When, instead of, or in addition to a twill, the weaver has to produce sprigs, flowers, spots, or any kind of figure, a great increase of complexity occurs. The weft may pass over four and under one at one part of the width of the cloth ; over two and under two at another ; over one and under four at another; according to the part of the figure which may happen to occur at any particular part of the width of the cloth. The complex movements thus rendered necessary gave rise to the inven tion of the draw-loom, in which strings are so arranged that a boy can draw down the requi site warp-threads preparatory to the movement of the shuttle. Early in the present century two inventions were made with the view of rendering the draw-loom more automatic. One of these, called the draw-boy, not superseded the necessity of employing a be, to pull the handles, but removed, by the uner ring certainty of its operation, all possible chance of mistake in pulling the wrong handle. The other was the automatic carpet-loom of Mr. Duncan, in which the threads were moved by pins inserted in a rotating barrel, somewhat on the principle of the musical box.
But the draw-loom, the draw-boy, and the barrel-loom, have been alike eclipsed by the exquisite apparatus of M. Jacquard.
[JAcemuni] Double Weaving.—In all the fabrics hitherto noticed, there is but and layer of threads, formed by the intersection of the weft among the warp, both weft and warp being individually single. But there has long been practised the weaving of a kind of double cloth, com posed of two webs, each consisting of separate warp and weft, but both sets interwoven at intervals. The junction of the two webs is formed by passing each of them occasionally through the other, so that each particular part of both is sometimes above and sometimes below. [CARPET MANUFACTURE.] Cross Weaving.—Gauze and Bobbin-Net may be taken as the chief representatives of this kind of fabric. Net is the generic name for these goods ; and according as slight deviations were made in the mode of crossing the threads, so were distinctive names given to the material produced ; such as whip-net, mail-net, patent net, drop-vet, spider-net, Paris-net, balloon-net, &c. All those varieties are produced at the loom, with warp-threads stretched horizontally, and weft-threads thrown across by means of a shuttle ; and the difference between them depends on the manner in which the warp threads were made to cross one another, and in which the weft-thread was thrown. [GenzE ;