COTTON AND LINEN MATERIALS 131 



place of wool for clothing. Among the best known woolen 

 fabrics are broadcloth, lady's cloth, serge, etamine, cheviot, 

 covert cloth, cashmere, homespun, flannel, whipcord, and 

 voile. 



Wool absorbs a large amount of water without becoming 

 damp to the touch. Men who work in engine rooms and 

 perspire freely wear flannel shirts or blouses to absorb the 

 moisture; cotton and linen blouses would become damp and 

 keep the body wet and clammy. Woolen is unsurpassed for 

 underwear in winter, because if a person is suddenly overheated 

 and then cooled, the wool absorbs the excess moisture and 

 passes it off slowly to the atmosphere without rapid loss of heat 

 to the body. If a person in cotton underwear is overheated, the 

 excess moisture remains on the skin and rapidly conducts heat 

 away, leaving the body chilled. If a person dressed in wool 

 is caught in a shower, he does not suffer, because wool holds the 

 moisture and does not let it pass through to the body; but 

 if- dressed in cotton or linen he is quickly wet, because cotton 

 and linen do not hold water but let it pass through them to the 

 body. 



Wool should not be carelessly laundered, because it is injured 

 by boiling water and hot irons. If it is to keep its softness, its 

 size, and its elasticity, it must be washed in lukewarm water 

 and ironed with a moderately hot iron. 



Cotton and linen materials. Cotton fibers are flattened, 

 twisted hairs or filaments from one to several inches in length 

 (Fig. 54). The twist of the cotton fiber serves the weaver the 

 same purpose as the scaly surface of the wool fiber ; it assists 

 the interlocking of fibers and gives strength to fine yarns ; it 

 also gives spring or elasticity to the fibers. Cotton fibers are 

 harder than woolen fibers and are woven more closely; there 

 are fewer and smaller air spaces in cotton materials than in 

 woolen materials, and hence cotton garments permit more heat 



CLAftK INTRO. TO SC. 9 



