Fabrics questions

Drawn thread work is a form of counted-thread embroidery based on removing threads from the warp and/or the weft of a piece of even-weave fabric. The remaining threads are grouped or bundled together into a variety of patterns. The more elaborate styles of drawn thread work use a variety of other stitches and techniques, but the drawn thread parts are their most distinctive element.

Auxetics are structures or materials that have a negative Poisson's ratio. When stretched, they become thicker perpendicular to the applied force. This occurs due to their particular internal structure and the way this deforms when the sample is uniaxially loaded. Auxetics can be single molecules, crystals, or a particular structure of macroscopic matter.

Damask was first produced in China. Its use spread over India, Persia and Syria on the Silk Road to Europe. Damasks derive their name from the city of Damascus-in that period a large city active both in trading (as part of the silk road) and in manufacture. Damasks became scarce after the 9th century outside Islamic Spain, but were revived in some places in the 13th century.

Angora goats have been in Central Asia since the Paleolithic. They produce the luxury fibre known as mohair. It is lustrous and shiny, warm in winter as it has excellent insulating properties, while remaining cool in summer due to its moisture wicking properties. Today, South Africa is the world's largest mohair producer, producing around 50% of the total world production.

Common usage defines the fibre as a wool, but in fact it is a hair, and this is what gives it its unique characteristics as compared to sheep's wool (a hair has a hollow core, while wool does not). Cashmere has been manufactured in Nepal and Kashmir for thousands of years.

90% of Angora fur is produced in China, where more than 50 million Angora rabbits grow 2,500–3,000 tonnes of angora wool per year. Angora is known for its softness, silky texture, and what knitters refer to as a halo (fluffiness). It is much warmer and lighter than wool due to the hollow core of the angora fibre.

A muslin is a delicate cotton fabric. It has been imported to Europe from India since the Roman times. A legend has it that an ounce of muslin used to sell in Rome for an ounce of gold. The word "Muslin" is derived from the ancient port town "Maisolos", today Machilipatnam in Andra Pradesh, India.