(1) Imagine if you had to create your own fabric to make all of your clothes, bed linens, and other furnishings. It would probably be very time-consuming and inconvenient. Modern, mechanized textile making is something that most of us take for granted, as we have always been able to just go to a store to purchase ready-made clothing and other necessities. Interestingly, despite technological advances, the main methods of making fabric have actually remained quite similar from ancient times until now (2) Most fabrics are created by weaving long threads together, a technique which has changed very little throughout history. Hand weaving is done on a frame or handloom, whereas mechanized weaving is done on a power loom. The main distinction between hand weaving and mechanized weaving is that the latter method allows huge quantities of good quality fabric to be produced very quickly. further allowing the speedy production of consumer items. While the exact shape or mechanism of any loom might differ, the basic function is always the same. On all looms, weaving is done by intersecting longitudinal threads, called the wrap, with transverse threads called the weft. (3) Other methods of creating fabric include knitting? crocheting Knitting involves the use of knitting needles that have several active loops of one or more strands of yarn waiting to interlock with another loop. Crochet on the other hand, only involves one active loop on a crochet hook at one time. Like weaving, knitting has been mechanized by a knitting machine, allowing for the mass production of items requiring stretchy knit fabric, such as socks and sweaters. Crochet, however, has never been mechanized, so any fabric that has been made by crochet is always done by hand. (4) Despite technological advancements, there has always been a demand and appreciation for items that have been made by hand. Some people enjoy knitting or crocheting as a relaxing hobby or as a way to earn some extra money. Other people prefer the look and feel of a handcrafted item to that of a machine-made one, and are often willing to pay a higher price for something handmade. Often, handcrafted products like hand-woven rugs and hand-knitted sweaters are of better quality and much more expensive than machine-made ones. As it may be impractical for many of us to have every textile-based product we purchase be handmade, or to make them ourselves, knowing how much time and effort that can go into creating textiles may at least help us better appreciate all the fabrics we use every day.
According to Paragraph (4), how can people better appreciate fabrics?