Weaving

 

Weaving, one of the oldest human technologies, is the interlacing of two or more vertical and horizontal elements. As a result of this action, the individual elements combine to form a shallow three-dimensional plane that is usually flexible. The first warp (the vertical element) goes over and under each weft (the horizontal element) in plain weave; the second warp goes under and over each weft; and this sequence is repeated throughout the cloth. A balanced plain weave is one in which the warp and weft are of similar size and appear in equal amounts in the fabric. However, the scale and density of the elements can vary, resulting in fabrics with more warp or more weft.

The path that the threads take when interlaced can also vary. Weavers, historians, and others interested in weave structure have devised systems for describing the various interlacement-plain Twill types. Some of the most common weave families are weaves, satins, and double cloth.

The first weavings were most likely created by manually manipulating the elements. Mat weavers in Nepal continue to make their products by hand and on the ground. Looms were invented all over the world to make the weaving process easier and faster. A loom tensions the vertical warp threads, allowing the weft threads to be inserted easily. A pot-holder loom, which children use, is an example of such a device. The wefts are then manually inserted over and under the tensioned warps. Looms were eventually modified to aid in the separation of the warp threads, allowing the weft to be easily inserted in the resulting triangular space known as the shed.

When looking at a woven cloth, one will usually notice the warp and weft crossing each other perpendicularly. However, there are structures in which the 90-degree intersection is modified and leans one way or the other, such as the weaves known as deflected warp or weft. Other methods of producing cloth planes, such as beating bark fibers or meshing animal fibers together (felting), lack the inter-lacement of elements found in weaving. Even when woven cloth is altered (shrunk and matted in a process known as fulling or felting) until it no longer appears to have interlacement, the structure remains embedded in the fabric.

Some planes of fabric are created by looping single elements together using techniques such as crochet, knit, and knotting. Other two-element processes (such as plaiting or braiding, macramé, and twining) differ from weaving in the way their elements are interconnected.

Weaving, which can have multiple vertical or horizontal elements, produces a plane of fabric that appears two-dimensional but is actually three-dimensional. This plane's strength and flexibility make it ideal for making fabrics for clothing, shelter, and furniture. It has also been used as an art form in recent years.