The History of Yarn

The idea of twisting fibers of animal fur, hair or other fibers into yarn is an ancient craft. With the possible exception of fire, this invention stretches further back than just about any other invention we still use, and we have found artifacts made from yarn that date to around 20,000 years old.
Ancient Egyptians were making the best linen. India was more excited about cotton. China and its silk had, and still does, have the world captivated! Central Asia was profiting off of wool and making trades across the world. 
The next major innovation in yarn production was the spinning wheel, which first appeared around 4,000 BC. The first spinning wheels were a huge leap in technology, but they were a far cry from the modern spinning wheel. Over the next 1,000 years or so, various innovations such as rimmed wheels, integrated bobbins and foot treadles appeared. Only then did we have the modern spinning wheel that most of us would recognize.
The spinning wheel made yarn and fabric production much faster. The shipping industry was one unexpected beneficiary of the production boom. When the cost of making sails dropped, it spurred many naval developments and created the predecessor of our modern, worldwide shipping network.
Of course, the history of yarn and textiles does not end there. The industrial revolution saw many rapid improvements in yarn production, and by the 1780’s, steam power had made factory scale production possible.
The earliest known samples of yarn and fabric of any kind were found near Robenhausen, Switzerland, where bundles of flax fibers and yarns and fragments of plain-weave linen fabric, were estimated to be about 7,000 years old. Cotton has also been cultivated and used to make fabrics for at least 7,000 years. Natural fibers cotton, flax, silk, and wool were the major fibers available to ancient civilizations.
Yarns can be roughly divided into the following three categories:
Protein fibers
Cellulose fibers
Synthetic fibers
Spinning is the process of drawing out and imparting twist to a mass of fibres. Filament yarns generally require less twist than staple. A fairly high degree of twist produces strong yarn; low twist produces softer, more lustrous yarn; and tight twist produces crepe yarns. Two or more single strands of yarn may be twisted together, forming ply yarn.
Yarn consists of several strands of material twisted together. Each strand is, in turn, made of fibers, all shorter than the piece of yarn that they form. These short fibers are spun into longer filaments to make the yarn. Long continuous strands may only require additional twisting to make them into yarns. Sometimes they are put through an additional process called texturing.
The textile industry only grew and benefited from trade routes and by sharing customs and methods to weavers worldwide.
Compiled by
GaviRangappa S P.
Devanga's Vidhana.
Jai Devanga.

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