The study of the weaves and of the possibilities of variation in fabrics, arising from the different methods of inserting the weft threads into those of the warp, from the use of different colored threads, both for warp and weft, and by the use of different materials, is perhaps the most fascinating branch of the whole
Fig. 25.—The Crompton Thirty-six Harness Worsted Loom.
textile industry. But it is out of place in a paper that relates to the mechanical evolution of that industry. Machinery has done more than its share to assist human ingenuity in the devising of new and attractive variations upon the fundamental weaves. A loom in which thirty-six harnesses can be worked automatically suggests variations of pattern which are practically infinite.
