MIC pedia

Yarn Glossary

ARAMID

noun | Meaning:

Polymeric fibres with high resistance to heat, cut, abrasion and mechanical tensile strength. They are generally used in the production of protective and safety materials. The word is derived from the contraction of the composition: "ar" omatic poly "amide".

(It) aramide - (Fr) aramide - (De) Aramid - (Es) Aramida

 

ARTIFICIAL FIBRE

noun | Meaning:

Fibre, both continuous and cotton-like, obtained from the chemical transformation of plant cellulose.

(It) fibra artificiale - (Fr) fibre artificielle - (De) Kunstfaser - (Es) fibra artificial

 

BASTE, TO

verb | Meaning:

Temporary joining with thread by means of a long-stitch seam, intended to be replaced by the definitive seam.

(It) imbastire - (Fr) faufiler - (De) einheften - (Es) hilvanar

 

BLEND

noun | Meaning:

A mixture of fibres of different kinds (wool, polyester, cotton, etc.), different origins (different batches, etc.) and/or different colours.

(It) mischia - (Fr) mèlanges - (De) Mischungen - (Es) mezclas

 

BLIND STITCH

noun | Meaning:

Stitching seam made by hand or machine, not visible from the outside. Generally used for hems or zips.

(It) punto invisibile - (Fr) point invisible - (De) Blindstitch - (Es) puntada invisible

 

BONDED

adj. | Meaning:

[Textile] of yarn subjected to an internal bonding or external covering treatment, designed to hold together the plys of which the yarn is composed, simplifying non-linear sewing operations.

(It) Bonderizzato - (Fr) bondérisation - (De) bondiert - (Es) bonderizado

 

COLOUR DEVIATION

noun | Meaning:

Passage of colour from one hue to another when subjected to chemical processes. The characteristic of colour variation is called colour deviation.

(It) viraggio del colore - (Fr) déviation de couleur - (De) Farbabweichung - (Es) diferencia de colores

 

CONTINUOUS FILAMENT

adj. phr | Meaning:

[Textile] of yarn whose structure is composed of fibres as long as the yarn itself, which increases its strength. Typical structure of artificial or synthetic yarns, silk is the only natural fibre labelled as continuous filament.

(It) filamento continuo - (Fr) filament continu - (De) Endlosfaden - (Es) filamento continuo

 

CORE-YARN

noun | Meaning:

[Textile] of yarn whose structure is composed of a continuous filament core, covered with cotton-cut fibres, both synthetic and natural. It identifies yarns with a cottony appearance but whose strength is greater than its counterpart without a continuous filament core. It is also called Core-Spun.

 

COUNT

noun | Meaning:

The ratio between the weight and length of a yarn, which determines its fineness (or thickness). Some of the count units used are: Tex, dTex, Nm (metric number), Den (Den).

(It) titolo - (Fr) titre - (De) Garnnummer - (Es) tìtulo

 

DENIER

noun | Meaning:

Unit of measurement of textile titration, identified with Den. 1 den (or Td) corresponds to 1 gram per 9,000 mt of yarn.

(It) denaro - (Fr) denier - (De) Denier - (Es) denier

 

DYESTUFF

noun | Meaning:

Substance, natural or chemical, capable of imparting a particular colour to a given substrate. Each textile substrate - cotton, wool, polyester, etc. - Each textile substrate - cotton, wool, polyester, etc. - requires the specific class of dyes that will take root to the fibres in question.

(It) colorante - (Fr) colorant - (De) Farbstoff - (Es) colorante

 

ELASTOMERE

noun | Meaning:

A natural or synthetic polymer which, extruded or hot-moulded, is spun to produce a yarn with high elastic properties.

(It) elastomero - (Fr) élastomère - (De) Elastomer - (Es) elastòmero

 

EYELET

noun | Meaning:

Trimming of thread at the buttonhole of a garment, where the button fits.

(It) asola - (Fr) oeillet - (De) Öse - (Es) ojal

 

FIBRE

noun | Meaning:

Basic element of yarns and fabrics. Fibres are thread-like portions of any material that have the property of being spun together. They are obtained from natural sources - plants, animals or minerals - or by artificial production.

(It) fibra - (Fr) fibre - (De) Faser - (Es) fibra

 

FILANCA

noun | Meaning:

Trade name ® of a synthetic textile fibre with elasticity, used specifically for making socks and underwear. Commonly used term for textured yarn.

only italian

 

FIREPROOF

adj. | Meaning:

[Textile] of fabric or yarn capable of extinguishing flame, reducing the risk of fire damage.

(It) ignifugo - (Fr) ininflammable - (De) feuersicher - (Es) ignìfugo

 

FLUORESCENT

adj. | Meaning:

[Textile] colour characterised by high brightness, resulting from the property of immediately returning light rays absorbed during exposure to visible, infrared and ultraviolet light.

(It) fluorescente - (Fr) fluorescent - (De) fluoreszierend - (Es) fluorescente

 

GARMENT DYED

noun | Meaning:

Dyeing technique consisting of dyeing a ready-made garment, giving the finished garment a clean, uniform appearance.

(It) tintura in capo - (Fr) vêtement teint - (De) Fertigware eingefärbt - (Es) teñido en acabado

 

GOTS

noun | Meaning:

International control and certification standard for the sustainable production of textile products and garments made from organically grown natural fibres.

Global Organic Textile Standard

 

GRS

noun | Meaning:

International control and certification standard for the sustainable production of textile products and garments made from recycled material.

Global Recycled Standard

 

HIGH TENACITY

adj. phr | Meaning:

[Textile] of yarn whose strength is greater, by raw material or structure, than standard yarns of the same count. Typical of continuous filament and/or braided fibres.

(It) alta tenacità - (Fr) haute ténacité - (De) hohe Zähigkeit - (Es) alta tenacidad

 

IRIDESCENT

adj. | Meaning:

[Textile] of fabric or yarn which, when struck by light, is capable of assuming iridescent reflections whose colours resemble those of the rainbow.

(It) iridescente - (Fr) iridescent - (De) irisierend - (Es) iridiscente

 

KNITWEAR

noun | Meaning:

Technology and industry relating to the manufacture of knitted fabrics, classified according to the type of needles used and the type of machine, which may be straight (or flat) or circular.

(It) maglieria - (Fr) tricotage - (De) Strickwaren - (Es) tricotado

 

LYOCELL

noun | Meaning:

Man-made fibre of natural origin, branded Tencel™, produced from wood pulp dissolved in a non-toxic solvent, then spun into a yarn with excellent strength, transpirability, hygroscopicity and biodegradability.

 

MERCERISED

adj. | Meaning:

[Textile] of yarn that has undergone mercerisation, i.e. a chemical treatment carried out on cotton, or other yarns, to permanently give the yarn greater lustre, strength, elasticity and ease of dyeing.

(It) mercerizzato - (Fr) mercerisé - (De) merzerisiert - (Es) mercerisado

 

METRIC COUNT

noun | Meaning:

Unit of measurement in textile counting, identified as Nm. Nm corresponds to the number of 1000 metre hanks of yarn in 1 kg.

(It) titolo metrico - (Fr) numéro métrique - (De) metrische Garnnummer - (Es) nùmero métrico

 

MICROFIBRE

noun | Meaning:

Yarn structure consisting of fibres - generally continuous - with a thickness of between 0.3 and 1.0 dTex.

(It) microfibra - (Fr) microfibre - (De) Mikrofaser - (Es) microfibra

 

MONOFILAMENT

adj. | Meaning:

[Textile] of yarn structure consisting of a single synthetic or artificial filament yarn.

(It) monobava - (Fr) monofil - (De) Monofil - (Es) monofilamento

 

NATURAL FIBRE

noun | Meaning:

Fibre that, derived directly from the plant or animal world, can be transformed into yarn through the spinning process.

(It) fibra naturale - (Fr) fibre naturelle - (De) Naturfaser - (Es) fibra natural

 

OEKOTEX

noun | Meaning:

The 100 by OEKOTEX® standard is an independent and internationally uniform testing and certification system for raw materials, semi-finished and finished products in the textile industry that verifies the limit values of the chemicals used

(It) Oekotex - (Fr) Oekotex - (De) Ökotex - (Es) Oekotex

 

OVEREDGE STITCHING

noun | Meaning:

Stitching, with 2 or more seams, whose main function is to cover the outlines of fabrics, to prevent the cut threads of the weaving from fraying during handling of the pieces.

(It) sorgettatura - (Fr) point de surjet - (De) Überwendlichstich - (Es) puntada de sobrehilado

 

PFC-FREE WATER REPELLENT

adj. | Meaning:

[Textile] of yarn made impermeable to water by dyeing treatment free of Perfluorocarbons (PFCs), harmful to the environment.

(It) idrorepellente - (Fr) hydrofuge - (De) wasserabweisend - (Es) hidrófugo

 

PHOSPHORESCENT

adj. | Meaning:

[Textile] yarn with photolumiscent properties, i.e. able to glow in the dark, deriving from the ability to return the light rays absorbed from visible, infrared and ultraviolet light for a given period of time, even after separation from the light source.

(It) fosforescente - (Fr) phosphorescent - (De) phosphoreszierend - (Es) fosforescente

 

PIECE DYED

noun | Meaning:

Dyeing technique that consists of dyeing the piece of fabric as it comes off the loom, allowing uniformity to the colour of the fabric that will later be cut and made up.

(It) tintura in pezza - (Fr) teint en piéce - (De) stückgefärbt - (Es) teñido en pieza

 

PLATING

noun | Meaning:

Knitting technique in which two yarns are knitted together in such a way that one evenly covers the other, presenting on one side the first thread and on the opposite side the second one. The two yarns can be the same or of different origin and fineness, and may be inverted (inverse plating) to create specific graphic effects.

(It) (Fr) (De) (Es) vanisé

 

PLY

noun | Meaning:

Single strand constituting the basic unit of a yarn composed of the twisting of several single threads, or plys, twisted together.

(It) capo - (Fr) bout - (De) Garn - (Es) cabos

 

REFLECTIVE

adj. | Meaning:

[Textile] of material or yarn capable of reflecting light in the same direction from which it arrives, which can increase visibility in the final application.

(It) catarifrangente - (Fr) réfléchissant - (De) reflektierendes - (Es) reflectante

 

SELVEDGE

noun | Meaning:

Untrimmed edge of a piece of fabric, or the left and right side of the fabric as it leaves the loom.

(It) cimosa - (Fr) lisiére - (De) Kante - (Es) borde

 

SEWING THREAD

noun | Meaning:

Yarn designed and manufactured specifically for sewing, whose twist is Z and whose strength is greater than yarns of the same nature designed for other uses.

(It) cucirino - (Fr) fil a coudre - (De) Nähgarn - (Es) hilo para coser

 

SPECTROPHOTOMETER

noun | Meaning:

An instrument used to determine optical density in matter by calculating the intensity with which a substance absorbs light and defining colour parameters.

(It) spettrofotometro - (Fr) spectrophotomètre - (De) Spektrophotometer - (Es) espectrofotómetro

 

SPUN - COTTON CUT

adj. phr | Meaning:

[Textile] of yarn whose structure is composed of discontinuous fibres, which may measure from a few to many centimetres. They are typical of natural raw materials or synthetic fibres cut artificially, in order to reproduce the effect of cotton.

(It) taglio cotoniero - (Fr) fibres coupées - (De) fasergarn - (Es) de fibra corta

 

STONE WASH

noun | Meaning:

Textile washing with abrasive stones to lighten the denim fabric and give a worn appearance to the finished garment.

 

SYNTHETIC FIBRE

noun | Meaning:

Fibre, either continuous or cotton-cut, composed of polymer chains (chains of molecules joined in a repeated pattern) derived from the petroleum synthesis process.

(It) fibra sintetica - (Fr) fibre synthétique - (De) synthetische Faser - (Es) fibra sintética

 

TEX

noun | Meaning:

Unit of measurement of textile counting, identified with Tex. 1 Tex corresponds to 1 gram per 1,000 mt of yarn.

 

TEXTURIZED

adj. | Meaning:

[Textile] of yarn whose structure is composed of fibres that have undergone the process of texturisation, i.e. a thermo-mechanical process that gives the continuous filaments of the yarn a defined shape, which improves its bulk and elasticity.

(It) testurizzato - (Fr) texturé - (De) texturiert - (Es) texturizado

 

THERMOSOLUBLE

adj. | Meaning:

[Textile] of fabric or yarn that dissolves in the presence of heat, usually generated by a press, steam or iron.

(It) termosolubile - (Fr) thermosoluble - (De) thermolöslich - (Es) termosoluble

 

TOPSTITCH

noun | Meaning:

Stitching visible at distant points, piercing two or more layers of fabric or leather for the purpose of bonding or padding.

(It) impuntura - (Fr) surpiqué - (De) Nähen - (Es) pespunte

 

TRILOBED

adj. | Meaning:

[Textile] of yarn whose cross-section has three ends, making it resemble a triangle with concave sides. The trilobal cross-section allows better refraction of light, enabling the creation of shiny, bright yarns suitable for embroidery.

(It) trilobato - (Fr) trilobé - (De) dreilappig - (Es) trilobulado

 

TWIST

noun | Meaning:

A fundamental mechanical element in the manufacture of discontinuous fibre yarns, or 'cotton-cut' yarns, which imparts the necessary cohesion to the fibres by rotating them around their own axis. Depending on the direction of the turns, it is defined as Z-twist or S-twist.

(It) torsione - (Fr) torsion - (De) Drehung - (Es) torsiòn

 

TWISTED

adj. | Meaning:

[Textile] of yarn whose continuous fibres are spun around an axis to impart specific characteristics - strength, elasticity, less volume, greater cohesion and uniformity.

(It) ritorto - (Fr) retordu - (De) gezwirnt - (Es) retorcido

 

WATER SOLUBLE

adj. | Meaning:

[Textile] of yarn that dissolves in water.

(It) idrosolubile - (Fr) soluble dans l'eau - (De) wasserlöslich - (Es) soluble en agua

 

YARN

noun | Meaning:

Group of textile fibres held together by twisting to form a threadlike body, usually thin and of constant count.

(It) filo - (Fr) fil - (De) Garn - (Es) hilo

 

YARN DYED

noun | Meaning:

Dyeing technique consisting of dyeing the raw yarn once spun, allowing uniformity to the colour of the yarn that will be used for weaving, making-up, knitting or embroidery.

(It) tintura in filo - (Fr) teint en fil - (De) garngefärbt - (Es) teñido en hiloado