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Introduction
Chapter 1: Introduction
Yeah! You've made it to book 2! In this text book, many of the same things that were in the first are repeated, but on a higher level or in more detail. The book will be divided into four main sections under which the entries will be written, making it easier to find the text that is needed. The four sections will be: materials and fabrics of Pern, Various embroidery and Stitchery techniques, Dyeing, and Different Weaving Patterns.
Contents:
1 - Introduction
2 - Introduction to Materials
3 - The fabrics of Pern (alpaca-bunting)
4 - More fabrics of Pern (burlap-vicara)
5 - Finishes for Fabrics
6 - Spinning the Thread
7 - Weaving the Cloth
8 - Introduction to Dyeing
Introduction to Materials
Before you study the various fabrics of Pern, and their uses, it is important
to understand where these materials come from. Actually, almost all of the
fabrics on Pern are produced from just a few 'raw' materials found around the
planet.
Most materials we use come from the cotton plant. The cotton plant looks almost like a hollyhock, and when fully opened, it exposes five light fluffy balls know as "locks". Before cotton can be used, the fibres must be separated from the seeds. Done by hand, this operation take a whole day to get only one pound. From the fibres of the plant, you get cotton fibres itself which is the fibres weavers work with the most. Other materials that come from this plant include; rayong and chambray(Both of which are covered later in this book).
Weavers also use the hair of different beasts to get wool. Although textures vary slightly, the animals we get wool from are the llamas, ovines, and goats. We can also get hair from runners. However, their hair is too coarse to make clothing. So instead, it is used to make furniture coverings.
Flax is used to make linen. Flax is a heat conductor and very absorbent as well. Linen, is highly prized in southern holds because when thinly woven, it is very light and cool. It can also be used in northern parts for gather wear when it is spun more densely.
This sisal plant is used to produce a delicate fibres known as sisal. Sisal is not silk, but is very close to it and therefore is highly prized. Sisal takes from five to ten years to mature, blooms once and then dies after flowering. The leaves are what is used to make the sisal fabric.
Although this introduction has covered the main materials that the weavers use to produce the fabrics of Pern, they are not all. In southern parts, straw is used for the braiding of hats and floor coverings. For padding in the more costly winter coats, comforters, blankets, expensive pillows, and other such luxuries, the feathers of chickens and sometimes even those of wherries are used.
The fabrics of Pern (alpaca-bunting)
Below are listed some of the various fabrics that can be used on Pern, and a
short description of each has been included:
Alpaca - a blend of rayon and cotton, or rayon and wool cloth that is light and durable. It is also very shiny, resembling mohair. Probably used for holder's wear. Astrakhan - A woollen material, the surface of which is curled and looped yarn for a knitted effect. The foundation is of knitted or woven cloth or wool. Almost like bouclé. A Journeyman would be able to make it because of it's complications. Because of these difficulties in making it, it is expensive. Baize - A loosely woven fabric that is napped and woollen, looking almost like felt. It can also be made of cotton and is sometimes even used for tablecloths. Could be for cotholder's garments. Balbriggan - An example of a plain knit fabric. It had incredible elasticity. The chain like rows of stitches run length wise on the front and crosswise on the back. Since it is a knit fabric, it is also very warm. A holder's daily wear; and a senior apprentice could most likely make it. Basketcloth - Where two or more threads are woven into the basket weave pattern. It is light weight and made of cotton which sets it at a fairly expensive price. Batiste - A fine, light weight cloth that can be made of cotton, linen, or wool. Price depends on material used. Bengaline - A twilled woollen fabric with cords or ribs. Can be made from cotton, but was originally made of silk. Because it is made of cotton, it can be expensive. Bouclé - A knotted, looped fabric that almost looks knitted It can be rayon, cotton, linen, or a combination of fibres. Used chiefly for coats and winter clothing. Price pending on material used. Broadcloth - A fine, lustrous woollen or woven cotton fabric. It is light and the woollen is more expensive as it is more difficult to make. Broadloom - More for carpeting. Almost too heavy as tapestry except that it's not as easy to make pictures on, but rather just patterns. Made of cotton or wool, and is it very affordable. But probably only the Journeymen can make it. Buckram - Coarse fabric made of linen, cotton, or hair. It can be used for stiff hats and sometimes even bookbinding. It's very cheap as well. Bunting - A light fabric used for flags and baby's clothing made of cotton, sisal, or linen. the cost depends on the fabric.
More fabrics of Pern (burlap - vicara)
Burlap - A coarse fabric made of hemp or jute that is used for sacks rather
than clothing. The herderhall uses a lot of it, and so does the weyr. Cheap
and easy to make.
Cambric - A fine linen fabric that can also be a soft, closely woven cotton
cloth, or be a stiff lining fabric of cotton. It's fairly expensive, but
good for daily wear.
Cashmere - Made of wool as it is a twilled fabric, but cannot be made of
ovine's wool. It can be used for rugs, shawls, and sweaters. Chiefly used
for expensive winter clothing.
Celanese - A silken, rayon fabric that holds most surface stitching well.
Used for embroidered bodices or blouses. Because of it's silken texture, it
is somewhat prized and therefore expensive.
Chambray - A light weight cotton fabric that can be done in solid colors for
holder's children's play clothing. Easy to make, but because of it's cotton
foundation is a little costly.
Cheesecloth - A thin, loosely woven material for wrapping cheese, hence the
name. A lighter form known as gauze, is used for bandages and surgical
dressings.
Cotton - This material is not as widely known on Pern as it is in our world.
Cotton is relatively rare- most Apprentices could not afford much cotton.
This is because of the relative difficulty in growing cotton in the North's
rather harsh climate. Cotton, however, is easily spun and worked with. It
is very easily dyed, is rather expensive, is easy to work with, and is
reasonably light, and is relatively durable.
Leather - This is a very important material on Pern because of its good
durability and relative abundance. Most of the poor-quality hide goes to
writing sheets, but a lot of the good-quality hide is made into clothing.
Leather is easy to dye (simple colors only), is not expensive, is relatively
easy to work with, is reasonably light, and is very durable.
Flax - This is the most common material for weaving average clothes out of.
The durable plants grows abundantly in Northern soil and is readily
accessible. Most people have at least one change of clothes made out of flax
for the colder parts of the year. Flax is reasonably easily dyed, is not
expensive, is easy to work with, is moderately heavy, and is very durable.
Linen - A lustrous fabric that is strong, cool, and highly durable. It absorbs
moisture quickly and dries with a cooling effect, but it wrinkles easily.
Mohair - Cloth made from the silky hair of a goat.
Rayon - Filament yarns make lustrous cool fabrics. It absorbs moisture like
silk and is not harmed by strong soap. Has a cotton foundation and is
somewhat expensive.
Sisal - This delicate material is rather rare on Pern except among the upper
classes and well-to-dos of crafters. It is exceedingly difficult to work
with, and the plant it is spun from is not in much abundance, making it a
very prized and costly thread. Sisal is reasonably easily dyed, is very
expensive, is very hard to work with, is very light, and is rather fragile.
Wool - Wool is one of the most common materials in the Northern continent
because of its ability to keep its wearer warm during the harsh winters. A
large amount of the Weavercraft's wool comes from High Reaches Hold, where
they maintain large stables of long-haired sheep. Wool is very hard to dye
(generally vibrant colors are entirely unattainable), is not expensive, is
relatively easy to work with, is relatively heavy, and is very durable.
Vicara - Made from corn protein, but is not a strong fibres so is usually
blended with others to make clothing fabrics. When done, it's softness is
like cashmere and it's somewhat elastic, giving it resistance to wrinkling.
It does not shrink and can be dyed a wide range of colours.
Finishes for Fabrics
The following are finishes that are done to the different varieties of fabrics
to add that final touch
The first one that is used is called Singeing. This is used to the short-fiber fabrics and is the rapid passing of the fabrics over gas flames to burn away all the lint, threads, fibres ends, and fuzz.
Secondly, there is fulling which consists of cleaning and scouring then compressing the wool.(OOC note: In times of the Romans, they placed the wool in tubs along with water and fuller's earth and then trod upon it.)
Tentering is to line up fabric that has been pulled out of shape. A roller feeds damp cloth into a machine which has tenterhooks(clamps) that grip the edges and pull the cloth back into shape.
Sizing is starching the material to provide body and weight.
Bleaching is the removal of natural color from a cloth. It can make white fabrics whiter and prepare them for printing. But be careful, this process does tend to weaken the fabrics somewhat.
And finally, napping is brushing up a fuzz on cloth made of lightly twisted yarns.(Roman techniques included brushing the material with burrs).
Spinning the Thread
Weavers and riders alike spend many an evening spinning thread because it is
continually in high demand. One of the ways to spin thread is using a
distaff and spindle, or a drop-spindle. These are used chiefly to spin wool.
The first step to spin the wool is to clean and straighten the fibres by a
process known as carding. Using a toothed comb, the spinner would place the
wool upon it. Then, they work the wool between two cards until it was just a
roll of wool called a sliver.
Secondly, the spinner takes their spindle and drawing a length of the fibres
from the sliver, fastens it to the spindle. Then the spindle is whirled and
twisted and the fibres becomes yarn.
The spinner has an object called a distaff on which the new wool is wrapped .
The spinner slowly feeds the wool off the distaff, which is tucked under one
arm, until the spindle touches the ground. The thread is wound around the
spindle, and the spinner keeps on spinning until the spindle is full.
The other way of spinning a thread is using a spindle. Which is not quite as
portable, but allows the spinner to sit while spinning the thread. The spindle
can be set in a bowl of water in order to keep the fibres moist. In this way
it is easier to get the gossamer threads we use. A drop-spindle cannot be
used for this because it would break such delicate yarn.
The spindle is mounted on a shaft that has a small pulley. This pulley is
spun by the larger wheel which is turned by the spinner. the stand could
also hold a distaff for holding the new wool which would be spun into a soft
yarn, If the yarn was going to be spun into a hard thread it would be wound
on a revolving stand.
Not all wheels have to be turned by hand. On some wheels, the large wheel is
turned by a crank from a foot treadle. In this way, both the spinner's hands
were free for feeding the fibres into the end of the hollow spindle.
Weaving the Cloth
Weaving is an interlacing of yarns or other thin fibres at right angles. All
looms work basically the same way. The frame holds a set of yarns that run
length wise known as the warp lines. With the use of a shuttle, you weave in
the weft lines(also known as the woof or filling lines) back and forth to
fill out the fabric.
Taken from the DLG, page 135: 'For every type of fibres, there are different
wheels and looms: flax wheels, wool wheels, sisal wheels(very delicate), and
cotton wheels of every size and strength, and looms from the very simple to
the very complex.'.
There are three basic weaves from which all others branch out. These are the
plain, twill, and satin weaves.
The plain weave is the most common and is your basic over-under-over pattern.
Every other row is exactly the same. The basket weave is a variation of this
in which two or more of the weft yarns pass together over and under. Rib
weavers are also a variation of this.
In a twill weave, the weft yarn is passed through is such a way that diagonal
lines show on the fabric's surface.
And finally, the satin weave. This weave is done by passing the weft under
the warp at long intervals. The opposite of this, where the weft passes over
the warp is called the sateen weave. In both cases, the fabric is lustrous
because the overlying yarn catches and reflects the light.
There are also two basic types of knitted fabrics. Knitting, in short, is an
interlooping of one yarn or a set of yarns to form a fabric. These two
knitted fabrics are the weft knit and warp knit.
Weft knit, which is done with one yarn, has three main stitches that branch
out from it- plain, purl, and rib. Plain-knit fabrics show chain like
stitches running length wise across the front and ridges on the back.
Purl-knit fabrics have crosswise ridges on both sides and have great
elasticity. Finally, there is the rib knit that combines the two aforesaid
stitches and has the greatest elasticity of all three.
The Warp knit is done with many yarns which allows for a wide range of variety
in construction and design. Warp-knit fabrics do not have the same
elasticity as the weft, but these cloths are stronger and firmer.
Although this chapter has covered the basic techniques of weaving, there are
some other ways to make fabrics.
Felting - matting together of fibres by moisture, heat, and pressure. This is
practised up in High Reaches and used for gloves, sweaters, and heavy skirts.
In tropical regions, it is used for felt hats and decorative slippers.
Felting make the fabric much warmer and less likely to tear even though it
does obscure the stitching. Felted hats also last longer.
Braiding - may be flat or round; the interlacing of three or more stands of
fibres or other materials.
Netting - intertwining of yarns so they form a mesh type of fabric. Can vary
from the coarse fishing net to the delicate handmade lace.
Introduction to Dyeing
Dyeing can be done at just about any location as long as there is
ventilation, light, water, heat, and storage space. Since wool is so easily
dyed, most ways of dyeing were originally designed especially for wool
although the process is basically the same for all fibres.
Wool can be dyed at various stages, starting from when it's first scoured
until the time it's a finished fabric. However, it is recommended that wool
be dyed at its earlier stages as finished cloth is difficult to dye evenly.
Before dyeing, the fibres must be scoured. Through this process, natural
grease, dead herbage, and thorns are removed. First, the fibres are lightly
teased apart and immersed in warm water. Soft water is best to use and a
soft type of soap as well, if available. To prevent matting, steep the
fibres, moving them around lightly in plenty of water. Then, spread it out
to dry.
One kind of dyeing that is not covered in the next chapter is called
top-dyeing. This is where one color is dyed over another. The combinations
are almost limitless. If the dyer has a good sense of color harmony, them
this is am exciting field to explore. If you want the results to be a clear
color, you must use clear colors in the dyeing process.
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