Fiber Definitions — textile fibers, yarn fibers and fiber properties from Apparel Search
Linen is a material made from the fibers of the flax plant. When these fibers are twisted together, spun, they form yarn. It is strong, durable, and resists rotting in damp climates. It is one of the few textiles that has a greater breaking strength wet than dry, and it has a long staple, or individual strand length, relative to cotton and other natural fibers. The standard measure of bulk linen yarn is the lea: a yarn of 1 lea gives 300 yards per pound.
When these fibers are twisted together (spun), it is called yarn. It is strong, durable, and resists rotting in damp climates. It is one of the few textiles that has a greater breaking strength wet than dry. It has a long "staple" (individual strand length) relative to cotton and other natural fibers.
The standard measure of bulk linen yarn is the lea. A yarn having a size of 1 lea will give 300 yards per pound. The fine yarns used in handkerchiefs, etc. might be 40 lea, and give 40x300 = 12000 yards per pound.
Up until the 1950's or so the finest linen yarn was made in Scotland, Ireland, and Belgium. The climates of these locations were ideal for natural processing methods called "retting". As years went by many of the finest factories in those areas closed, and most linen is currently made in China.
The decrease in use of linen may be attributed to the increasing quality of synthetic fibers, and a decreasing appreciation of buyers for very high quality yarn and fabric. Very little top-quality linen is produced now, and most is used in low volume applications like hand weaving and as an art material.
Linen is also used for cloth, canvases, sails, tents, and paper. Due to its one-time common use to make fine fabric, "linens" became the generic term for sheets and pillowcases, although these are now often made of cotton or synthetic fibers.
Due to its strength, in the Middle Ages linen was used for shields and gambesons, but also for underwear and other clothings.
Linen is available in different qualities varying from almost silk-like to sack-linen. Linen is usually white to ivory, may be washed at 95C, should be ironed when damp.
A characteristic often associated with linen yarn is the presence of "slubs", or small knots that occur randomly along its length. However, these are actually defects associated with low quality. The finest linen has a very consistent diameter with no slubs.
When being washed the first time, linen shrinks significantly.
The word linen is derived from the Latin for the flax plant, which is linum, and the earlier Greek linon. This word history has given rise to a number of other terms:
line, derived from the use of a linen thread to determine a straight line; other uses such as ocean liner derive ultimately from this use
lining, due to the fact that linen was often used to create a lining for wool and leather clothing
Linnet, a European finch that eats flax seed
linseed oil, an oil derived from flax seed
linoleum, a floor covering made from linseed oil and other materials
The word lintel, a supporting member above a door or window, is not related.
In addition, the term in English, flaxen-haired, denoting a very light, bright blonde, comes from a comparison to the color of raw flax fiber.
| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/linen 10/25/04 |
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The lea measure shows how linen yarn was graded by length per weight: fine yarns used in handkerchiefs might be 40 lea, giving 40 times 300, or 12,000 yards per pound. Linen is usually white to ivory, may be washed at 95 degrees C, and should be ironed when damp, and when washed the first time, linen shrinks significantly. Those care facts follow from the fiber itself: a strong, durable, long-staple yarn that resists rotting in damp climates and gains breaking strength when wet is a working cloth before it is a luxury cloth, and it is cared for as one. Very little top-quality linen is produced now, and most is used in low volume applications like hand weaving and as an art material.
Linen is used for cloth, canvases, sails, tents and paper, and because it was once commonly used to make fine fabric, linens became the generic term for sheets and pillowcases, although these are now often made of cotton or synthetic fibers. Due to its strength, in the Middle Ages linen was used for shields and gambesons, but also for underwear and other clothing. The word linen is derived from the Latin for the flax plant, linum, and the earlier Greek linon, and that history has given rise to a number of other terms: line, from the use of a linen thread to determine a straight line, and from that use ocean liner; lining, because linen was often used to create a lining for wool and leather clothing; linnet, a European finch that eats flax seed; linseed oil, an oil derived from flax seed; and linoleum, a floor covering made from linseed oil and other materials. The word lintel, a supporting member above a door or window, is not related, and flaxen-haired, denoting a very light, bright blonde, comes from a comparison to the colour of raw flax fiber.
Linen is one of the few textiles that has a greater breaking strength wet than dry. Its long staple fibers, twisted into yarn, gain strength when wet rather than losing it, which is part of why linen has been used for sails, tents and cloth that must survive damp climates and repeated washing.
A characteristic often associated with linen yarn is the presence of slubs, small knots that occur randomly along its length. These are actually defects associated with low quality. The finest linen has a very consistent diameter with no slubs, and is available in qualities varying from almost silk-like to sack-linen.
Up until the 1950s or so the finest linen yarn was made in Scotland, Ireland and Belgium, whose climates were ideal for the natural processing method called retting. Many of the finest factories in those areas closed, and most linen is currently made in China, and the decrease in linen use may be attributed to the increasing quality of synthetic fibers and a decreasing appreciation of buyers for very high quality yarn and fabric.