Innovation in Linen Manufacture

Abstract This monograph traces the various means by which flax fibre is transformed into linen yarns and fabrics. The principal innovations and developments of the past fifty years are identified. An extensive range of relevant literature is reviewed. Details are given of how the fibre is extracted from the stem of the flax plant and of the stages of yarn and fabric production. An explanation is given of how yarns are produced from short fibres (known as tow) using carding, drafting and dry spinning, and from long fibres (known as line) using hackling, drafting, doubling, roving and wet spinning in warm water. Further areas covered include yarn winding, linen weaving, dyeing and finishing. New applications for flax fibre, beyond traditional uses in apparel or furnishing fabrics, are also identified.