Cotton Weaving and Designing / 6th Edition

by John T. Taylor

This five-shaft satin weave is used with weft preponderating over warp, and also the reverse. Immense quantities of cloth are made on both principles, and in all qualities. A regular make with weft predominating is made with about 72 ends per inch of 32’s twist, and picks ranging from 100 to 200 per inch of 40’s weft. A finer make is used in large quantities for printing upon. This cloth counts about 26 ends × 45 picks per quarter-inch, and the yarns used are 60’s twist, 70’s weft. These are two of the standard makes of satins, but for special purposes all qualities are made in cotton.

With the warp predominating a cheaper fabric is produced, as less time is required to weave a given length. “Drills” are woven on this principle, the proportion of warp to weft being about two to one.

FIG. 206.

Satins may be produced on any number of shafts from five upwards. [Fig. 206] is commonly called a four-shaft satin, but this is better classed as a broken twill. The principle of its structure is essentially different to that of a true satin.

A simple method of making a satin weave on any number of ends is to find the first number which is not a measure of the number of staves used, and take this as the basis of constructing the satin, as follows: The first number which is not a measure of five is 2. Then, taking this as the basis of the satin, assuming that the first stave is lifted for the first pick, the third stave must be lifted for the second pick. This gives the number of ends to be “skipped” over, and thus we can obtain the satin by skipping over one each time, viz. 1, 3, 5, 2, 4.

It is advisable to put the numbers in a line or in a circle, and re-arrange them underneath.

The order of lifting the staves for an eight-end satin can be obtained as follows:—The first number which is not a measure of eight is 3. Then, taking this as the basis, we lift the first stave for the first pick and the fourth stave for the second pick, and “skipping” over two each time we get the order, 1, 4, 7, 2, 5, 8, 3, 6. This is shown on point paper at [Fig. 207].

FIG. 207.