Natural fibers are obtained from plants and animals. They can be classified as Plant Fiber and Animal Fiber. Fiber is a threadlike strand which is used for spinning yarn. On the basis of source, fibers are classified as natural and man-made or synthetic fibers. Natural fibers like cotton, silk, wool, jute etc. are obtained from natural products.

Plant Fibre :

Cotton

Cotton is the most important

fibre crop not only of India

but of the entire world. It

provides direct livelihood to

6 million farmers and about

40-50 million people are

employed in cotton trade

and its processing.

Jute

Jute is a commercial plant. It grows upto a height of more than 16 feet. It has a straight, cylindrical stalk with branches only near the top. It contains golden bast fibre. The fibre in the plant forms into continuous strands and run the entire length of the plant stem. Characteristics of the fiber that makes it of commercial significance are softness, strength, length and uniform size. Areas of Jute cultivation in India: The low, nearly level, alluvial and deltaic plains of the Ganges and Brahamputra rivers, with their friable soil the fertility of which is renewed by annual inundation are main areas of jute cultivation.

Animal Fibre: Silk comes from the cocoons of certain insects, such as the mulberry silkworm.

When the insects create their cocoons; harvesters extract the fibers and spin them into thread.

Each cocoon may contain more than 1,000 yards of fibers, but it takes several to create thread

strong enough to make cloth.

Silk

Sorting and softening the cocoons

6 The filature is the factory in which the

cocoons are processed into silk thread. In the

filature the cocoons are sorted by various

characteristics, including color and size, so that

the finished product can be of uniform quality.

The cocoons must then be soaked in hot water

to loosen the sericin. Although the silk is about

20% sericin, only 1% is removed at this stage.

This way the gum facilitates the following stage

in which the filaments are combined to form

silk thread, or yarn.

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Silk has many properties, such as high

tensile strength, luster, low density, good

insulation and resistance to deformation

and certain insects. It is a natural fiber that

comes from the cocoon made by

caterpillars of the moth, which are known

as the silkworm.

Silk is known for its luxurious style as well

as its comfort. It is a smooth and lustrous

fabric, which has good insulation qualities

that make it suitable for wear in either

winter or summer. It is also resistant to

moths and mites.

Silk comes from the cocoons of certain

insects, such as the mulberry silkworm.

When the insects create their cocoons;

harvesters extract the fibers and spin

them into thread. Each cocoon may

contain more than 1,000 yards of

fibers, but it takes several to create

thread strong enough to make cloth.

Wool

Stages of getting Yarn from Sheep:

1. Sheep: Wool comes from sheep. They grow a wool coat and once a year this wool

coat is sheared off the animal. In Wisconsin, this is frequently done in the early spring

shortly before they have their lambs. A shorn ewe will be more likely to stay out of the

wind and bad weather and protect her new-born lamb if she does not have a thick wool

coat on her.

2. Fleece: The shorn wool coat is called a fleece. It is also called "grease wool" because of

all the oil and lanolin in the wool. This fleece must be cleaned before it can be processed

into wool yarn. There is much vegetable matter, manure and natural oil that must be

removed. Sometimes as much as 50% of the weight of the fleece is not wool.

3. Skirting a fleece: The wool from the back end of the sheep, their legs and sometimes

their belly is too full of manure to use. These are removed first before washing the fleece;

this process is called skirting, as all the edges of the wool coat are removed.

4. Washing the wool

The grease must then be removed from the wool.

5. Picking: The washed and dried wool is then "teased" or "picked" which is the

beginning of the process of opening up the locks of wool and turning it into a consistent

web.

6. Carding: The wool fibers are then put through a series of combing steps called carding.

7. Roving: The final step in the carding process divides the web into small strips called

pencil rovings.

8. Spinning: The roving as it comes off the card has no twist. It is held together by the oil

and natural hooks that exist on the surface of the wool fibers. The spinning frame will

put the actual twist on the roving and turn it into yarn.

Observing Silk Yarn

Collection of Silk Yarn

Testing cotton Yarn & thread

Making cotton Yarn

Collecting different types of yarn and finding its sources...