I quote below from a paper I wrote in grad school (2005): Woollens versus Worsteds Since early times, two methods have been used to make cloth from wool. The process and the product are referred to as woollen or worsted.(61) Sheep's wool varies widely in length and diameter, even on the same animal, and certainly between breeds. Fibers are sorted before processing. Worsted yarns are made by separating out the shorter fibers (one to three inches) before spinning the longer ones (two and a half to nine inches) into a tightly spun, smooth and strong yarn.(62) Fabrics made of worsted yarns, such as gabardine and serge, have a smooth, hard surface. Worsteds are typically used for apparel. The term, as so many fabric names, comes from a town where this style of fabric was made. Worstead is a small town in Norfolk, England, once famous for its wool fabric produced from longer-staple yarns.(63) Woollen yarns are spun from the shorter fibers, which also tend to be finer and softer. Woollen fabrics range from soft and light to heavy and rough.(64) Besides the length of the fiber, the main difference between a woollen and a worsted is the finishing required. Woollen fabrics are fulled, napped and sheared after weaving.(65) Woollens are utilized in warmer fabrics for blankets and outerwear. Generally, worsted is easier to manufacture. The wool need not be scoured before spinning, nor does it require fulling after the cloth is woven. It was probably the earlier of the two systems, as most of the surviving early wools are of the worsted type.
61- W. J. Onions, Wool: An Introduction to its Properties, Varieties, Uses and Production (London: Ernest Benn Limited, 1962), 5. 62 - Ibid., 1. 63 - John H. Munro, "Medieval Woollens: Textiles, Textile Technology and Industrial Organisation, c. 800-1500," in The Cambridge History of Western Textiles, vol. 1, David Jenkins, ed. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003),183. 64 -Onions, 6. 65 - Munro, 183. Kim _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
