittens.
4. COIR
Coir is a natural, coarse brown fiber, obtained from the husk of a
coconut.
The fiber cells are hollow and narrow and have thick walls made up of
cellulose.
Major Producers
India, Srilanka are the most important coir producing countries.
The Indian state of Kerala, produces around 60% of the total world coir
production.
Applications
Coir is a very useful natural fiber, finding application in :
Sail Cloth
Coarse Mattings
Door Mats
Floor Mats
Mattress
5. KAPOK
Kapok is natural vegetable based fiber obtained from the seed capsules of trees grown in Java,
Sumatra, and central America. The fiber is also known as silk cotton because of its natural luster
similar to that of pure silk.
Properties of Kapok
Kapok possesses the following properties that make it useful for manufacturing different
products:
Light
Resilient
Highly Flammable
Vermin Resistant
Moisture Resistant
Dries Quickly
Smooth
Applications:
Kapok has a smooth texture, but because of being weak, it is not spun into yarn. The fiber is
mostly used for manufacturing mattress, cushions, upholstered furniture, pillows, life jackets etc.
The fiber is also used for sound proofing and insulation.
6. SISAL
Sisal is another natural fiber obtained from the leaves of a plant. It is naturally found in
Africa, Central America and Florida.
It is the most produced natural fiber after cotton.
Physical Characteristics
The fiber is smooth and straight and light yellow in color.
It is fairly coarse and It is extensively used because of its strength, durability, and ability
to stretch.
Major Countries
China, Tanzania, Madagascar, Kenya are some of the significant producers of high quality
sisal, used in different applications.
Applications
Sisal is used for making a number of products including :
Rope
Twine (strong twisted thread)
Upholstering (used in furniture)
Mattress
Carpets
7. ASBESTOS
Asbestos is a natural fiber sourced from minerals, ie. varieties of
rocks found in Italy, Canada and South America.
The soft, glossy, long and white fibers are pressed into sheets.
Physical Characteristics
The fiber does not burn, but melts at a sufficiently high
temperature.
It is rustproof and acid proof.
Applications
Asbestos has been used in making fire fighting and fire resistant
fabrics.
It is used to manufacture commercial furnishings including
theater curtains, draperies etc.
9. EYELASH YARN
Eyelash yarn is a type of novelty yarn.
Because of its thinness, It is normally carried along
with another, plainer yarn to add visual interest to the
primary yarn.
Some of the drawbacks of these yarns are that they
tend to have poor stitch definition because the hairs
obscure the appearance of the base.
Mostly used for accessories such as scarves or as
garment trim.
Some companies have even created eyelash yarn
that can be used for decorative purposes for events,
such as holidays or other celebrations.
10. LADDER YARN
Ladder yarn or train tracks yarn is a type of
novelty yarn.
It is constructed like ladders, with a horizontal
stripe of material suspended between two
thinner threads, alternating with gaps.
Sometimes a contrasting strand is fed through
the gaps to produce another look.
11. LUREX (YARN)
Lurex is the brand name for a type of yarn
with a metallic appearance.
The twine is most commonly a synthetic fibre,
onto which an aluminium layer has been
vaporised.
"Lurex" may also refer to cloth created with
the yarn.
12. FLAMMÉ
Flammé yarns are a kind of novelty yarn.
It is generally a loose or untwisted core
wrapped by at least one other strand. The
extra element can be a metallic thread, or a
much-thicker or much-narrower strand of
yarn
Some companies have come to put twin
yarns on the market to show off combinations
of one regular yarn and novelty yarns in
assorted color or even two different types of
novelty yarns.
14. TWEED
Tweed is known for the
little nubs of color that
are found throughout
the fabric. Tweeds are
often multi-colored and
used in sportswear.
15. JERSEY
Jersey is a lightweight
wool fabric with distinct
knit stitches on one
side and rounded purl
stitches on the other.
16. FLANNEL
Flannel wool fabrics are
woven from either
woolen or worsted
yarns. They are usually
identified by their fuzzy
surface and are often
used for shirts, pants,
skirts, and jackets.
19. STOCKINETTE STITCH AND
REVERSE STOCKINETTE STITCH
Stockinette stitch (in the UK, Stocking Stitch) is the most basic
knitted fabric; every stitch (as seen from the right side) is a knit
stitch. In the round, stockinette stitch is produced by knitting every
stitch; by contrast, in the flat, stockinette stitch is produced by
knitting and purling alternate rows.
Stockinette-stitch fabric is very smooth and each column ("wale")
resembles a stacked set of "V"'s.
It has a strong tendency to curl horizontally and vertically
because of the asymmetry of its faces.
Reverse stockinette stitch is produced in the same way as
stockinette, except that the purl stitches are done on the right side
and the knit stitches on the wrong side. In the round, reverse
stockinette stitch is produced by purling every stitch.
20. GARTER STITCH
Garter stitch is the most basic form of welting (as
seen from the right side). In the round, garter stitch
is produced by knitting and purling alternate rows.
By contrast, in the flat, garter stitch is produced by
knitting every stitch (or purling every stitch, though
this is much less common).
In garter-stitch fabrics, the "purl" rows stand out
from the "knit" rows, which provides the basis for
shadow knitting. Garter-stitch fabric has significant
lengthwise elasticity and little tendency to curl, due
to the symmetry of its faces.
21. SEED STITCH
Seed stitch is the most basic form of a
basketweave pattern; knit and purl stitches
alternate in every column ("wale") and every row
("course"). Seed stitch is similar to Moss Stitch.
Seed-stitch fabrics lie flat; the symmetry of their
two faces prevents them from curling to one
side or the other. Hence, it makes an excellent
choice for edging, e.g., the central edges of a
cardigan. However, seed stitch is "nubbly", not
nearly as smooth as stockinette.
22. TRICOT
Tricot is a special case of warp knitting, in
which the yarn zigzags vertically, following a
single column ("wale") of knitting, rather than
a single row ("course"), as is customary.
Tricot and its relatives are very resistant to
runs, and are commonly used in lingerie.
23. FAGGOTING
Faggoting is a variation of lace knitting, in
which every stitch is a yarn over or a decrease.
There are several types of faggoting, but all are
an extremely open lace similar to netting.
Like most lace fabrics, faggoting has little
structural strength and deforms easily, so it has
little tendency to curl despite being
asymmetrical.
Faggoting is stretchy and open, and most
faggoting stitches look the same on both sides,
making them ideal for garments like lacy
scarves or stockings.
