Widow's Lawn.—A better quality of Lawn made from linen, well woven, very clear and even in texture.
Width.—The practice has grown up in the trade to refer to the width of a fabric either as "actual" or "nominal." The former term explains itself and means that the width as given is actually that of the piece referred to, and that it is not less than stated. "Nominal," on the other hand, is understood to mean that the fabric referred to may vary by as much as half an inch below the width specified on the contract.
Window Holland.—A plain-woven all-cotton cloth, stiffened after weaving with about one-fifth of its weight in starch or other sizing material. It is used as window shades.
Wolsey.—A proprietary name applied to certain all-wool materials, especially underwear.
Wool.—Wool is the soft, curly covering which forms the fleecy coat of the sheep and other similar animals, such as the goat, alpaca, llama, vicuña, and camel.
The chief characteristic of wool is its felting or shrinking power. This felting property, from which wool derives its chief value and which is its special distinction from hair, depends in part upon the kinks in the fibre but mainly upon the scales with which the fibre is covered. The process of felting consists in the fibres becoming entangled with each other, and the little projecting scales hooking into each other and holding the fibres closely interlocked.
The wool of commerce is divided into three great classes:—
1. Short wool, or clothing wool (also called carding wool), seldom exceeds a length of 2 to 4 inches.
2. Long wool, or combing wool, varying from 4 to 10 inches.