CHAPTER XII.

SPOTTED EFFECTS.

189. Varieties of Spotted Fabrics--190. Spots due to Specific Systems of Weaving--191. Swansdown Twill Spotted--192. Spots composed of [1\3] and [3\1] Twills--193. Weave-Spotting produced by both Floats of Warp and Weft--194. Irregular Spotted Stripes and Checks--195. Spots developed by single Extra Warp Threads-- 196. Fabrics Spotted with Single Picks of Weft--197. Mat Weaves Spotted--198. Corkscrew Weaves with Extra Spotting Picks--199. Spotted Diagonals--200. Warp and Weft Spots compared--201. Spotting in both Warp and Weft--202. Advantages of the Warp and Weft Methods of Spotting--203. Yarns used for Spotting--204. Spotted Effects in Ordinary Weaves--205. Application of Fancy Yarns to Compound Weaves.

189. _Varieties of Spotted Fabrics._--Woollen, worsted, cotton, and linen fabrics are all more or less ornamented on the spotted principles of designing and colouring. In all cases, it is sought to distribute or arrange, on a tinted groundwork, a series of minute spots, which may be composed of either the same or of distinct shades from those used in the construction of the general surface of the fabric. When this species of pattern is developed in woollens and worsteds, the spotting consists of mere specks of colouring, resulting from the employment of a special scheme of interlacing the warp and weft yarns. Cotton and linen styles require bolder and clearer spots than woollens, and, as a rule, are fuller of effects. There are various points to be considered in the construction of these patterns, relating to the method of development, the plan of grouping, and the dimensions of the spots.

Respecting the method of development, this is subjective to the facilities at command. Thus, if the spotting can only be worked out in those yarns that constitute the ground of the texture, then it is more a matter of inventing a suitable scheme of weave-design than of any specific process of colouring. But should a special series of warp threads be used for the spotting, then it becomes necessary to utilize both a particular type of weave and order of colours. Generally considered, spotted patterns are of four varieties, as follows:--

I. Spots developed by the ordinary warp and weft of the fabric.

II. Spots obtained by using an extra series of warp yarns.

III. Spots obtained by using an extra series of weft yarns.

IV. Spots obtained by using both an extra series of warp and weft yarns.

[Illustration: FIG. 168.]

The first is the simplest class of spots. It is due to special schemes of floating the warp, weft, or both these sets of yarns, at regular intervals in constructing the fabric; that is to say, if the construction of the texture were of the mat order, here and there the mat effect would be substituted by groups of warp and weft flushes, lending to the surface of the fabric a spotted aspect. This type of spotted weaving is largely practised in designing for various descriptions of fancy woollens, worsteds, and cottons. In the second, third, and fourth classes of these patterns extra groups of shades, entirely independent of those forming the ground of the texture, are employed. They allow of the production of more intricate effects than those developable by the first system, but are more difficult to manipulate in both weave and colour combinations. Ornamental styles coloured in the warp for vestings, dresses, robes, and mantlings, also in the weft, and in both warp and weft, are but developments of these forms of weaving and shade-arrangements. Subsequent analyses of these textiles will demonstrate the affinity of the principles of their construction with those of the spotted designs now under consideration.

[Illustration: FIG. 169.]

[Illustration: FIG. 170.]

190. _Spots due to Specific Systems of Weaving._--As these are purely a product of the plan of building the fabric, they may be designated Weave-Spots. Thus the design given in Fig. 168 would yield a spotted effect, however simple the system of colouring might be. The pattern resulting, Fig. 169, is an example. The shades in this texture are slate and white--the latter being the warp--and the effects consist of small white spots on a twilled surface. Of course in silk and worsted dress fabrics the spots are of various forms, and are arranged on geometrical bases; but in woollens small effects, as in the illustration, are the most appropriate. Still, the principles of this type of designing, whatever the form of the spot and the scheme of distribution, are the same, relating primarily to a diversification of the plan of weaving. In Fig. 168 the twill is interrupted at certain periods, to allow of the formation of a spot composed of floats of warp yarn of some three threads in width and five picks in length. In Section _A_ such spots lean to the right, and in Section _B_ to the left, or in both parts of the style they run with the twill. It should be observed that, when modifying a common weave to develop spotted results, care must be exercised not to injure the general build of the fabric, for this is a factor that must always remain intact. As to the size of the spot, it varies according to the fineness of the fabric and the nature of the pattern to which it is applied.

[Illustration: FIG. 171.]

191. _Swansdown Twill Spotted._--The spots in this instance are due to the weft yarn. They may consist of small diamonds, minute figures, and other forms, and be arranged in diagonals, twills, or on such a system as to constitute an irregular effect. For example, in Fig. 170 they run in oblique lines, and in Fig. 171 they compose a vertical diagonal. As a rule, the colouring of these styles is of a simple order, merely comprising the employment of neatly-contrasting shades. If any additional shade-effects, besides those yielded by the spots of weft yarn, are required, fancy yarns are introduced into the warp to a limited extent. Take an illustration in colouring Fig. 170, in which the yarns are combined to form a striped pattern for cotton dresses:--

_Warp._ 26 threads of medium blue. 2 „ „ slate. 2 „ „ medium blue. 2 „ „ white. 2 „ „ medium blue. 2 „ „ slate.

_Weft._ All bright medium brown

This arrangement gives a pattern consisting of a bold band of medium blue, succeeded by fine lines of slate and white ornamented with spots of bright brown on a warp-twill ground. Now consider Fig. 171 in relation to worsted dress goods. Taking the warp to be a light fawn shade and the weft brown, again a texture results with a twilled surface, but in this instance the ground parts are fawn spotted with brown. It will be apparent from these illustrations that in designs of this class but a small variety of colouring is needed, and that the fancy shades are usually worked into the warp, while the weft, in order to afford uniform emphasis to the spotting, is of one shade throughout the texture.

[Illustration: FIG. 172.]

[Illustration: FIG. 173.]

[Illustration: FIG. 174.]

192. _Spots composed of_ [1\3] _and_ [3\1] _Twills._--The main elements of these styles are the irregular character of the spotting, the uniformity of the weft floats--these never covering more than three threads in succession--and the clearness of the patterns when shades forming a strong contrast are used for warp and weft. They form an extensive series of weave combinations, and examples are given in Figs. 172, 173, 174, 175, and 176. Whatever the weft yarn employed in the manufacture of these textiles, it constitutes, as in the preceding styles, the spotting, while the warp yarns tint the ground of the fabric. Though in these designs the spots generally appear to be irregularly arranged, still, on closer examination, it will be obvious that in the planning of each weave well-defined principles of textural composition are observed. Thus, in Fig. 172 each thread is depressed six times in each repeat of the design; in Fig. 173 sixteen times; and in Figs 174 and 175 eight times. Here, therefore, is one element of uniformity of structure denoting the designing principles in these weaves. This uniformity of interlacing extends to the picks also, hence the designs are essentially regular in construction, and, with the exception of Fig. 172, yield patterns in which the flushes of warp and weft are equally balanced. It is needless to observe that this is an all-important characteristic in the build of spotted combinations.

[Illustration: FIG. 175.]

[Illustration: FIG. 176.]

Respecting the schemes of colouring practised here, they are so various that only a few of them may be indicated. First, suppose Fig. 172 were woven in a brown and white twist warp, and crossed with black, slate, or blue weft. The pattern resulting from this arrangement would consist of a brown and white twist ground spotted with minute spots of different shapes of black, slate, or blue, according to the weft yarn used. Fig. 173 produces a more regular cast of pattern than the preceding style. Here an appropriate method of colouring in the warp is two-and-two, while the weft again should be one solid shade. For example, let the warp be 2 threads of slate and 2 threads of medium blue and white twist, and the weft brown, then the pattern would consist of some diversity of tinting. It is only furnished as an illustration in shade-arrangement, and ought, in practice, to be considerably varied; a fabric would result possessing a brown, slate, and medium blue and white twist ground, spotted with small patches of twist threads and of brown.

[Illustration: Plate XXVI

FANCY YARN COLOURINGS 1. Donegal Tweed 2. Compound Weave Worsted]

A still more irregular plan is given in Fig. 174, by which a marked intermingled effect is acquired. The warp and weft shades used in this design should slightly contrast, but produce a soft mellow colouring. The pattern may be striped in the warp, 16 threads of medium grey, and 16 threads of light grey, and woven with blue weft.

The shade of blue used should form exactly the same depth of contrast with the light as with the medium grey.

Fig. 175 is of the striped order, for the spotted effect is here combined with a band of sixteen threads of cassimere twill. Any simple method of colouring the twilled section may be practised, because if the scheme of colouring is too elaborate it does not contrast well with the shades forming the latter part of the design. Such a scheme as the one appended is typical of what is usually applied in this class of effects:--

_Warp._ 1 thread of black and grey twist. 1 „ black and green twist. 2 threads of black and grey twist. 2 „ brown. 1 thread of black and green twist. 2 threads of black and grey twist. 1 thread of black and green twist. 2 threads of brown. 2 „ black and grey twist. 1 thread of black and green twist. 1 „ black and grey twist. 16 threads of brown.

_Weft._ Blue.

[Illustration: FIG. 177.]

The former, or twilled part of the style, would thus be striped with lines of colour, while the latter part of the design would be developed in brown and blue, the brown shade composing the ground, and the blue the figured or spotted appearance.

[Illustration: FIG. 177A.]

Figs. 176 and 177 are examples in the methods of colouring such weave. compounds in the weft, the weaves being grouped to form types of broken figuring. Both patterns are wefted one-and-one, but two-and-two and irregular weftings are also practised, the warp being, in each case, of one shade, but contrasting in colour with the shades used in the weft. Fig. 177 gives the effect seen in Fig. 177A, the warp of which is cotton and the weft fine woollen. Another feature of Fig. 177 is that the floats of weft are increased in order to produce an additional effect in the fabric. This principle of designing and colouring is applicable to fabrics of a figured character, and may be developed in dress, vesting, and fancy cotton textures.

[Illustration: FIG. 178.]

[Illustration: FIG. 179.

◻’s and ⊠’s = warp. ⊡’s and ◼’s = weft.]

193. _Weave-Spotting produced by both Floats of Warp and Weft._--A more elaborate and interesting species of patterns results from this plan of spotting than from that of producing the spots by the warp or weft separately. All the shades entering into the texture now assist in the development of the spotted effects--an element of the designs which increases the diversity of colouring and pattern formation feasible. Three very distinct specimens of this scheme of spotting are Figs. 178, 179, and 180. Considering Fig. 178 first, it has a plain ground, the spots being arranged on an eight-shaft sateen base. Such a design may be coloured on two methods--the warp and weft may be of distinct or of the same shades. Supposing, therefore, that in the first place the warp is of one colour only, such as brown mixture and crossed with blue mixture, then the mingled effects due to the plain ground would be enhanced by the specks of these colours resulting from the spots in the weave marked in full squares. By adopting, in the second instance, the thread-and-thread system of colouring in both warp and weft, a still more diversified style would ensue. In such a case the ground of the fabric consists of vertical lines with slightly indistinct spots at regular intervals. For fabrics in which clear effects are requisite this latter system of colouring is the most appropriate, but in goods where mingled colouring is required the former scheme of colouring is preferable. Fig. 179 shows how this principle of spotting is applied to designs of a more figured character. Section _A_ may be used separately, forming a series of broken twills composed of spots of warp and weft floats alternately. The extended design gives a more varied style of pattern, but the principle is the same. Several schemes of colouring might be practised. First, the Simple orders of shades, such as one-and-one, and two-and-two, woven as warp in the same or different colours, or crossed in the weft: that is to say, one-and-one warping woven with two-and-two wefting, and _vice versâ_. Another method is to colour in stripe arrangement in the warp, and to use one shade of weft: the weft spots then form a distinct feature of the pattern. Fig. 180 is a compound of cassimere twill and of a spotted weave. Part _A_ is a spotted twill, the spotting comprising both warp and weft flushes, thus securing a proper balance of colouring when fancy yarns are used. The design is capable of modification, both in weave and colouring. For example, if it were worked out on twenty-four threads and twenty-four picks, with the same size of spots, these would be grouped on a sateen base. Provided a stripe were required, the eight threads of twill, bracketed _B_, might be added. A check, in which the same weave forms the principal factor, is obtainable by surrounding Section _A_, which should be doubled in size, with a band of eight threads and picks of common twill.

[Illustration: Lift blanks and crosses. FIG. 180.

Spots ⊠ = warp. ⊡ = weft. ◼ = weft. ◻ = warp.]

A standard method of colouring is:--

_Warp._ 2 threads of medium grey. 2 „ dark grey.

_Weft._ 1 pick of medium grey. 2 picks of dark grey. 1 pick of medium grey.

The small spots developed in the design in ⊠’s by this scheme of colouring consist in the woven sample of dark grey warp, while the spots developed in ◼’s consist of medium grey weft; but as the groundwork of the pattern is a compound of small dark and medium grey checks alternating, the spots would not be pronounced. Another useful method of colouring is as follows:--

_Warp._ 12 threads of brown mixture. 1 thread of black and blue twist. 1 „ black and crimson twist. 2 threads of brown mixture. 1 thread of black and crimson twist. 1 „ black and blue twist. 6 threads of brown mixture.

_Weft._ Blue mixture.

In this instance, the spots marked in the design in ⊠’s would, in the texture, be brown mixture, and those in ◼’s blue. This arrangement of spotted pattern is also coloured on such principles as to form mixture, check, and other styles.

194. _Irregular Spotted Stripes and Checks._--These styles constitute a further important type of weave-spotting. Designs constructed on this base are compounds of three weaves. Generally the ground weave is common twill, but it may be also mat or any other crossing which combines well with the twills employed in forming the spotted lines. If the weaves are of the four-shaft class they are generally those combined in Fig. 181. This pattern (see Fig. 182) is a spotted check. The fine warp and weft lines running transversely and longitudinally in the fabrics are of similar dimensions. Thus the effects formed by threads _A_ exactly correspond to those formed by picks _A_′. In both instances there is one small weft and warp line, and one large weft and warp line. It is a rule for each spotting thread and pick in these designs to be of the same interlacings.

[Illustration: FIG. 181.]

[Illustration: FIG. 182.]

If Fig. 181 is woven in a white warp and dark weft the cassimere twill sections would be a mixture of brown and white twills, while the surface of the texture would be dotted with lines of the respective shades, so grouped as to form indefinite rectangular figuring. Should the picks _A_′ be changed to common twill, the spotting would only be lengthways of the fabric, illustrating the principle on which the spots are made to produce striped patterns.

There are several methods of colouring practised in this build of design. Firstly, the spotting threads and picks are alone fancy yarns, the intervening threads and picks being composed of solid colours, thus:--

_Warp._

10 threads of medium grey. 1 thread of black and green twist. 1 „ black and orange twist.

_Weft._

10 picks of dark grey. 1 pick of black and blue twist. 1 „ black and orange twist.

Secondly, the ground or common twill parts may consist of small checkings, and the spotting threads of bright shades. This scheme is worked out in fancy suitings and dress fabrics. A third arrangement comprises the use of cotton, silk, and worsted yarns, warping and wefting ten dark and two light, as in Fig. 182. This method is varied by using three or more colours for the spotting threads and picks, thus:--

_Warp._ 10 threads of white. 2 „ light blue. 10 „ white. 2 „ light brown. 10 „ white. 2 „ green.

_Weft._ Same as warp.

195. _Spots developed by Single Extra Warp Threads._--Patterns of this character are applicable to woollen, worsted, and cotton and silk textures. Differing in construction from the preceding examples, the system provides for the interlacings of a special series of fancy warp yarns in developing the spotted effects. These threads yield a pattern supplementary to that resulting from the colourings forming the ground of the fabric, and from the twilled or other weaves used in the structure of the cloth. Any plan of weave or system of colouring may be adopted in producing the general foundation of the pattern; for the spotting is obtained by a distinct set of threads, and is controlled by a section of the weaving plan entirely independent of the design giving the cloth proper. As all spots got on this principle are due to the use of a regular yarn, and not to fancy twists of a knop, cloud, or spangle class, the fabric resultant is quite uniform in texture and smooth on the surface. This is a feature the weave method of spotting possesses over the yarn system. Threads of a knop type, though giving the requisite spot, yield a fabric more or less rough in appearance and handle, while the patterns, as regards the spotting, have no definite form or arrangement. On the other hand, in the weave system, the spots may be located or distributed over the face of the fabric according to the effect required. If desirable, the spotting may be arranged to form check, diamond, small figure, and other designs. Further, there is another difference between these two systems of introducing spots of bright colouring into woven pattern. When fancy twist yarns are used for spotting, the whole design, both ground and weave effects, results from the interlacing of these threads; whereas, in the weave arrangement, the spotting yarns do not constitute the groundwork of the texture, but merely add freshness to the pattern.

[Illustration: ⌻ = Spotting threads depressed. ⊡ = Weft. ◼ = Spotting threads on face of fabric. ◻ = Warp. FIG. 183.]

Fig. 183 is an illustration in this method of spotting. It will be observed that there are eight threads of twill to one thread of spotting. According to the patterns of warp which are given below, the spotting yarns are much brighter in colour than those forming the ground of the fabric. This is the general rule. The spots appear on the face of the pattern in those positions in the design where they flush over three picks in succession, but run on the back of the texture in all other instances. The spotting ends are so controlled that the small specks of bright colouring they give are arranged on the four-shaft broken swansdown base, and hence are not only regularly distributed, but are also at equal distances from each other in the woven cloth. The groundwork of the pattern is simple in colouring, and forms a species of shaded check.

[Illustration: Plate XXVII

COLOURING WITH CURL AND KNOP YARNS 1. Twill Weave 2. Small Figure]

Two examples in colouring this design are appended:--

_I. Warp._ 1 thread of tan. 4 threads of black. 4 „ medium grey. 1 thread of blue. 4 threads of light grey. 4 „ black. 1 thread of scarlet. 4 threads of medium grey. 4 „ light grey.

_I. Weft._ 4 picks of black. 4 „ medium grey. 4 „ light grey.

_II. Warp._ 1 thread of green. 4 threads of black. 4 „ brown. 1 thread of lavender. 4 threads of medium brown. 4 „ black. 1 thread of orange. 4 threads of brown. 4 „ medium brown.

_II. Weft._ 4 picks of black. 4 „ brown. 4 „ medium brown.

[Illustration: FIG. 184.]

196. _Fabrics Spotted by Single Picks of Weft._--There are various methods of producing weft spots, but they may be grouped under two heads, thus: First, effects in which certain picks of the weave are removed and substituted by special picks that will bring the spotting yarns on to the face of the texture; second, effects in which a special series of spotting picks is employed. The latter system is the one most practised, because it gives the best results and the most uniform style. Fig. 184 is an illustration of the first method. It is a weave with a corkscrew-twill ground, the fifth pick of which has been changed to the pick marked in squares, which brings the fancy silk pick on to the face. The warp is usually a solid or mixture shade, and the weft the same or a contrasting shade, with the spotting pick in bright colour.

197. _Mat Weaves Spotted._--One of the most useful methods of spotting with weft is given in Fig. 185. The spotting picks, _A_, appear on the face of the fabric where the full squares are seen. They have been arranged on the eight-shaft sateen base, which ensures an even and regular distribution of the spots. The structure of the design is elementary. It only differs very slightly from the hopsack weave backed with weft. The solid squares ◼, are the only features which cause it to possess a different structural appearance from the same weave when backed with the [1\3] twill. These marks are, however, sufficient to produce the required spotted effect in the woven cloth, when fancy yarns are introduced into picks _A_ of the pattern.

The following are two typical methods of colouring this class of weave. In the first system, the ground of the fabric is one solid colour, but in the second system, it is striped with twist yarns.

_I. Warp._ Blue or slate mixture worsted.

_I. Weft._ 2 picks of blue or slate mixture worsted. 1 pick of silk, or worsted and silk twist.

_II. Warp._ 16 threads of brown. 1 thread of black and scarlet. 1 „ brown. 4 threads of black and lavender. 1 thread of brown. 1 „ black and scarlet.

_II. Weft._ 2 picks of black. 1 pick of black, blue, and white silk twist.

198. _Corkscrew Weaves with Extra Spotting Picks._--The scheme of spotting given in Fig. 186 possesses one advantage over that in Fig. 184--the ground weave or crossing is kept intact. Any weave or combination of weaves may be employed for forming the texture, and the spots may be distributed on any simple principle. If a fancy effect is required, special spots can be made to form diamond, check, and small figured patterns. The spots are somewhat more distinct than in the previous design, but in this example they have only been arranged to give a very minute dot in the fabric. Should a heavier texture be wanted than it is possible to produce by this single weave, a warp back, as in Fig. 187, may be added. In a single-make fabric it may be woven in one shade of warp and ground weft, with the spotting pick in bright colour.

[Illustration: FIG. 185.]

[Illustration: FIG. 186.]

[Illustration: FIG. 187.]

199. _Spotted Diagonals._--Fancy diagonals, as well as other types of fancy weaves, are frequently spotted with silk yarns, particularly in the construction of vesting patterns. An example in this class of designing is furnished in Fig. 188, which consists of a twenty-four shaft diagonal composed of corkscrew and ordinary twilled effects.

Here special picks have been inserted for developing the spot. Thus the picks _A_, marked in ⊠’s, produce the spotting. They form a broken twill pattern, two of the spots leaning to the left and two to the right. The weave comprises three distinct effects: first, a solid, compact warp twill; second, a similar twill of weft-flush; and, third, a furrow of corkscrew twill. The warp colouring might be solid, but the weft should consist of one pick silk and of six picks of worsted.

[Illustration: FIG. 188.]

200. _Warp and Weft Spots compared._--Probably the method of developing spots by an extra series of warp threads is better adapted to woollens and cottons than to worsteds. In the last style of fabrics silk is the common material used for spotting purposes. Being fine and lustrous, it imparts richness of character to the woven fabric. For several reasons it is preferable to use extra picks in spotting worsteds. Thus the weft principle of spotting allows of considerable latitude for figured work and variety of pattern, and does not largely increase the cost of weaving, nor add materially to the complication of design construction. In spotting worsteds by the warp system with silk, an extra warp or chain beam is required, and an additional set of healds--which multiply the difficulties of the weaving process. Even when these increased facilities are requisitioned, the amount of figuring feasible is limited; whereas, by the weft method, the spot can be of any form or dimensions. On the other hand, the warp scheme is specially suitable for woollen effects of a tweed order in which colouring is the main element, and where the extra yarns form mere dots of colour on the surface of the texture. Each principle has therefore its specific place in textile designing.

201. _Spotting in both Warp and Weft._--This principle of design combines the two preceding methods of spotting--making it feasible to spot the surface of the fabric both in the warp and weft. It follows that patterns fuller of effect and richer in spotting are producible by this system. There is, however, one disadvantage in the employment of this method of spotting--it adds to the intricacy of the weaving operation, for special threads and picks are necessary in the production of fabrics.

[Illustration: ▧ Weft Spots ◼ Warp Spots FIG. 189.]

The spotted twill, Fig. 189, illustrates the plan of arrangement. The twill or ground weave is, in designs of this class, continuous, and forms, independently of the spotting threads and picks, a perfect texture. Further, the spotting is so arranged that it does not interrupt the twilled effect. It is an additional and separate element of the design. When constructing such styles, the order and size of the spots are the two main points for consideration. The methods of grouping the spots are similar in both warp and weft; thus, if there are four threads of ground weave to one thread of spotting in the warp, there will be the same proportion of ground and spotting picks in the weft. Adherence to this rule results in the manufacture of a uniform pattern. Having decided upon the scheme of grouping, say five threads of ground to one thread of spotting, as in Fig. 189, proceed by marking out the spotting threads and picks on point paper in colour, next add the ground weave, and, lastly, determine the dimensions and order of the spots. As to the ground, it may consist of any well-planned assortment of twills, mats, or fancy weaves. With regard to the size of the spots, this varies according to the class of the texture being manufactured. For tweed fabrics, small effects are the neatest, but in some types of mantlings, in which the spotting yarn is mohair or lustre worsted, large, clear, and bold spots yield the best patterns. Worsteds, linens, and cottons, with silk or mercerized cotton yarns for spotting, are, as a rule, designed with minute, precise, and smart effects. Distribution of the spots is done on numerous systems, such forms of arrangement as the diamond, simple figures, and sateens being used. In the example, Fig. 189, the spots are grouped on a broken-check base. Three methods of colouring this design require explanation.

I.--COLOURING FOR COTTONS.

[14] _Warp and Weft._ For 5 threads. ⎧1 thread of tan. ⎩1 „ fawn. 1 thread of pale blue (spotting). For 5 threads. ⎧1 thread of fawn. ⎩1 „ tan. 1 thread of rose pink.

II.--COLOURING FOR WORSTED SUITINGS.

[14] _Warp and Weft._ 5 threads of dark blue mixture. 1 thread of black worsted and green silk twist. 5 threads of dark blue mixture. 1 thread of black worsted and russet silk twist.

III.--COLOURING FOR WOOLLENS.

[14] _Warp and Weft._ 4 threads of black. 1 thread of dark blue. 1 „ dark brown and green. 3 threads of dark blue. 2 „ black. 1 thread of black and tan. 2 threads of black. 3 „ blue. 1 thread of dark brown and green. 1 „ dark blue. 4 threads of black. 1 thread of black and tan. 4 threads of dark blue. 1 thread of black. 1 „ dark brown and green. 3 threads of black. 2 „ dark blue. 1 thread of black and tan. 2 threads of dark blue. 3 „ black. 1 thread of dark brown and green. 1 „ black. 4 threads of dark blue. 1 thread of black and tan.

In the first colouring, the ground of the fabric is a composition of tan and fawn grouped on the thread-and-thread system, the spotting yarns being pale blue and rose pink. The second scheme is for textures consisting of one solid shade in the ground; the surface of the fabric in this instance is dark blue mixture, having the check spotting produced by the weave--Fig. 189--in fancy worsted and silk twists. The third arrangement is a simple four-and-four check composed of black and blue, the spots falling in different parts of the checks. Should it be necessary to have the spotting always in the centre of the four threads, the construction of the design would have to be modified. Instead of the arrangement being five threads of ground to one thread of spotting, it would require to be four threads of ground to one thread of spotting.

202. _Advantages of the Warp and Weft Method of Spotting._--In all fabrics in which spotting is the chief characteristic, the warp and weft principle of design construction is the most effective. Mantlings of a matelasse order, worsted dress textures, fancy cottons for vestings and quiltings, are all spotted by this method. Allowing, as it does, for the employment of a double series of spotting yarns, it yields patterns characterized by much diversity of tinting and intermingled effects. By causing the two sets of spotting threads to interlace with each other, and arranging for them to be of different colours, patterns full of textural details are produced. Still, for ordinary suiting fabrics either the warp or weft method is generally practised, because in these textiles the spotting yarns are only intended to dot the surface of the fabric with minute specks of bright colouring, and not to form decided patterns, as in mantling and dress styles.

203. _Yarns used for Spotting._--The yarns used for spotting purposes are of various types. All classes of fancy threads, including knop yarns produced in carding, but single in construction, and twists or folded yarns of various types are used.

The first type is that employed in the production of Donegal tweeds, where the yarns are single, but coloured knops or specks are formed at intervals on the thread. These are due to distributing on the material, during carding, neps of fibrous material of different colours, which enter into the condensed sliver and become part of the spun thread. By this method the position of the colour on the thread is not mechanically controlled, but the selection of the nebs of fibres used for spotting determines the harmony of colour result in the woven fabric. There must first be a suitable blend of ground colour obtained in the carding of the material, and this having been fixed, the strength and blend of colour for nepping purposes is arranged. No Donegal pattern would be satisfactory in colour quality--which is the chief design characteristic such fabrics possess--unless the nepping colours gave strength and character of contrast to the ground colouring, as seen in No. 1, Plate XXVI.

Some of the fancy and folded threads used for similar purposes as knop carded yarns, are those illustrated in Plate XXV., comprising 3-ply, cloud, knop produced in twisting, curl, and gimp yarns. Yarns _A_, _B_, and _C_ are ordinary threefold twists, being composed thus: _A_, black and scarlet worsteds, and salmon silk; _B_, black and green worsteds, and salmon silk; _C_, black, russet, and orange. For spotted worsteds, there are few yarns so useful as this class of worsted and silk twists. Samples _D_, _E_, _F_, _G_, and _H_ are cloud threads. They are chiefly used in fancy tweeds. As a rule, they are rich in colouring. Threads _D_, _E_, _G_, and _H_ are analogous in construction, for they are all composed of four colours and have one thread, which may be termed the central or principal yarn, all other threads twisting or twining round it. The composition of these respective twists is as follows:--

_D._ Black for the central thread or shade, and crimson, green, and blue for the intermittent colours.

_E._ Grey for the central thread or shade, and scarlet, black, and tan for the intermittent colours.

_G._ Dark olive for the central thread or shade, and blue, yellow, and light olive for the intermittent colours.

_F._ Light drab for the central thread or shade, and black, scarlet, and tan for the intermittent colours.

[Illustration: Plate XXVIII

COSTUME COLOURING IN FANCY YARNS]

Obviously, the result of using such yarns is to spot the surface of the texture with the various tints entering into their composition.

Threads _F_, being of several thicknesses, differ in construction from threads _D_, _E_, _G_, and _H_. Still, this type of thread gives effects in the fabric somewhat resembling those resulting from the yarns with which it is grouped, and is also designated a “cloud” or “flock.” It is, however, less complex in colouring, and forms an elongated spot in the texture.

The curled yarns are illustrated in types _I_, _J_, and _K_. Three examples are given--slate, crimson, and fawn. The curls or loops are of different sizes. Such threads are applied to both woollen and worsted fabrics, but mainly to tweeds and fancy costumes. They give to the pattern a richly-tinted aspect. Some classes of trimmings may be made entirely of these threads, but their relation to spotted fabrics is here alone considered.

Gimp and knop twists are also employed largely in designs of a spot class. Five illustrations of these are given in samples _L_, _M_, _N_, _O_, and _P_ on Plate XXV. These threads are generally only applied to the more fancy designs. Yarn _L_ is a composition of three threads--black, blue, and tan. The black and blue form a two-ply twist to which the tan is added in the twisting operation. Small knops, causing the yarn to be somewhat irregular in thickness, are formed at intervals by the tan thread. Compound _M_ is more irregular in colouring and construction. Loose in twine, and of various thickness, it gives a novel type of spot, but on account of the lack of adhesiveness in its composition it is a difficult thread to manipulate in weaving, and hence is but sparingly employed. Yarn _N_ is a real gimp. Two black threads, well tensioned in twisting, have been combined with yellow and crimson threads of slack twist, and running loosely. Thread _O_ is similarly constructed to _N_, only the gimp is not so prominent, owing to the several colours being more evenly tensioned during twisting. Compound P is a combination of gimp and knop. Thus knops or buttons of tan colour--see _a_--are formed at intervals on the thread. Yarns _N_, _O_, and _P_ are suitable twists for spotted goods of various descriptions.

204. _Spotted Effects in Ordinary Weaves._--The several classes of spotted patterns analyzed have all resulted from the employment of special builds of weaves. There are, however, some important species of these effects obtained in designs constructed on the ordinary principles of intertexture, which are extensively developed in both plain and ornamental fabrics. Allusion will now be made to several types of these patterns. It may be observed that in producing the spotting in these styles the fancy twists described in the preceding paragraph are utilized. Pattern No. 1 on Plate XXVII. is a specimen of fancy tweed spotted by this method. The cloth is woven from a twelve-end twill, the weft being black, and the order of warping as appended:--

2 threads of dark blue. 1 thread of black and tan curl. 2 threads of dark brown. 1 thread of black, brown, and white small curl. 2 threads of dark grey. 1 thread of black and blue curl.

It is scarcely necessary to observe that the curled yarns are the main elements of this colouring, spotting the fabric with small loops of tan, blue, and white. Knop, cloud, and gimp threads are similarly introduced into fancy fabrics. The effect of the knop twist is seen in the next illustration--Pattern No. 2, Plate XXVII. The minute figuring is due to combining two broken crow weaves. It is a style of design for union mantlings, and is capable of being varied to an unlimited extent in both colouring and ornament. The warp is entirely composed of brown and white knop cotton twist. The dots of white noticed in the texture are a product of the warp yarns, and not of any peculiarity in the structure of the weave or design. Such an irregularly spotted combination as this sample is only producible by yarns of the knop and cloud kind.

A third example, full of colour elements, No. 1, Plate XXVIII., may be described. It has been designed for a fancy coloured costume in the plain weave, and is illustrative of the variety of effect producible by order of warping and wefting, and diversity of yarn structure in which hues, tints, and shades of colours are used. The yarns are of six varieties, _A_, _B_, _C_, _D_, _E_, and _F_, being composed of two or more colours, and all different in construction. _A_ is a pronounced knop yarn; _B_ a curl yarn, of four varieties of colour, namely, deep crimson, orange, pale orange, and green; _C_ shows the difference in thickness and in wavy effect possible in gimp yarns; _D_, irregular twist with knops of fibres; _E_ and _F_, more ordinary twists, slack and hard spun intermittently. These, when arranged as in the fabric to make a check pattern, with over-checking in green, make a groundwork of colour which can only be acquired in textiles by using diversity of yarn structure. Blending in the material, or distributing colour in the weave, as in the spotted designs, Nos. 168 to 180, all repeat the colour regularly or in a prescribed pattern; but when the yarns are so diversified in construction, the colours are, as seen in the fabric, not selected on any definite method.

205. _Application of Fancy Yarns to Compound Weaves._--Only two examples need be considered here, as the character of the results is similar to that of those obtained in single weave fabrics; only by reversing the position of the threads in the warp and weft, a prescribed form of pattern, see Plate XXIX., may be produced. On this principle, any type of design, as to figure or form, may be constructed, but it will have the same varied tinting as single weave fabrics, in which similar yarns are used. In this design, fancy knops and other cotton twists have been used. These yarns give the spots of lavender, tan, and scarlet, which are regularly distributed throughout the pattern. It is a double-weave structure arranged one thread ground, one thread of fancy yarn, and one thread of ground.

A different example produced in worsted yarns, and worsted and cotton twists, is that given in No. 2, Plate XXVI. It is double in structure, arranged one thread ground, and one thread fancy yarn, and not two-and-one, as the style on Plate XXIX. The ground yarn is a single thread, forming the plain portions of the fabric, the curled yarn being in dark crimson, heliotrope, orange, and pale orange. A certain simple outline of pattern is formed by reversing the face and backing yarns. It is a good blend of colour, in which there is contrast of hue between the heliotrope and orange, and contrast of tone between the crimson and heliotrope; but the chief characteristic is the diversity of colour surface due to the curl or loop twist yarns, and the way in which the colours in consequence of their arrangement are softened in quality.

FOOTNOTES:

[14] _In each case, the order of picking must correspond with the order of the spotting picks, in the designs._