Manufactured Textile Fibers

Abstract

The first conversion of naturally occurring fibers into threads strong enough to be looped into snares, knitted to form nets, or woven into fabrics is lost in prehistory. Unlike stone weapons, such threads, cords, and fabrics— being organic in nature—have in most part disappeared, although in some dry caves traces remain. There is ample evidence to indicate that spindles used to assist in the twisting of fibers together had been developed long before the dawn of recorded history. In that spinning process, fibers such as wool were drawn out of a loose mass, perhaps held in a distaff, and made parallel by human fingers. (A maidservant so spins in Giotto’s The Annunciation to Anne, ca. a.D. 1306, Arena Chapel, Padua, Italy.¹ A rod (spindle), hooked to the lengthening thread, was rotated so that the fibers while so held were twisted together to form additional thread.

The author dedicates this chapter to Dr. Robert W. Work, Professor Emeritus—a long-time friend and mentor—on the occasion of his eighty-fifth birthday. (Editor’s note: Dr. Work authored this chapter in the sixth and seventh editions of this book and a co-author with Dr. Colin L. Brown in the 8th edition. The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of associates both from within the College of Textiles and from outside, including several fiber producting companies, he is also indebted to Dr. Robert E. Work for critical review of the manuscript and many helpful suggestions.