WO2019021260A1 - Improved fibre weaving technique and textile produced therefrom - Google Patents

Abstract

In aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a woven textile comprising: worsted wool warp yarn and worsted wool weft yarn woven together so as to define a non-geometric pattern wherein said warp yarn and weft yarn are superfine or ultrafine yarns.

Description

IMPROVED FIBRE WEAVING TECHNIQUE AND TEXTILE PRODUCED THEREFROM

FIELD

The present invention relates to a textile comprising ultrafine or superfine wool, and process for producing the same.

BACKGROUND

Weaving has been part of human history for over 6000 years and has been at the centre of innovation, particularly in the industrial revolution in England with many variations in techniques, machines and arrangements in weaving and other aspects of life.

Weaving essentially involves inserting weft yarn over/under warp yarns and packing the weft yarn (known as "beating up" the weft yarn) to form fabric. As the fabric is produced it is "taken up" (or advanced off the loom). The warp yarns usually run longitudinally and define the length of the fabric produced.

Moving the ends of the warp fibres relative to each other to form the "shed" / "open channel" which receives the weft yarn is the fundamental technology of weaving in the sense that controlling the formation of the "shed" in the warp yarn enables patterns to be produced in the woven fabric.

Typically, each warp end passes through a heddle, which has an eye which receives the warp thread, and upper/lower eyes which attach to a mechanism for raising and lowering the heddle.

Complexity in the patterns formed in the weave are achieved by moving the heddles with respect to each other, either by frames attached to the heddles (e.g. Dobby frames) or by harness cords which are individually connected farther into the shedding mechanism (e.g. Jacquard). Controlling the complex movement of the heddles provided the forerunner of programming of the modern computer, in the form of punched cards in which holes were punched or were not punched (a binary state, with the presence of the hole causing corresponding movement of the heddle or absence of the movement of the heddle respectively). As is known in the art, because Dobby looms control the warp yarns in groups via harnesses (and there are finite numbers of harnesses which can be retained by each loom), Dobby looms are best suited to weaving simple repeated geometric patterns in the fabric.

With the evolution of computing, looms which no longer rely upon punched cards, and instead have individually addressable computationally controlled movement of the heddles to define the shed have been introduced. This has meant that the potential for complex patterns has theoretically increased, although constraints remain. For example, reconfiguring warp threads (harnesses) used in jacquard looms on an industrial scale can cost several thousand dollars and costs many days/weeks of production.

One of the most significant parameters which impacts upon the properties of the woven fabric produced is the type of yarn and fineness of the yarn used for the warp and weft. A variety of natural or synthetic fibres have been used over history including cotton, wool, polyester as well as rarer fibres such as alpaca, angora, mohair, llama, and cashmere. Typically these fibres are formed into yarns for weaving by producing continuous lengths of interlocked fibres, which are twisted together for strength. Alternatively, filamentous yarns may be used in warp threads on weaving looms, which may be monofilament or multi-filament, and may include silk and/or rayon etc.

Of the natural staple yarns, many are produced in extremely limited quantities. For example, for ultra-fine wool, each year a "record bale" is determined for the very finest merino wool, with 10.3 micron bale currently representing the finest wool available and typically being acquired for use in suits. It would be appreciated that it is very difficult to acquire such ultra-fine worsted wool in quantity sufficient for weaving with such yarns selling out years in advance.

It would also be appreciated that the finer the yarn, the more luxurious "hand feel" it has when woven into fabric- and also the more expensive the yarn is. Typically, 15.5 micron ultrafine wool yarn is approximately USD 80 per kg, while 13.5 micron woollen yarn may be approximately USD 390 per kg. Finer yarns are not typically available on the open market due to scarcity and acquisition by large textile houses for use in suit manufacture.

Constraints on weaving vary according to the looms, technique of shed formation used, desired density of warp and weft threads, density of yarn, thread tension, loom type, weave type, pattern type and the weaver's skill (precision, patience, knowledge of weaves, familiarity with weaving techniques) and the overall style of fabric which is desired. Accordingly, even though there exists many different techniques for weaving yarns into textiles, there are many hitherto unsolved difficulties in weaving some yarns, particularly when working with ultrafine/super fine natural yarns which have only recently become available due to increased genetic knowledge and sophisticated breeding techniques.

Practical issues such as obtaining sufficient quantities of such yarns for setting up a loom with warp threads, configuring the looms appropriately (including tensioning the yarns) mean weaving such ultrafine super fine natural yarns remain a challenge despite the long history of weaving in human endeavour. Accordingly, despite such a rich and deep history few weavers have demonstrated their capacity to work with such challenging raw materials, particularly in the formation of non-repeating patterns. Many weavers prefer to instead work looms using established techniques such as using only weft thread with superfine or ultrafine yarns and warp thread comprising synthetic warp yarns.

In view of these limitations, an array of techniques for working with filamentous silk warp yarns with Jacquard looms have been used, yarns, as outlined below in view of the silk warps being able to withstand the significant degree of tension required without breaking. Alternatively, linen or cotton warp yarns are utilised, and once installed with warp yarns, the wastage, difficulty, and time and effort involved means the type of warp yarns are not usually changed.

Jacquard looms capable of weaving near to the widths of up to 330 cm are expensive to acquire, maintain and operate especially with a single end warp setup, and are not suitable for small batch sizes due to times required in initial setup. Any change in warp material used in Jacquard looms, particularly computer operated single end Jacquard looms typically incurs a significant amount of wastage throughout all stages of setup (approximately 15% of final product).

Matelasse is one type of weave specifically designed to imitate quilting, and is woven with either three or four sets of yarns. Two of the sets are the regular warp and weft yarns; the other sets are crepe or coarse cotton yarns. They are woven together so that the yarn sets crisscross. When the fabric is finished the crepe or cotton yards shrink, giving the fabric a puckered appearance. Heavy cotton yarns sometimes are used as stuffer yarns beneath the fabric to emphasise the three-dimensional appearance of the fabric. Matelasse can be woven using Jacquard looms.

Brocades are fabric with an elaborate embossed or embroidered surface effect, and most often with different ground and pattern weaves. Damask is another patterned fabric with a ground of one weave (usually plain, twill or sateen) and designs in other weaves (particularly satin and twill variants), so that the patterned areas have sheen and reflect light. Damasks are always reversible, with the pattern weaves becoming the ground weaves on the reverse (so on a fabric with a plain ground and satin pattern front, the ground would be satin and the pattern plain on the reverse).

SUMMARY

Features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or can be learned by practice of the herein disclosed principles. The features and advantages of the disclosure can be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a woven textile comprising: worsted wool warp yarn and worsted wool weft yarn woven together so as to define a non-geometric pattern wherein said wool warp yarn and wool weft yarn are superfine or ultrafine yarns.

Preferably the woven textile is a blanket of at least 266cm in width.

Advantageously, the superfine worsted wool yarns are sized between 15μηι and 15.5 μηι in diameter.

Optionally the superfine worsted yarns are 15.3 μηι or finer in diameter. Preferably the ultrafine woollen yarns are between 11 .5 μηι and 15.5 μηι in diameter.

Advantageously the non-geometric pattern is defined by the presence and absence of floats.

The warp and weft yarn may be the same substantially monochromatic yarn, and optionally may be substantially ivory in colour.

Preferably two single warps are joined together to form a warp comprising a full width of 330 cm on a Jacquard loom.

Optionally, the non-geometric pattern in the textile may be defined by a plurality of different weaving patterns selected from the group comprising herringbone weave, twill weave, diamond weave, and plain weave.

Preferably the woven textile blanket comprising at least 266 cm in width has a pattern substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to FIG 10. Preferably there is provided a process for weaving a woven blanket at least 266 cm in width comprising:

(a) preparing a warp for a jacquard loom comprising a plurality of worsted wool warp yarns, each yarn being less than 15.5 urn, and preferably between 11 .5 μηι and 15.3 in diameter;

(b) threading the jacquard loom with the warp of (a) ;

(c) interweaving between the worsted wool warp yarns a plurality of worsted wool weft threads, each thread being less than 15.5 urn, and preferably between 11 .5 μηι and 15.3 in diameter; wherein the warp and weft threads are interwoven to form a non-geometric pattern in the woven blanket.

In a further aspect of the disclosure there is provided a process for weaving a woven blanket according to claim 12 further comprising the step of finishing the woven blanket by stretching and steaming the fibres of the yarns thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and other advantages and features of the disclosure can be obtained, a more particular description of the principles briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the principles herein are described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be explained in further detail below by way of examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-

FIG. 1 depicts a typical woven textile comprising warp and weft yarns as is known in the art.

FIG 2 depicts an exemplary non-geometric pattern according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG 3 is a photograph of the pattern shown in FIG 2 when woven with nylon warp yarns and worsted wool weft yarns.

FIG 4 is a photograph of an exemplary woven textile having the woven pattern of FIG 2 when woven with worsted wool weft and worsted wool warp yarns.

FIG 5A depicts a schematic view of the cones in a rectangular creel for production of a warp.

FIG 5B depicts yarns from the creel being wound around removable chrome bars of the reed.

FIG 5C depicts the removal of the chrome bars from the reed in preparation for transfer of the warp onto the beam.

FIG 5D depicts the tied off ends of the warp draped across the beam.

FIG 5E depicts the ends of the warp about to be rolled about the beam.

FIG 6A depicts the ends of the warp being attached to the existing warp threads using a thread tying machine

FIG 6B depicts the removable chrome bars which separate the criss-cross sections of the warp.

FIG 6C depicts the heddles of the loom and an exemplary broken yarn in the warp arising from the defect in the yarn causing it to be spun too thin, causing a broken yarn in the warp.

FIG 6D demonstrates the difference in diameter of threads in one production run. FIG 6E depicts the join between each of the single warps.

FIG 6F depicts an exemplary Staubli Jacquard loom with the partly formed blanket. FIG 6G depicts an example of a broken warp yarn in the finished blanket portion. FIG 7A depicts exemplary side stretching clips engageable with the woven textile. FIG 7B depicts stretching of the textile across an exemplary roller. FIG 7C (i) is a schematic representation of measurements of the exemplary woven textile prior to the finishing process.

FIG 7C (ii) is a schematic representation of measurements of the exemplary woven textile after steaming.

FIG 8A depicts diamond, herringbone and twill weaves in one portion of the exemplary woven textile.

FIG 8B depicts diamond, herringbone and twill weaves in another portion of the exemplary woven textile.

FIG 8C depicts herringbone and twill weaves in a further exemplary portion of the woven textile.

FIG 8D depicts herringbone and diamond weaves in a further exemplary portion of the woven textile.

FIG 8E depicts diamond and twill weaves in a further exemplary portion of the woven textile.

FIG 8F depicts a twill weave in a further exemplary portion of the woven textile.

FIG 9A depicts a schematic representation of the pattern of a woven embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG 9B is a representation of the Computer Aided Design (CAD) file provided for weaving of the exemplary embodiment of the woven textile depicted in Fig 9A.

FIG 10 is a photograph of a blanket according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

In order to describe the manner in which the above and other advantages and features of the disclosure, a more particular description of the principles briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments which are illustrated in the appended Figures. These Figures depict only exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Various embodiments of the disclosure are discussed in detail below. While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations may be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

Various embodiments of the disclosure are discussed in more detail below. While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understood that these are for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations may be without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The disclosed technology addresses a need in the art of weaving for woven textiles with non- geometric patterns made from super fine or ultra-fine yarns.

As is known in the art, staples of wool are naturally formed clusters or locks of wool fibres, with merino wool staples being between 65-100 mm in length. The fibres of typical merino wool are 24 μηι in diameter, with strong (broad wool) being 23-24.5 μηι, medium wool 19.6-22.9 μηι and fine 18.6-19.5 μηι, superfine 15-18.5 μηι and ultra-fine 11 .5-15 μηι in diameter.

Typically, broad wool is used for products such as carpets due to its strength and durability, while medium wool is used in a variety of bedding, upholstery, woven apparel cloths, knitting yarns and furnishings. Superfine and ultra-fine wool are typically used in the production of exclusive woven apparel, suits and knitted couture due to the relative scarcity of the yarn and price.

FIG 1 depicts an exemplary arrangement of yarns which typifies a textile 10 which can be produced by weaving. The warp yarns 12 run longitudinally; while the weft yarns 14 are interwoven transversely across over and under the warp yarns. The selvages 16 (outer edges) of the fabric extend basically parallel to the warp yarns. Typically a pattern such as a check or twill could be produced in this type of weave, often using different colour threads for each of the warp and weft directions.

FIG 2 depicts a significantly more complicated pattern 20 for a woven textile, comprising a variety of irregular or non-geometric shapes 22, 24, 26, 28 which are reminiscent of sand dunes or of a wave. It will be appreciated that the specific patterns of non-geometric shapes depicted are exemplary only and should not be considered as limiting.

In the pattern depicted the warp yarns 32 (emphasised by the strong black lines in the picture) of the woven textile extend longitudinally along the textile and down the page in the orientation depicted; while the weft yarns 34 ((emphasised by the strong black lines in the picture) extend transversely across the textile (and across the page) in the pattern as depicted. Advantageously, in the textile shown in FIG 4 and discussed below, the pattern is produced using a "float stitch" or missed weave for adjusting the shed.

The pattern depicted can be contrasted with the traditional geometric repeating fractals or other patterns which are formed of geometric shapes that are typically present in woven textiles produced by hand or non-computer implemented looms.

FIG 3 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a textile 30 woven with polyester warp yarns and woollen weft yarns of superfine/ultra-fine wool. For reference with the textile woven according to the present disclosure, a similar pattern as depicted in Fig 2 has been woven in the blanket, using the same techniques as is discussed in more detail below. As with the pattern depicted in FIG 2, warp yarns 32 and weft yarns 34 extend longitudinally and transversely respectively.

As is apparent when viewing the photograph of FIG 3, the pattern produced is pronounced, with the polyester warp yarns 32 providing a distinct contrast with the woollen weft yarns 34.

FIG 4 is an exemplary photograph of a woven textile 40 in which the warp yarns 42 and weft yarns 44 used are ultra-fine or super fine woollen yarns. These yarns are woven in the pattern depicted in FIG 2 on a Jacquard loom. (It would be appreciated that the warp and weft directions are emphasised by the strong black lines in the picture for ease of orientation and do not actually appear in the woven textile.)

Advantageously, in the embodiment depicted, the yarns used are approximately 15.3 urn in diameter, as compared to the more usual 18-20 μηι in diameter woollen yarns which are used for blankets. Optionally, the yarns utilised could also be selected from ultra-fine wool of 11 .5-15 μηι or superfine 15-18.5 μηι woollen yarns without departing from the scope of the present invention.

As shown, the warp yarns and the weft yarns are the same colour (i.e. the pattern is monochromatic). In contrast to most textiles such as blankets, the colours of the yarns utilised do not define the pattern of the textile. As shown, yarn of a substantially beige colour is utilised, although yarn of other colours could be used, preferably with both the warp and weft yarn being the same colour.

By contrast to many woven textiles, particularly blankets, the pattern formed in the blanket maybe formed by using a "float" or where the weft yarn overlaps more than one warp thread. In this technique, certain of the warp yarns which are to form the pattern are not moved left inactive relative to the other warp yarns, hence the weft is not threaded into each warp such that it overlaps several yarns of the warp when defining the shed for receiving the weft thread for that weave- including the arrangements depicted in Fig 8A-8D.

Advantageously, the relative movement of different warp yarns when the weft thread is inserted is performed under computer control of a Jacquard loom in view of the relatively complex pattern depicted. A non-geometric pattern of the type depicted with this resolution and with the diameter of yarns utilised, would not be able to be produced manually or on other types of looms.

This method of constructing the pattern using a float with superfine or ultra-fine yarn enables the formation of complex non-geometric patterns such as that depicted. This technique is somewhat analogous to forming a graphic using individually addressable pixels in forming a graphical image on a computer.

Using ultra fine or super fine yarns in this way allows the pattern of non-geometric shapes to be formed in the textile, analogous to that depicted; and may be contrasted with the textile depicted in FIG 3 where the warp yarns are nylon yarn.

In the embodiment shown, the textile formed is a blanket, having a width of at least 266cm. In view of the pattern produced, the diameter of threads used in the warp, the only types of looms which are able to weave a textile of this width are looms with a Jumbo Jacquard head.

The overall process for the production of the woven textile is now described in more detail with reference to the following steps.

Step 1 : Warping Production

Staple length fibres such as wool are twisted together to form textile yarns, which are stored on cones. In order to weave these yarns into fabrics, as is known in the art, the textile yarns from the cones need to be formed into a warp through which the weft yarns are interwoven. Necessarily, a significant and uniform amount of tension needs to be applied to the warp yarns on the loom on which they are threaded in order to produce a consistent woven textile.

Typically, the transformation of yarns into a warp is performed by feeding yarns from a "magazine" of cones 52 known as a creel 50 under the control of a control system which advances the yarns at a steady rate onto a reed 54 of the warping machine 60. An exemplary representation of a rectangular creel 50 is shown in Figure 5A. To prevent knotting and crossing of the lengths of yarn, typically the yarns are alternately above and below the removable chrome bars of the reed 56 of the warping machine 60 as shown in FIG 5B. Thread of a different colour 62 is used to hold the yarns of the warp on the reed in the correct positions on withdrawal of the chrome bars 56 and prior to transferring the warp yarns from the reed 54 to the beam 64 as shown in FIG 5C. Typically the beam is a large drum which is covered with plastic film 66 and paper to prevent the initial threads from moving.

Portions of the warp are grouped together and cut, before being secured to the beam 64 as shown in FIG 5D, which is then rolled to capture the warp around the beam FIG 5E.

The beam 54 allows for transportation of the warp from the warping machines to the Jacquard loom, which is typically located at another factory or geographic location.

In an exemplary embodiment, 15.5 micron worsted wool yarn (2 ply yarn/30 hanks of plyed together which weigh 1 pound), with an ivory colour is used, at an approximate cost of US $80 per kg. Sample warps may be produced at approximately 35m in length (as compared to a production warp which is approximately 1500m). To produce a warp of this length, on a 7m diameter reed, 5 turns of the reed are required. For a single warp in the exemplary sample produced 4920 individual ends were utilised. This sample single warp was produced on a Karl Mayer Textilmaschinen Gmbh warping machine, although similar machines could also be utilised without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

It would be appreciated that approximately 30-32 kg of yarn are used in the production of a single warp of 35m. In the production of the warp from the yarns, it is anticipated that a wastage of approximately 15% in taking the warp off the warping machine and onto the loom, and because the beginning and the end of the woven textile cannot be utilised.

Step 2 : Weaving

In the exemplary embodiment a Staubli Jacquard machine is used to produce the woven textile, as it is particularly suited to large size double warp projects, such as the blanket according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Other machines which could be used but which may not be as suitable include the Dornier, Vamatex and Sulzer jacquard looms.

Typically, the Staubli Jacquard loom 70 has a maximum warp width of 330cm, which can be utilised by joining two single warps 72, 74 (each 140 cm and each having 4920 individual ends) together, and including synthetic fibres on the selvedges or edges for ease of handling and finishing.

In order to transfer the warp of ultrafine yarns from the beam and onto the harness of the loom, the existing warp on the loom (typically thousands on linen yarns) can be glued to each ultrafine yarns of the beam. It would be appreciated that this time consuming, labour intensive, and potentially a point of failure so typically a warp tying machine is utilised to address some of these difficulties. An exemplary example of such a machine is the Staubli Topmatic warp tying machine. This runs across the channel 76 of the machine adjacent the loom 70 as depicted in FIG 6A.

It would be appreciated that throughout the entire process it is necessary to keep alternate threads of the warp knot and tangle free, which is typically performed by retaining the locking threads 62 running across the warps until the yarns are removed from the beam and attached to the loom. These threads may then be replaced by chrome bars to maintain the criss-cross (under/over) spacing which reduces the likelihood of tangling of adjacent threads.

As is known to persons skilled in the art, the weaving process essentially consists of passing the weft yarn through the "shed" / "open channel" created by moving the ends of the warp fibres relative to each other. Controlling the formation of the "shed" in the warp yarn enables patterns to be produced in the woven fabric.

Typically, each warp end is passed through a heddle, which has an eye which receives the warp thread, and upper/lower eyes which attach to a mechanism for raising and lowering the heddle. With the two single warps utilised, there are 4920 heddles for the first warp; 4920 heddles for the second warp, a total of 9840 threads which are controlled for the warps; with additional threads on the sides which need to be controlled for the selvedges or edges. Lifting and dropping of alternate heddles under the control of the CAD design are how the weaving pattern is formed in the final woven textile.

Breakage of yarns are a real possibility, particularly for the warp yarns which need to be consistently maintained under significant tension. This is typically monitored by "knives" which rest on the warp yarns, and if such yarns break they drop and complete a circuit.

If the yarns break, it is necessary to fix these yarns by gluing and reattaching the yarns in the middle of the weaving process. In the exemplary embodiment of the textile produced it was noted that the breakage was caused by variation in the diameter of the yarns forming the warp, due to variation from the supplier as can be seen by reference to yarns 82 and 84 of FIG 6D. It would be appreciated that this requires significant care and attention to fix warp yarns once broken, causing significant delay in the weaving operation, increasing cost.

In the finished textile, it would be appreciated that joining of broken yarns can lead to an increase in the number of visible knots, which detracts from the overall visual appeal of the woven textile. Furthermore, if there are a plurality of broken yarns in the warp this may mean that the whole warp has to be replaced, which leads to more delay, wastage and loss of production.

Woollen staple yarns are much more likely to break than linen, cotton or silk filament yarns.

For this reason, it would be appreciated that there is a reluctance to use warp yarns which are liable to break under tension, especially warp yarns which are fine or superfine in diameter.

Advantageously, paraffin may be sprayed onto the yarns to provide a limited amount of strengthening of the yarn.

It is also necessary to adjust the Computer Aided Design pattern used to program the jacquard loom to ensure that the pattern can be produced by an appropriate density of weft yarn, particularly in the situation where fine or ultrafine weft yarns are utilised.

When working with two single warps which are joined together, it is also necessary to appropriately join the single warps together at the centre to ensure that the join is not noticeable, as can be seen by reference to FIG 6E. Working with such a wide arrangement can also be problematic due to potential loss of lift of the heddles at the side of the jacquard in view of the geometric configuration of the jacquard harness.

FIG 6F shows an exemplary representation of the weaving process underway with the finished woven textile 90 (in this case a blanket with double warps) depicted at the bottom of the picture.

FIG 6G shows an example of the appearance of a broken warp thread, which it would be appreciated detracts significantly from the overall appearance of the woven textile. A small number of such threads can be fixed in the overall finished product.

Step 3: Finishing

Once the woven textile has been produced, it is necessary to loosen and soften the fibres by steaming the whole blanket for several minutes. Washing is not recommended, as it will loosen and soften the fibres too much, causing the blanket to pile, shrink, or become felted very easily. Steaming is controlled and loosens the fibres just enough to bring the right hand-feel to the blanket such that the customer is able to appreciate the softness and hand feel of the superfine micron yarns which comprise the blanket.

This process is an important part of the handling of the overall woven textile, appropriately setting the weft and warp yarns relative to each other in the textile, and is particularly important to be performed under controlled conditions so that any skew in the weave (and hence pattern) arising from the weaving process can be adjusted.

Initially, the textile is passed through a series of rollers to straighten the overall textile. In the exemplary embodiment, these rollers are on a Corino machine, manufactured by the ALBA company of Italy. It would be appreciated that similar machines could also be used without detracting from the present disclosure.

Advantageously, the textile may be pinned and stretched out on a table such as that of an Alea machine, with localised steam baths for specific regions which require stretching or adjustment as shown. As is known in the art, the sides of the table comprise teeth which engage with the sides of the woven textile, and apply a predetermined amount of stretch thereto as shown in FIG 7A. Individual portions of the textile may also be stretched as required by a technician, in addition to the overall stretch which is applied to the textile by the table if required.

After stretching for a period of time, the woven textile is then passed to a steam room, which in the exemplary embodiment was part of an Alea machine. After steaming the textile may be passed through a series of rollers, 92, 94 shown in FIG 7B and over an inspection table for further stretching if required.

The typical shrinkage of the textile is depicted in Fig 7C (i) prior to steaming and after steaming FIG 7C (ii).

A variety of weaves may be obtained using a jacquard loom, as is depicted by FIGS 8A- 8E.

FIG 8A depicts diamond 100 herringbone 102 and twill 104 weaves in one portion of the exemplary woven textile.

FIG 8B depicts diamond 100, herringbone 102 and twill 104 weaves in another portion of the exemplary woven textile.

FIG 8C depicts herringbone 102 and twill 104 weaves in a further exemplary portion of the woven textile.

FIG 8D depicts herringbone 102 and diamond 100 weaves in a further exemplary portion of the woven textile.

FIG 8E depicts diamond 100 and herringbone 102 weaves in a further exemplary portion of the woven textile. FIG 8F depicts a various twill weaves 106 in a further exemplary portion of the woven textile.

Optionally such weaves may be combined to produce the pattern 110 depicted schematically in FIG 9A. The approximate dimensions of the finished product are shown in FIG 9B of the CAD file, with the internal pattern being 266cm in width; within an overall width of 308 cm and length of 300cm. The final weight of the blanket depicted was approximately 4.5- 5kg per blanket using 15.5 micron woollen 2/30 yarn for both warp and weft. In an exemplary test, 13.5 micron woollen yarn was also used for the weft yarn.

FIGS 10 A -> 10X are photographic representations of the exemplary woven textile produced through the above processes. In the embodiment depicted, it would be appreciated that the yarns for the warp and weft are superfine woollen yarns of a single colour which are woven in multiple weaves to define the pattern depicted. However, it would be appreciated that a variety of other weaves, patterns and colours in a woven textile could be produced without departing from the present disclosure.

Producing a textile material comprising ultra-fine or superfine warp and weft yarn gives an unrivalled soft feel material which is extremely warm and luxurious.

The inclusion of a non-geometric pattern in the textile provides a unique distinction from mass produced textiles, which is further heightened by the understated yet elegant monochromatic colour.

Accordingly, the textile of the present disclosure provides discerning customers a lustrous unique and exclusive article from the finest fibres available. The advances of modern weaving technology to realise a complex artistic design are coupled with advances in genetics and breeding selection of merino sheep to produce ultra-fine and superfine yarn in quantities sufficient for use on a Jacquard loom produced a textile which is without parallel.

The above embodiments are described by way of example only. Many variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Although a variet of examples and other information was used to explain aspects within the scope of the appended claims, no limitation of the claims should be implied based on particular features or arrangements in such examples, as one of ordinary skill would be able to use these examples to derive a wide variety of implementations. Further and although some subject matter may have been described in language specific to examples of structural features and/or method steps, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to these described features or acts. For example, such functionality can be distributed differently or performed in components other than those identified herein. Rather, the described features and steps are disclosed as examples of components of systems and methods within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1 . A woven textile comprising : worsted wool warp yarn and worsted wool weft yarn woven together so as to define a non- geometric pattern wherein said warp yarn and said weft yarn are superfine or ultrafine worsted wool yarns.

2. The woven textile according to claim 1 wherein the woven textile is a blanket of at least 266 cm in width.

3. The woven textile according to claim 1 wherein the worsted wool yarns are superfine yarns sized between 15μηι and 15.5 μηι in diameter.

4. The woven textile according to claim 3 wherein the worsted yarns are superfine yarns 15.3 μηι or finer in diameter.

5. The woven textile according to claim 1 wherein the ultrafine worsted yarns are between 11 .5 μηι and 15.3 μηι in diameter.

6. The woven textile according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the non- geometric pattern is defined by the presence and absence of floats.

7. The woven textile according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the warp and weft yarn are the same substantially monochromatic yarn.

8. The woven textile according to claim 7 wherein the colour of the warp and weft yarn is substantially ivory in colour.

9. A woven textile according to any one of the preceding claims wherein two single warps comprised of superfine or ultrafine yarns are joined together to form a full width warp of 330 cm on a Jacquard loom.

10. A woven textile according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the non-geometric pattern in the textile is defined by a plurality of different weaving patterns selected from the group comprising herringbone weave, twill weave, diamond weave, and plain weave.

11 . A woven textile blanket comprising at least 266 cm in width with a pattern substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to FIG 10.

12. A process for weaving a woven blanket at least 266 cm in width comprising: (a) preparing a warp for a jacquard loom comprising a plurality of worsted wool warp yarns, each yarn being less than 15.5 urn, and preferably between 11 .5 μηι and 15.3 in diameter;

(b) threading the jacquard loom with the warp of (a) ;

(c) interweaving between the worsted wool warp yarns a plurality of worsted wool weft threads, each thread being less than 15.5 urn, and preferably between 11 .5 μηι and 15.3 in diameter; wherein the warp and weft threads are interwoven to form a non-geometric pattern in the woven blanket.

13. The process for weaving a woven blanket according to claim 12 further comprising the step of finishing the woven blanket by stretching and steaming the fibres of the yarns thereof.