Pile

PILE

The yarn which forms the face of fabrics such as velvets, velveteens, terry, etc. There are several varieties, viz., warp pile, weft pile, and knotted pile, and cut, loop or curl pile. Warp Pile is formed by an extra warp additional to and much longer than the ground warp. The pile threads are woven over wires which, when removed, leave loops either uncut or cut. This system is used for wool and silk velvets and many carpets, rugs, etc. Terry fabrics have looped pile formed by weaving without wires. Weft Pile is formed by weft floats which are cut after the cloth is woven to make the pile as seen in velveteens, corduroys, etc. Knotted Pile is made by hand by knotting short lengths of yarn to the warp threads. Design is formed by using pile threads of different colours. After the rug or carpet is woven the pile is trimmed to a uniform length. Curl Pile is produced by weaving two kinds of yarn in the same cloth, a non-shrinking yarn being floated loosely on the surface while a yarn that shrinks readily is interwoven closely. When the cloth is shrunk the unshrinking yarn forms curls on the surface, as in astrakhans.