# Warp and weft

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Warp_and_weft
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Warp_and_weft.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warp_and_weft
> Source revision: 1355628518
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Two constituent threads of woven cloth

This article is about weaving. For other uses, see [warp and weft (disambiguation)](/source/Warp_and_weft_(disambiguation)).

"Weft" redirects here. For other uses, see [Weft (disambiguation)](/source/Weft_(disambiguation)).

Warp and weft in [plain weaving](/source/Plain_weave). See [weaving](/source/Weaving) for other weave pattens, such as [twill](/source/Twill).

In the manufacture of [cloth](/source/Cloth), **warp** and **weft** are the two basic components in [weaving](/source/Weaving) to transform [thread](/source/Thread_(yarn)) and [yarn](/source/Yarn) into [textile](/source/Textile) fabrics. The vertical *warp* yarns are held stationary in tension on a [loom](/source/Loom) (frame) while the horizontal *weft* (also called the *woof*) is drawn through (inserted over and under) the warp thread.[1] In the terminology of weaving, each warp thread is called a *warp end*; a *pick* is a single weft thread that crosses the warp thread (synonymous terms are *fill yarn* and *filling yarn*).[2][3]

In the 18th century, the [Industrial Revolution](/source/Industrial_Revolution) facilitated the industrialisation of the production of textile fabrics with the *picking stick*[4] and the *[flying shuttle](/source/Flying_shuttle)*, the latter of which was invented by [John Kay](/source/John_Kay_(flying_shuttle)), in 1733.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] The mechanised [power loom](/source/Power_loom) was patented by [Edmund Cartwright](/source/Edmund_Cartwright) in 1785, which allowed sixty picks per minute.[4]

## Etymology

The word *weft* derives from the [Old English](/source/Old_English_language) word *wefan*, to weave. *Warp* means "that across which the woof is thrown". (Old [English](/source/English_language) *wearp*, from *weorpan*, to throw, cf. [German](/source/German_language) *werfen*, [Dutch](/source/Dutch_language) *werpen*).[5]

## Warp

This section needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Warp and weft" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Warped loom. Warp is wrapped onto the warp beam; as the cloth is made, the fell (woven part) is wrapped onto the breast beam next to the weaver.

Wrapping of the warp threads around the warp beam of a loom in preparation for weaving

Warp threads in [tablet weaving](/source/Tablet_weaving)

The warp is the set of [yarns](/source/Yarn) or other things stretched in place on a [loom](/source/Loom) before the weft is introduced during the weaving process, and the *longitudinal* set in a finished fabric with two or more sets of elements.[6]

The term is also used for a set of yarns established before the interworking of weft yarns by some other method, such as finger manipulation, yielding wrapped or twined structures.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] Very simple looms use a **spiral warp**, in which the warp is made up of a single, very long yarn wound in a [spiral](/source/Spiral) pattern around a pair of sticks or beams.[7]

The warp must be strong to be held under high tension during the weaving process, unlike the weft which carries almost no tension.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] This requires the yarn used for warp ends, or individual warp threads, to be made of [spun](/source/Spinning_(textiles)) and [plied](/source/Plying) [fibre](/source/Fibre).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] Traditionally natural fibres such as [wool](/source/Wool), [linen](/source/Linen), [alpaca](/source/Alpaca), and [silk](/source/Silk) were used.[*[according to whom?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Words_to_watch#Unsupported_attributions)*][*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] However, [improvements in spinning technology](/source/Textile_manufacture_during_the_Industrial_Revolution) during the [Industrial Revolution](/source/Industrial_Revolution) created [cotton](/source/Cotton) yarn of sufficient strength to be used in mechanized weaving.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] Later, [synthetic fibres](/source/Synthetic_fibre) such as [nylon](/source/Nylon) or [rayon](/source/Rayon) were employed.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

While most weaving is weft-faced, warp-faced textiles are created using densely arranged warp threads.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] In these, the design is in the warp, requiring all colors to be decided upon and placed during the first part of the weaving process, which cannot be changed.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] Such limitations of color placement create weavings defined by length-wise stripes and vertical designs.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] Many South American cultures, including the ancient Incas and Aymaras, employed *backstrap weaving*, which uses the weight of the weaver's body to control the tension of the loom.[8][*[failed verification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability)*][*[full citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources#What_information_to_include)*]

## Weft

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Because the weft does not have to be stretched on a loom like the warp,[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] it can generally be less strong.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] Originally used were spun yarns from fibres such as [wool](/source/Wool), [flax](/source/Flax) and cotton.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] As of this date,[*[when?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Dates_and_numbers#Chronological_items)*] viscose-type (e.g., rayon) fibres, and synthetic fibres such as polyester and polyamide (nylon) are used.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

Handlooms were the original weaver's tool, with the shuttle being threaded through alternately raised warps by hand.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] In modern applications, the weft is threaded through the warp using a [shuttle](/source/Shuttle_(weaving)), air jets,[*[clarification needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify)*] or [rapier grippers](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rapier_grippers&action=edit&redlink=1).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## Appearances in literature

### Literally

The terms *warp* and *woof* are also found in some English translations of the Bible, in the discussion of mildews found in cloth materials (e.g., in Leviticus 13:48–59).[*[non-primary source needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:No_original_research#Primary,_secondary_and_tertiary_sources)*][*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

### As metaphor

This section needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Warp and weft" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The expression *warp and weft* (also *warp and woof*) is used [metaphorically](/source/Metaphor) the way the word *fabric* might be; for instance, "the warp and woof of a student's life" equates to "the fabric of a student's life".[9][*[better source needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability#Questionable_sources)*] The expression is also used similarly for the underlying structure upon which something is built.[*[clarification needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify)*][*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

The expresion "warp and weft" is sometimes used even more generally in literature to describe perceived basic dichotomies of the world in which one lives, e.g., the dichotomies of up and down, in and out, black and white, sun and moon, yin and yang, etc.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*][*[dubious](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Accuracy_dispute#Disputed_statement) – [discuss](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Warp_and_weft#Dubious)*]

## In other fields

In computing, a *warp* is a block of parallel [threads](/source/Thread_(computing)) executed on a [GPU](/source/GPU) or similar [SIMD](/source/SIMD) device.[*[according to whom?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Words_to_watch#Unsupported_attributions)*][*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## See also

- [Warp knitting](/source/Warp_knitting)

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Weft"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170810213317/https://museum.gwu.edu/weft). *The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum*. Washington, DC: [George Washington University](/source/George_Washington_University). Archived from [the original](https://museum.gwu.edu/weft) on 2017-08-10. Retrieved 2017-08-10.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Burnham_2-0)** Burnham (1980), pp. 170, 179

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Barber_1991,_p._79_3-0)** Barber (1991), p. 79.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Aspin_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Aspin_4-1) Aspin, Chris (1981). [*The Cotton Industry*](https://archive.org/details/cottonindustry0000aspi/page/20). Shire Library. p. [20](https://archive.org/details/cottonindustry0000aspi/page/20). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-85263-545-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-85263-545-2).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["warp | Search Online Etymology Dictionary"](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=warp). *www.etymonline.com*. Retrieved 2018-02-26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Warp | The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum | The George Washington University"](https://museum.gwu.edu/warp). *museum.gwu.edu*. Retrieved 2017-08-10.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Burnham (1980), p. 132

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [Nilda Callanaupa Alvarez](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nilda_Callanaupa_Alvarez&action=edit&redlink=1), *Weaving in the Peruvian Highlands*.[*[full citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources#What_information_to_include)*]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["warp and woof"](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/warp-and-woof). *Dictionary.com*. Retrieved 14 July 2023.

## References

Look up ***[warp](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/warp)*** or ***[weft](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/weft)*** in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

- Barber, E. J. W. (1991). *Prehistoric Textiles*. Princeton University Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-691-00224-X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-691-00224-X).

- [Burnham, Dorothy K.](/source/Dorothy_K._Burnham) (1980). [*Warp and Weft: A Textile Terminology*](https://archive.org/details/warpwefttextilet0000burn). [Royal Ontario Museum](/source/Royal_Ontario_Museum). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-88854-256-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-88854-256-9).

v t e Rugs and carpets Rugs American Bessarabian Braided Catalogne Flokati Navajo Petate Rya Scandinavian (Swedish) Tibetan Oriental Arabian Afghan Alcaraz Azerbaijani Absheron Arraiolos Arran Borchaly Caucasian Chul Demirchilar Ganja Gasimushaghi Jek Karabakh Kilim Quba Shabalyt-Buta Shedde Chobi Dhurrie Kashmiri Lilihan Mughal Pakistani Persian Abadeh Aghajly Ahar Arak Ardabil Bakhtiari Bakshaish Bidjar Borujerd Gabbeh Heriz Isfahan Jozan Karadagh Kashan Kashmar Kerman Kilim Kurdish Mashhad Nain Qom Sarouk Seraband Shahsevan rug Shiraz Tabriz Varamin Zanjan Seychour Turkmen Uzbek Uzbek Julkhyr Uzbek Napramach Yürük Carpets American Arabian Armenian Axminster Bellini Berber Bergama Bessarabian Bradford Caucasian Chiprovtsi Crivelli Ersari Fitted Gabbeh Hereke Karabakh Konya Holbein Lilihan Lotto Memling Milas Persian Pirot Quba Sarouk Swedish Turkish Ushak Yomut People James F. Ballard Sir Francis Crossley Kurt Erdmann Arthur T. Gregorian Arshag Karagheusian Latif Karimov Julius Lessing William Morris George H. Myers Arthur Upham Pope Alois Riegl Friedrich Sarre Wilhelm von Bode Thomas Whitty Charles T. Yerkes Places Azerbaijan Carpet Museum Carpet Museum of Iran Dar al Athar al Islamiyyah Brukenthal National Museum Kidderminster Louvre Mevlana Museum Metropolitan Museum of Art Miho Museum Museum of Applied Arts (Budapest) Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna Museum of Islamic Art, Doha Museo Poldi Pezzoli Museum of Textiles (Lyon) Museum of Islamic Art, Berlin Saint Louis Art Museum Textile Museum (George Washington University) Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum Turkmen Carpet Museum Victoria and Albert Museum Wilton Cleaning Carpet cleaning Carpet moth Dry carpet cleaning Floorcloth Hot water extraction Truckmount carpet cleaner Vacuum cleaner Fabrics Frieze Jajim Shag Soumak Manufacture and installation Ghiordes and Senneh knots Knot density Pile Rubia Rug hooking Rug making Tack strip Underlay Warp and weft Dyes Natural dye Synthetic dye Madder (Rubia tinctorum) Indigofera tinctoria Carmine Cochineal Armenian cochineal Polish cochineal Dyes in Uzbekistan Manufacturers Axminster Carpets Brintons Cormar Carpets Dilmaghani DOBAG Carpet Initiative A & M Karagheusian Savonnerie manufactory Ziegler & Co. Carpets in culture Eagle rug Early Anatolian animal carpets Gul Kilim motifs Elibelinde Evil eye Tree of life Boteh Magic carpet Oriental carpets in Renaissance painting Pictorial carpet Prayer rug Red carpet Transylvanian rugs War rugs Notable individual carpets Ardabil Carpet Armenian Orphan Rug Badding Rug Bahar-e Kasra Coronation Carpet

v t e Weaving Weaves Basketweave Charvet Coverlet Dobby Double weave Even-weave Gabardine Lampas Leno weave Oxford Pile weave Piqué Plain weave Satin Shot Swivel Twill Components Textile Warp and weft Yarn Tools and techniques Band weaving Barber-Colman knotter Beamer Braid Coast Salish weaving Chilkat weaving Fingerweaving Flying shuttle Heddle Ikat Kasuri Loom Navajo weaving Pibiones Reed Shed Shuttle Sizing Sizing machine Tablet weaving Talim code Tāniko Tapestry Temple Wattle Wicker Resin Types of looms Air-jet loom Dandy loom Dobby loom Hattersley loom Horrocks loom Jacquard machine Lancashire loom Northrop loom Power loom Rapier loom Roberts loom Warp-weighted loom Water-jet loom Weavers Acesas Anni Albers Otti Berger Micheline Beauchemin Johanna Brunsson Ada Dietz Thomas Ferguson & Co Ltd Elisabeth Forsell Arshag Karagheusian Latif Karimov Dorothy Liebes Ethel Mairet Maria Elisabet Öberg Lilly Reich Margaretha Reichardt John Rylands Brigitta Scherzenfeldt Clara Sherman Gunta Stölzl Judocus de Vos Margaretha Zetterberg Employment practices More looms Kissing the shuttle Piece-rate list Mills Bancroft Shed Queen Street Mill

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Warp and weft](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warp_and_weft) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warp_and_weft?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.