After the twisting is completed the finished yarn is wound on small spools, known as cheesers, to be weighed. Next it is wound on large spools in such a way that the large spool holds the contents of from ten to twenty cheesers, each wound in an adjacent space at the same time. Some of the yarn is shipped to weaving mills on these large spools; and some of it is taken off them and skeined.
Waste
We are now ready to weave the cloth, but there are a considerable number of very interesting details which we have been forced to omit. All the processes we have discussed produce a certain amount of waste material. The combing waste, known as noils, is the largest by-product of the worsted industry, but there is also a considerable amount of yarn waste produced in the various drawing and spinning operations. Practically all of this material finds its way back, in one form or another, into the woolen industry. The subject of reclaiming waste is in itself so comprehensive that we can do no more than touch upon it here.
6. Dyeing
Wool and Piece and Double Dyeing
Some yarns are dyed after they have been spun. In most cases, however, woolen yarns receive their color after the wool is scoured and before it goes into the carding machine. In worsted manufacture the common procedure is to dye the top after it has been combed. In this way a uniform color is obtained, whereas it is exceedingly difficult to obtain the same color from two vats in piece-dyeing. Some materials are both wool and piece-dyed, the second dye being given to the cloth. This is done in cases where a peculiarly fast color is desired, or where the cloth contains separate materials such as wool and cotton.
The operation of the loom has already been described in connection with the manufacture of cotton, but the preparatory processes, although somewhat similar, vary considerably because of the difference in the nature of the materials. In worsted manufacture the work which has to be done before the loom can begin to operate is usually referred to as loom-mounting, and consists of five stages.
Warping
1. Warping is the arranging of the warp threads in the order necessary to produce the desired cloth. This was formerly, and still is to a great extent, done entirely by hand on a sort of rack known as the woof. In the larger mills, however, warping is now done either on a sectional warping machine or on the warping mill. Both these devices are only partly automatic, and require highly-skilled labor.
Sizing