|
FIBER GLOSSARY
|
|
| Acetate | A synthetic fiber made from cellulose acetate. Would you believe this has the same base as vinegar. |
| Acrylic | A synthetic fiber made from a combination of coal, air, water. petroleum and limestone. |
| Alpaca | Fiber from a type of llama with very long hair. |
| Angora | Yarn from the soft hair of a rabbit. By law it must be labelled "angora rabbit hair", if not, it's from the angora goat. |
| Bamboo | Yes, this is from the bamboo plant. Made of fibers from the stalk of this semitropical grass. It is also a natural antibacterial. |
| Camel Hair | Fiber from the Asian Bactrian camel. This is the two hump camel. |
| Cashmere | The downy undercoat of the cashmere goat. |
| Cotton | A natural plant based fiber. It comes from the downy hairs that cover the seeds. |
| Cotton: Mercerized |
An acid-bath process which enhances luster and dyability and lessens the problem of shrinkage. |
| Cupro | A specially processed rayon. Its advantage is that it takes color well. |
| Hemp | Another plant based fiber. It comes from the processed stalks of the hemp plant. A great fiber that unfortunately carries the stigma of marijuana. |
| Linen | A fiber made from the flax plant. |
| Llama | Fiber from the fleece of the llama. Slightly coarser than alpaca. |
| Lurex | A trademarked brand of metallic yarn. |
| Metal | Is a fiber actually made of metal, metal- coated plastic or metal around another core. |
| Microfiber | A very fine polyester filament. |
| Modal | This is another rayon yarn. A viscose made from beech wood chips. |
| Mohair | The long, lustrous hair of the angora goat. |
| Nylon | The first synthetic fiber. It's known for strength. |
| Olefin | A polymer yarn made from polypropylene or polyethylene. |
| Pashmina | A top quality form of cashmere. |
| Polyacrylic | This is German for acrylic. |
| Polyamide | A French term for nylon-type fibers. |
| Polyester | One of the most common man made fibers. It's a form of plastic and is extremely strong. |
| Qiviut | The soft down of the musk ox. |
| Rayon | A man made fiber from a natural wood element called cellulose. |
| Silk | The filament obtained from the cocoon of the silkworm. |
| Silk: Cultured |
The product of silk worms that are "farmed" and kept on special diets. |
| Soy Silk | A yarn made from soybean protein. It actually made from the waste of tofu manufacturing. It is biodegradeable. |
| Tactel | A type of rayon that is made in a new, more ecologically friendly way than other rayon types. |
| Tencel | A cellulose fiber made from wood. Tencel is the brand name of a fiber called lyocell. |
| Viscose | A type of rayon. |
| Wool | A fiber from the fleece of sheep, but also a widely-used term for fibers from other animals. |
| Wool: Lambswool |
Wool from lambs up to 7 months of age. |
| Wool: Merino |
High quality wool produced by the Merino breed of sheep. |
| Wool: Suprwash |
A wool treated to make it machine washable. |
| Wool: Washable |
See superwash above. |