Smooth, firm yarn spun from long wool fibres that have been carded and combed, and the cloth woven from it.
Worsted describes a yarn-making system as well as the yarn and cloth produced from it. In wool processing, fibres are carded, then gilled to straighten them and combed to remove short fibres, called noils, and vegetable matter before spinning. The resulting yarn is smooth and compact. Woollen processing follows a different route, and woollen finishing can bring fibres to the surface to create a hairy appearance. These terms therefore help explain differences in a cloth’s surface, rather than identifying its weave alone. The Museum at FIT also notes that the worsted spinning system can process fibres other than wool.
In job listings
Listings rarely name this yarn. It is working vocabulary in tailoring, menswear and fabric development, and a useful word for a sales specialist explaining why one suit cloth is smooth and firm while a woollen cloth has a softer surface. Search local jobs for “fabric”.
