Woven Pile Cloths.
A class of cloth has now to be referred to which does not usually come under the scope of jacquard work. The velveteen classes of cloth have been described, in which the pile is cut after the cloth leaves the loom. There is one style of pile cloth, occasionally woven in cotton, in which the pile is cut whilst in the loom. Two beams are used, one carrying the warp for the pile, and the other the warp for the ground cloth in which the pile is bound. A couple of picks of weft are inserted, and then a wire about one-twentieth of an inch thick, and of varying depth, consequent on the length of pile required; when this wire is beaten up to the fall of the cloth, the warp is allowed to be slackened, and it thus forms a loop on the cloth face. Two more picks are inserted and another wire, which is continued. The weaver sometimes draws the wire out—leaving looped cloth—or cuts it out along a groove, in which case a nap is caused on the cloth face. The best system, however, is to employ special looms for the purpose, which not only insert the wires in the proper shed, but also draw them out, and, as they bear a sharp knife at the farther end, cut the loops to form pile in doing so.
Another pile fabric of cotton or linen which has attracted greater attention during the last few years is the Turkish or Terry towel. This is woven with two beams, one for the loop pile, and the other carrying the ground warp, which is always kept tight. After two picks have been inserted and tightly beaten up, the reed is allowed to fly loose by a peculiar arrangement, and, both warps being kept tight, two picks are put in without beating up. Then the reed is fastened, the loop warp slackened, and on the next pick being beaten up, the two previous ones are also driven home, and with them the loop warp which stood between the fell and the two neglected picks, thus forming loops on both sides of the cloth.
This weave is not confined to the making of fabrics with an unbroken pile surface, but is adopted in stripes for bath towels and wraps, in checks and even figures for quilts, combined with colour in other effects, and also woven alternately in some special cloth with entirely different patterns. The headings also for the towels are of a firmer weave, and afford great scope for ornamentation.
CHAPTER VIII.
DROP-BOX LOOMS, STRIPES, CHECKS, AND SPOTTING.
In certain classes of cotton fabrics stripes are a leading feature of the cloth, and are made either in colour or in different counts of yarn, or reed or pick; stripes may run length-way of the face as in dhooties, sarongs, some shirtings, regettas, tape muslin, ticks, and many other cloths, and in these cases the effect is produced simply by warping and reeding the ends in the required order, often by varying the number of ends in different dents.