Table of Contents
usingamanuallyoperatedloom
| Field | Manufacturing texiles |
| Went Obsolete | About 1830 in England. |
| Made Obsolete By | The first power loom as built in 1785, but the Roberts Loom in 1830 marked the widespread change from hand looms to power looms. The Lancashire loom (1841) allowed a single person to operate six looms at once. The technology changed again in the early 1900's to adjust to using synthetic fibers. Today, computerized Jacquard looms are capable of quickly producing nearly unlimited combinations of texture and weave. |
| Knowledge Assumed | An understanding of basic weave structures and the manipulation of thread and the loom to create textiles. Before weaving became mechanized, European weavers were Guild members, and knowledge about more complex weaving had become jealously guarded and protected. Weavers were discouraged from traveling to the New World because Europe wanted to sell textiles to the inhabitants there. Some weavers who wanted to go to the New World and take their looms and/or knowledge were killed on board the ships, and their looms destroyed or thrown overboard. In the US, many weavers had to re-invent the process of weaving, building looms from memory and making the crude cloth we call “homespun”. Later, during the American Revolution, wearing homespun cloth became a sign of patriotism. Many poor colonists couldn't afford the imported cloth, so they had to learn to spin wool into yarn as well as weave. The suppression of knowledge about weaving and the restrictions against having weavers and looms in the New World caused the US to lag far behind Europe in mass textile production, and handweaving was a necessity for many households in the US long after it had died out in Europe. |
| When useful | Weaving is still a popular hobby, mostly for making small items like baby blankets, scarves, and rugs. Some people enjoy making yardage to use in clothing or as upholstery. Computerized looms are available for home use, too, although the looms and software are very expensive. |
Weaving is basically manipulating two sets of threads, the warp and the weft, that intersect each other. In simplest terms, the warp is divided into two groups that alternate positions. When one group of warp threads is up, the other is down. The space between them allows the shuttle to carry the weft thread between them. The weft thread is beaten in (pushed tightly against the previous weft thread), and the warp threads are alternated. Another weft thread is placed and placed and beaten in, then the process repeats ad nauseum.
