E01 



WEAVING. 



WEAVING. 



602 



the designation of plain- weaving is much smaller than that of those 

 now to be considered. Whenever the warp and weft are of the same 

 colour, and intersect each other in regular order, so as to produce a 

 ' uniform surface totally divested of pattern, we may deem that plain- 

 tcearing; but every day's experience shows that pattern, of some kind 

 or other, is.a more prevailing characteristic of woven fabrics. 



In the first place we may take the case in which all the threads of the 

 warp are of one colour, and all those of the weft another colour : this pro- 

 duces the peculiar effect called ihot patterns, but involves no new arrange- 

 ments as to weaving. Next come the two varieties known respectively 

 as stripes and checkt. A stripe is a pattern in which parallel lines run 

 cither along or across the warp ; while a check is an alternation of 

 rectangles like a chess-board, or, more properly, like the varieties of 

 Scotch plaid. The production of a stripe depends either upon the 

 warper or the weaver ; the production of a check depends upon both. 

 If the stripes are of different colours, and extend lengthwise of the 

 cloth, then the warper so disposes the threads of his warp that the two 

 colours shall succeed each other at regular intervals ; but if the stripes 

 are of the same colour, but of different quality as to fineness, then the 

 warper uses two qualities of warp in alternate succession. If the 

 stripes extend across the cloth, the warper arranges his threads as for 

 plain- weaving ; but the weaver uses two or more shuttles, carrying 

 two or more coloured wefts, and throws the shuttles at regular intervals 

 in succession. If a check is to be produced, the warper first produces 

 his alternation of colours in the warp, and the weaver then throws in 

 wefts of different colours by using two or more shuttles, so that the 

 interlacing of the long stripes with the cross-stripes produces the check, 

 the pattern of which depends on the comparative width of the various 

 stripes. The manner of using the combined shuttles is described under 

 CHECK. 



The next to be noticed is the production of the IwiU, a very exten- 

 sively adopted variety of woven work, since it comprises satin, bomba- 

 zeen, kerseymere, and numerous other kinds. In the twill, the weft- 

 threads do not pass over and under the warp-threads in regular suc- 

 cession, but pass over one and under two, over one and under three, or 

 over one and under four, six, &c., according to the kind of twill. The 

 effect of this is to produce a kind of diagonal ribbed appearance.on one 

 side of the cloth, and a smooth and glossy appearance on the other, 

 according as the one thread is crossed above or below by tlie weft. 

 t'nj. 4 will assist our comprehension of this point. If we suppose the 



Fig. 4. 



round dots to be sections of successive warp-threads, and the white 

 double line to be one thread of weft, we shall see that the weft passes 

 i JUT, under one, over four; then under four, over one, under 

 four ; and if the specimen were continued, we should see that these 

 cycles of changes succeed each other in regular order. This arrange- 

 ment furnishes the ticill for some particular varieties of cloth ; and the 

 weaver has thus a kind of numerical formula for diaper, dimity, dor- 

 nock, damask, bombazeen, satin, kerseymere, &c. ; each one having a 

 certain order of succession hi which the weft crosses the warp. [Bou- 

 EA/KKN; DAMASK; DIAPEB.] 



Now in order to allow .the weft to pass under four or more threads 

 at once, some mechanism must be devised for elevating all those four at 

 one movement, or keeping them stationary while every fourth thread 

 is depressed. If the weft always passed under the same four threads, 

 no cloth would be produced, for no reticulation would be made ; but 

 the groups of four passed under by one weft-shoot are not the same as 

 those crossed at the next following shoot. Hence more than two leaves 

 of heddles are required, and more than two treadles to work them. 

 There must, in such a case as we have above supposed, be five leaves 

 of heddles, to each of which every fifth warp-thread is attached ; and 

 to each of these leaves a treadle is appropriated ; so that when one 

 treadle is pressed down, one-fifth of the warp-threads becomes drawn 

 out of the horizontal plane ; when another treadle is depressed, another 

 fifth is affected ; and so on. The weaver, by the management of his 

 treadles, has the power of raising or depressing four-fifths of his warp- 

 threads, in groups of four each, leaving every fifth thread stationary ; 

 and in this state of things he throws his shuttle. By various combina- 

 tions among his five treadles, he can produce many varieties of move- 

 ment, which give rise to different kinds of twill. 



When, instead of, or in addition to, a twill, the weaver has to pro- 

 duce sprigs, flowers, spots, or any kind of figure, a great increase of 

 complexity occurs. The weft may pass over four and under one at 

 one part of the width of the cloth ; over two and under two at another ; 

 over one and under four at another according to the part of the figure 

 which may happen to occur at any particular part of the width of the 

 cloth. Hence the order in which the warp-threads must be depressed 

 or elevated vane* continually, and the number of leaves of heddles 

 would become so numerous that the loom could not hold them, nor 

 could the feet of the weaver move the requisite treadles. This diffi- 

 culty gave rise to the invention of the draw-loom, in which strings are 

 so arranged that a boy can draw down the requisite warp-threads 

 preparatory to the movement of the shuttle. The warp-threads pass 

 through eyes or loops in vertical strings, each thread having one string ; 



AUTS AM) SCI. Id V. VOL. VUU. 



and these strings are so grouped that the attendant boy, by pulling a 

 handle, draws up all those warp-thre&ds which are necessarily elevated 

 for one particular shoot of weft ; and when a different order of suc- 

 cession is required, he pulls another handle. Hence it follows that the 

 arrangement of the strings and handles must be preconcerted with 

 especial reference to one particular pattern ; and this is called cording the 

 loom. The cording would sometimes take one man three or four months, 

 and would then only serve for one particular pattern. Early in the pre- 

 sent century two inventions were made with the view of rendering the 

 draw-loom more automatic. One of these, called the draw-boy, not 

 only superseded the necessity of employing a boy to pull the handles, 

 but removed, by the unerring certainty of its operation, all possible 

 chance of mistake in pulling the wrong handle. This was a very inge- 

 nious arrangement of mechanism by which a treadle, worked by the 

 foot of the weaver, gave a vibratory motion to a curved lever which 

 drew down some of the warp-threads and elevated others ; and the 

 skill consisted in so causing the lever to travel along a rack or toothed 

 bar as to act upon different warp-threads in succession. The draw-boy 

 has been very much employed ; while another invention, equally inge- 

 nious perhaps, has, from various causes, failed to come into use. This 

 latter was the automatic carpet-loom of Mr. Duncan. Here the warp- 

 threads, instead of being elevated and depressed by the handles as in a 

 draw-loom, or by the reciprocating lever as in the draw-boy, were 

 moved by pins inserted in a rotating barrel, the pins being placed in 

 an order of succession according to the pattern to be produced, just as 

 those on the barrel of a street-organ or a musical-box are disposed 

 according to the tune to be played. But the draw-loom, the draw-boy, 

 and the barrel-loom have 'been alike eclipsed by the exquisite apparatus 

 of M. Jacquard, which is very properly named after the inventor. 

 [JACQUABD APPABATDS.] 



Double Weaving. In all the fabrics hitherto noticed, there is but 

 one layer of threads, formed by the intersection of the weft among the 

 warp, both weft and warp being individually single. But there has 

 long been practised the weaving of a kind of double cloth, composed 

 of two webs, each consisting of separate warp and weft, but both seta 

 interwoven at intervals. The junction of the two webs is formed by 

 passing each of them occasionally through the other, so that each 

 particular part of both is sometimes above and sometimes below. 

 Kidderminster or Scotch carpeting is one of the few kinds of double- 

 fabric now woven in this country ; and it will therefore be sufficient 

 for us to refer for details to the article CABPET MANUFACTURE. 



Cross Weaving. This term may conveniently be applied to those 

 varieties of woven fabric in which the warp-threads, instead of lying 

 constantly parallel, as in all the cases hitherto noticed, cross over or 

 twist around one another, thus forming a plexus or interlacing inde- 

 pendent of that produced by the weft. Ganze and bobbin net are 

 perhaps the most remarkable examples of this kind of fabric. [GAUZE ; 

 LACE MANUFACTURE.] 



Chain Wearing. This is a term usefully applied to a mode of 

 using threads in which a series of loops is formed by a continuous 

 thread, each loop or link being so connected with others as to form a 

 kind of chain; and this chain work may either be worked upon a 

 ground woven at the loom, or may constitute the woven material itself. 

 /Sampler work, Berlin work, sewed muslin work, tambouring, embroid&ij, 

 tapetlry, pillow lace, and hosiery, are all examples, more or less varied, 

 of this chain-weaving. [EHBROLDERY ; HOSIERY MANUFACTURE; 

 LACE MANUFACTURE ; TAPESTRY.] 



Pile Wearing. If we examine a piece of silk velvet, or any kind of 

 fustian, such as velveteen, moleskin, or doeskin, or a Turkey or Wilton 

 carpet, we shall find that in any or all of these fabrics the warp and weft 

 threads are almost concealed by a kind of down, nap, or pile, which 

 imparts a peculiarly soft and smooth texture to them. It may seem 

 strange to class together such very different materials as silk velvet, 

 fustian, and Turkey carpeting ; but the classification is strictly correct, 

 because all of them owe their characteristic beauty to the downy sur- 

 face which they present. Fustians are in fact a kind of cotton velvet, 

 as Turkey carpeting is a woollen velvet. The weaving of these pile- 

 fabrics, so far as regards the decussation of the warp and weft threads 

 by means of the shuttle, resembles that of plain fabrics, or of pattern- 

 fabrics, according to the nature of the design. But there is, besides 

 the warp and weft properly so called, another kind of warp, whoso 

 threads are left standing in loops above the general surface till cut, and 

 the cutting of which constitutes the pile. In some kinds of fustians 

 the pile is cut so as to give a smooth velvet surface ; while in other 

 kinds it is cut into parallel cords, forming corduroy and such like 

 fabrics. The cutting used formerly to be done by peculiarly shaped 

 knives held in the hand ; but some very ingenious machines have been 

 contrived for effecting it more quickly and correctly. For the applica- 

 tion of this peculiar manufacture to different fabrics, see CAUPET ; 

 FUSTIAN; VELVET. 



Power-Weaving, In all the kinds of weaving hitherto noticed, 

 whether of plain goods, figured goods, double cloth, bobbin-net, stock- 

 ings, or velvet fabrics, we have uniformly spoken of the weaving- 

 machine as being worked by hand, or rather by hand and foot, for 

 the treadle is an almost invariable component of such a machine. We 

 have however now briefly to notice the important steps by which the 

 steam-engine has been brought to bear on this department of industry. 



In the ' Philosophical Transactions' for 1078, a loom, invented by 



Sir 



