This is a yarn about yarn, one that has a Georgia textile manufacturer tangled up with other domestic mills in an international trade dispute about its quest for a particular type of fine-spun cotton yarn.

The saga began when Galey & Lord Inc of Atlanta was searching for a source of compacted, plied, ring-spun cotton yarns to fill an order for a big customer and found it was no longer made domestically. Compacted yarn, which is used to make a high-end fabric, goes through a special spinning process that produces a smooth yarn with less air between the fibres — hence making it less hairy.

American mills say there are least two other processes that remove short fibres from the yarn, creating the same reduced level of hairiness. But Galey & Lord, a leading maker of denim and twill, said it needed the real thing. So it petitioned the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements last May to use imported yarn, under a provision that allows the government regulators to investigate whether there is a domestic short supply situation.

(For those who don't dwell deep in the federal government's regulatory thicket, CITA is an interagency group made up of officials from the departments of Commerce, Treasury, Labor and State, and the US Trade Representative's office. The group has supervised the implementation of international textile trade agreements since 1972. It is a small but powerful player in the global textile market; last year the United States imported $89 billion in apparel and textiles.)

Last September, CITA pronounced the yarn not readily available in commercial quantities from US suppliers, opening the way for Galey & Lord to import yarn from China to make the fabric — twill for men's and women's shirts, blouses, trousers and pants. A report by the US International Trade Commission backed up the decision.

Since 2001, CITA has granted approval in half of the 60 cases it has considered for the short supply designation, under laws such as the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act and the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act.

But that wasn't the end of the tale.

The National Council of Textile Organisations, the trade association that represents the domestic textile industry, filed a petition on January 10 asking the government to reconsider. And in an unusual move, CITA is entertaining a change of heart. It has asked for comments by Friday.

The NCTO said Galey & Lord, recently renamed Swift Galey and not a member of the group, should not be allowed to shop abroad for the yarn because there were perfectly good substitutes available in this country. The association said compacted yarn is no longer made in the United States, but the substitutes are indistinguishable.

We view this decision as a mistake, said Michael Hubbard, vice president of the trade group, referring to CITA's initial finding. There are seven or eight domestic companies that can provide these yarn counts and this yarn.

A Commerce Department official said the case is being looked at again because the NCTO came up with new information, such as fabric samples it had tested to show the substitute yarn is a dead ringer for the foreign yarn.

Carlos Moore, a textile trade consultant representing Galey & Lord, said the customer calls the shots and will be able to tell the difference between compacted yarn and a substitute. Moore used to be head of the predecessor trade association that represented many of the same US mills now clamoring to reopen the case.

CITA's move to reconsider has riled foreign and domestic textile industries, their customers and the lawyers who represent them. If you are planning your business, would you order this fabric right now? asked Brenda Jacobs, an attorney with Sidley & Austin, which represents an importers' group. This is having a devastating effect on Galey & Lord.

A reversal also would imperil, she said, one of the advantages of a short supply decision: preferential duty-free treatment for the customer of the fabric in bringing the finished goods back into the United States after being cut and sewn elsewhere. In this case, the company said the fabric will be made in its McDowell plant in North Carolina and finished at its South Hill plant in South Carolina. The order was placed by Gap Inc, which now makes similar apparel in the Far East, Moore said.

Moore said the Gap will ship the fabric for assembly to the Dominican Republic and then bring it back into to the United States duty-free. This is a net plus for US production and jobs, Moore said.

He said any unraveling of the initial decision will probably lead Galey & Lord to an appeal of its own. The rules say CITA can consider revoking if a product is being made in commercial quantities in the United States. That is not the case here.

And the company is likely to get lots of support from big apparel importers. Jacobs said the US Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel, which she represents, will coordinate with the mill in fighting any change.

This is the reason [domestic mills] have lost a lot of business, Jacobs said. In Asia, they say, 'You tell us what you want.'

Search for Finer Yarn Becomes a Trade Tangle — Washington Post

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The January guest speaker was Bev Cooper of Belisa Cashmere. She was introduced as a passionate fibre person who has made a great contribution to the Australian Cashmere industry.

Thank you ladies and gentlemen. It is great to see some guys. I have been in business for 12 years. It all began when I purchased goats in 1984 to clear paddocks instead of slashing them. The goats steadily increased in number at Kellyville. At this time I was working for a large corporation and saw the fibre going overseas for processing. I got some cashmere from the USA and spun it. It was a disaster as I had spun it too loosely. I decided to learn how to process it properly.

Cashmere is a down. It begins its growth on the longest day of the year and comes off on the shortest day. Some goats have long guard hairs and some goats have short guard hairs. The down should not grow beyond the length of the guard hair or it will be damaged. The problem is to get the down separated from the guard hairs.

We have 45 suppliers. Our fibre is processed in New Zealand now. We had had it dehaired, scoured and spun in China. This was not successful. It is impossible to do all of these processes in Australia. Although there is a dehairing plant in Baccus Marsh the fibre would still have to go to Ne w Zealand for spinning. It is easier to have it all done in New Zealand so that is where it goes.

At one time Jeff Kennett set up this plant that was to go from sheep to jumper. It failed. The spinning machines have gone to an unknown home.

Cashmere has to be dyed as a fibre and then spun.

Within each bale the cashmere has to be carefully classified by micron and staple length to be successfully stripped of guard hairs by a series of mechanical rollers. There can only be a difference of 1 or 2 microns within each bale. The majority of cashmere we use is 16 micron. What comes out of the rollers at the end of the process is pure cashmere. It is 1/3 of the weight that went in. The other 2/3 is generally useless. Sometimes it has been bought by other firms in China and turned into industrial felt or paint brushes.

Cashmere is not elastic and is best blended with wool or silk in a 50/50 ratio by weight. This blended fibre is gorgeous for nuno felting. 16.7 micron cashmere is the most suitable for blending for felting as it has the highest crimp.

Customs only allows yarn on cones to be imported from overseas markets as long as it is not less than 50% cashmere.

Our cashmere is woven by Trudy Newmann. She uses a wool warp and a cashmere weft. You can see the results in the scarves on the table. As you can see it drapes beautifully. Cloth woven with a cashmere warp and weft will not drape. Also as the crimp structure is not as good as wool, it should be woven more tightly.

The yarn is also knitted on small industrial machines. At present I am developing a range of kits for knitters and crocheters. I recommend 3 ply as the most suitable yarn to be used for scarves. If the yarn is used for weaving, we add more twist to the fibre. Our fibre is not as soft as Chinese cashmere, but it lasts longer.

At Bundanoon, We have a black herd band a white herd. Dark brown fibre comes from brown black goats. I feel that grey is a nothing colour. In other herds the number of black goats is declining as they are less valuable. We pay our suppliers equally for black or white fibre of a particular micron.

Goats are great for cleaning up black berries, pussy willow as they browse. When the plant regenerates it becomes smaller each time until it eventually ceases to grow. The paddocks then become suitable for a horse property.

Are there any questions?

What is the difference between Cashmere and Angora goats?
Cashmere goats have a 2 layer coat. Angora goats have a single coat which grows in ringlets.

How do you sell your product?
I sell it through Craft and Agricultural Shows.

How do you sell your goats?
I always sell them in pairs as they tend to fret by themselves.

Does the fibre from a male goat smell badly?
It does smell strongly. We place the hair from a male goat into the bale that holds all the stained and cotted cashmere. After this cashmere is scoured, it is assessed and if it is not okay, it is discarded.

When are the goats shorn.
They are shorn when they are ready. They are not all shorn at the same time as sheep are.

How good a spinner do you have to be to spin cashmere?
Cashmere cannot be spun well by an inexperienced spinner.

What is the difference between yarn for knitting and crocheting?
Knitting yarn is spun clockwise DATES. and plied anti-clockwise. Crochet yarn is spun anti-clockwise and plied clockwise.

Who dyes your multi colours?
We get that yarn dyed at Fibreworks.

What can you tell us about the Cashmere market in the USA?
No-one could help.

What countries produce Cashmere?
China, Tibet, Australia, Scotland and Italy. It is essential to keep adding genes to domesticated stock by adding feral goats to the breeding stock.

Posted by Red Wolf at 7:16 PM | Permalink

A passion for old school video games has crossed the boundaries into cross stitch. If you're looking to emulate the Pac Man goodness for your own cross stitch or knitting pattern, you can print out some of the cross stitch patterns from Geoff Fortytwo, note that the files are large, high-resolution images. You can also just find an image you like on the web and send it through Dark Lilac's Cross Stitch Chart Generator to generate a pattern for yourself

Amazing Pacman Stitchwork — Kotaku (via MAKE: Blog)

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Tom Johnson has created a Lego French knitting machine powered by the Lego Technic set. I don't know what Tom was planning to make with his Lego knit creations but the Quicktime movie makes for strange, yet mesmerising viewing.

Lego Knitting Machine — Tom Johnson (via MAKE: Blog)

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Want a fun way to watch the Winter Olympics? Yarn Harlot has started the 2006 Knitting Olympics where anyone who wants to participate must cast on a project during the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympic games on 10 February and have the project finished by the time the Olympic flame goes out on 26 February. Everyone who completes their project in time, gets the gold medal (for their blog).

The 2006 Knitting Olympics — Yarn Harlot (via MAKE: Blog)

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In August, the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) found a pathway to a major scientific breakthrough - and that pathway is made of extremely small tubes.

Researchers at the UTD NanoTech Institute, in conjunction with an Australian national laboratory (CSIRO), found a quick and easy way to weave nanotube sheets out of freestanding carbon nanotubules, paving the way for commercial applications.

A paper published Aug. 19 in the journal Science announced the findings.

Nanotubules are cylindrical molecules of carbon 1/5,000th the diameter of a human hair. They are extremely strong and sturdy for their weight - an acre-size one-nanotube-thick sheet would weigh only four ounces. They are also flexible and conduct electricity and heat.

The sheets are made from chemically-grown forests of nested nanotubules standing on end which, when pulled to one side, rotate 90 degrees and interlock with one another to form a sort of interwoven fabric. This self-constructing tendency was discovered, after much experimentation, by pulling on the nanotubes with a Post-It note.

We were working in the lab, so we tried lots of things. The idea was generated from experiments, said Mei Zhang, researcher and first author of the paper. The Post-It, we don't actually use that anymore, Zhang said, laughing.

Suggested applications for the nanotube sheets are nearly endless. Among the possibilities are flexible light-emitting displays, bullet-resistant clothing, transparent heating elements embedded in windows, scientific sensors, solar cells, platforms for tissue growth, artificial muscles - even lightweight solar sails for space travel.

UTD is also pursuing development of these technologies as well, under a program led by Anvar Zakhidov. UTD researchers are investigating, fabricating in proof-of-concept form, and patenting a number of possible applications.

The discoveries follow huge efforts of research in nanotechnology at many institutions. In UTD's case, they directly follow work in weaving nanotubules into fibers, similar to spinning wool into yarn.

The breakthroughs have brought considerable notoriety - and press - to UTD and its NanoTech Institute, and to the researchers responsible for the discoveries. Yet they credit each other and the research environment to their success.

This advance that we made is a consequence of a team effort of many people in the NanoTech Institute who have extraordinary technical and scientific abilities, Dr. Ray Baughman, director of the NanoTech Institute. (They) are the type of researchers who, if I ask them for the difficult, they give it to me in the afternoon. If I ask them to do the impossible, they give it to me the next day.

Totally nanotubular — The UTD Mercury

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Create your own cross stitch projects with your own digital images or photos. Dark Lilac's counted cross stitch chart generator will calculate a pattern as well as a stitch count and color chart. As long as your uploaded image is scaled to the exact size you want (1 pixel= 1 cross stitch), the final stitch chart will be calculated accordingly. You can also check out the recently uploaded cross stitch charts.

Cross Stitch Generator — Dark Lilac (via MAKE: Blog)

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The historic walls of Ashfield's Thirning Villa are a far cry from the remote communities of the Kimberley Region in WA, but Ashfield Council's new Artist in Residence, Veronica Calarco, is looking forward to her 4 month stay in Sydney's Inner West.

Ms Calarco is the eighth artist to complete a residency at Thirning Villa and will run free workshops and demonstrations for the community from December 2005 to March 2006.

Ms Calarco is an accomplished artist who has overseen an extensive range of community projects throughout Australia, including working with Aboriginal communities in the Kimberley region and facilitating an art project for people with a disability in Alice Springs.

Armed with a Visual Arts degree specialising in print making and post-graduate qualifications in textiles, Ms Calarco is experienced in a range of techniques including weaving, embroidery and printmaking. Ms Calarco said she was looking forward to creating a friendly and accessible environment, where community members could enjoy themselves and learn new skills.

Projects such as this are an excellent way to reach the more isolated members of the community, she said.

It is wonderful to watch people grow in confidence as they learn new artistic techniques and discover their creative side.

I am also looking forward to interacting with the different cultural groups in the municipality.

Workshops & Open Studio
Ms Calarco will run workshops on collagraph printing, polychromatic printing and stencil screen printing commencing in January.

Keep an eye out for the upcoming timetable.

For further information, please contact Council's Community Services Department on 9716 1866 or see their web site: www.ashfield.nsw.gov.au

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The clanking sounds of a loom at the American Textile History Museum take visitors back to a time when clothes were hand-woven and textiles drove the New England economy in this historic mill town and others.

Textiles are such a basic part of everybody's life, says Diane L Fagan Affleck, the museum's senior research associate. And yet I think partly because of the technology that we have today, we just don't even think about where they came from or how they came to be.

In the lobby sits a late 19th-century cotton picker, used to remove burrs and other such contaminants from the cotton fiber. This was the first step toward producing the dresses and coverlets on display.

The regimented workday of the factory workers is brought to life by a bell cast by Revere and Son in Boston in 1802 for a church in Castine, Maine, and later used at a mill in North Andover. A church bell tolls as visitors stroll by.

A more whimsical history lesson is the focus of Finishing Touches, an exhibit of fashion accessories on view until April.

Lending her voice to the exhibit is Bess Drest, a fictional character developed by the exhibit's curators based on a tintype — the 19th-century version of a photo — of an unknown young woman in about 1870.

She wears a small flower-trimmed hat tipped low on her forehead, drop earrings and a ribbon choker.

Bess' insights can be found on first-person missives throughout a gallery devoted to hats, gloves, shoes, hair ornaments, fans and other objects from different fashion periods.

Miss Affleck says the collection is meant to convey a sense of the customs of various times, guided by the fashion wisdom of Bess Drest.

She says something about her mother telling her to be sure to put her gloves on before she went outside. You wouldn't go out without a hat on in the 19th century, Miss Affleck says.

More modern looks evoke the 1960s. Three mannequins model different looks for the classic little black dress — each striking in a Jackie Onassis kind of way. One wears a pink hat, another a yellow hat and scarf, and the third has red shoes and handbag and a black hat.

One collection of accessories was worn by a cabaret singer. Her photo in the display shows her holding a wood-handled macrame bag in shades of red, blue, yellow and green that itself is part of the exhibit. Also shown are a pair of the singer's high-heeled ankle-strapped shoes — white with red polka dots.

The museum is near Lowell National Historical Park, which was established to commemorate the history of America's Industrial Revolution.

National Park Service sites in Lowell include canals; textile mills and other 19th-century commercial buildings; boardinghouses where the mill girls lived; and the Boott Cotton Mills Museum.

Weaving of fabric and lives by Nancy Rabinowitz — Washington Post

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More on recycling old jumpers... Here's a quick way you can make yourself a cool funky scarf by felting arm pieces from old jumpers and sewing them together. Mix up the colors and textures for your own personal touch.

Deconstruct: D.I.Y. Sweater Arm Scarf — Spun Magazine (via MAKE: Blog)

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A great tutorial from Ashley Martineau on how to reuse the yarn from old jumpers you don't want any more. The tutorial is complete with photos and lots of tips on how you can reuse the yarn, like doubling up the fibres for stronger support.

The Recycled Yarn Tutorial — neauveau (via MAKE: Blog)

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The free-penguin project provides executables that enable you to make your own soft-toy Linux® penguin. To put it straight: You can find sewing patterns and a community to sew your own soft toy or stuffed Linux® Tux penguin here. All downloads come under GPL (GNU General Public License).

Free Penguin Project — www.free-penguin.org (via digg)

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Brenda Janish knitted this amazing Space Invaders tote bag.

Space Invaders tote bag — craftster (via boingboing)

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Helen Li, a very talented knitter, has made a scarf featuring both the alive and smooshed versions of Super Mario 3 characters.

super mario 3 scarf — craftgrrl (via boingboing)

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