Encyclopedia Archive - Page 4 of 4

Wind Resistant

The ability of a fabric to act against or oppose the penetration of wind or air, but it is not totally windproof.

Windproof

The ability of a fabric to be nonpermeable to wind and air.

Comes from the Anglo-Saxon “owef”. It is another name for the warp or warp yarn. Sometimes in advertising textiles, the word has been used to imply filling yarn and made to interchange with the other term, weft.

Wool

Usually associated with fiber or fabric made from the fleece of sheep or lamb. However, the term “wool” can also apply to all animal hair fibers, including the hair of the Cashmere or Angora goat or the specialty hair fibers of the camel, alpaca, llama, or vicuna.

Worsted

(Fabric) A tightly woven fabric made by using only long staple, combed wool or wool-blend yarns. The fabric has a hard, smooth surface. Gabardine is an example of a worsted fabric. A common end use is men’s tailored suits. (System) The textile process of manufacturing spun yarns from staple fibers usually over 3 inches in length. The main operations are…

Woven

Fabrics composed of two sets of yarns. One set of yarns, the warp, runs along the length of the fabric. The other set of yarns, the fill or weft, is perpendicular to the warp. Woven fabrics are held together by weaving the warp and the fill yarns over and under each other.

Wrinkle Free

A resistant to wrinkling created through the use of a variety of finishes and treatments.

Wrinkle Recovery

Similar to resiliency. It is the ability of a fabric to bounce back after it has been twisted, wrinkled, or distorted in any way.