<text><span class="style10">extiles (1 of 4)</span><span class="style7">Mankind has always needed clothes, so the history of textiles is a long one. More than 3000 years before the birth of Christ, Egyptian mummies were laid in their tombs wrapped in linen, a fabric woven from flax. The Chinese were weaving delicate patterns in silk by about 1000 BC.The creation of textiles requires two processes: the spinning of yarn, and the weaving of cloth. The basic principles of these two crafts have not changed since the earliest times, although the materials used have been supplemented in the 20th century by man-made fibers.</span><span class="style10">Natural fibers</span><span class="style7">Natural fibers come from a variety of sources: wool from sheep, cotton from the seed pod of the cotton plant, flax from the stem of the flax plant, silk from the delicate webs spun by silkworms fattened on the leaves of the mulberry tree. Among the more specialized fibers, the Angora goat produces mohair, while cashmere comes from the Kashmir goat. Camel hair and the fleece of the vicuna, a relative of the llama, are used in rugs and overcoats. Jute, a plant fiber, is used for making sacks and carpet backings, while hemp, another plant fiber, is used in sailcloth and canvas.In their natural state, none of these fibers is very long. Wool fibers may be up to 20 cm (8 in) long, and flax a meter or more, but cotton fibers are rarely more than a few centimeters and are often as short as 3 mm ( 1/8 in). In order to make a continuous strand or </span><span class="style19">yarn</span><span class="style7">, the fibers have to be laid out in parallel lines and twisted together in the process called </span><span class="style19">spinning</span><span class="style7">.</span></text>
</content>
<content>
<layer>background</layer>
<id>26</id>
<text><span class="style10">aw cotton</span><span class="style7"> - one of the many natural fibers used in the production of textiles. Natural fibers, whether derived from plants or animals, are relatively short, and must first be spun into long strands (yarn) before being woven or knitted into fabric.</span></text>
</content>
<content>
<layer>background</layer>
<id>23</id>
<text>ΓÇó RUBBER AND PLASTICSΓÇó THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION</text>
