Lisle was a type of finish that was applied to obtain smooth and even yarns, largely employed for goods intended for

underwear Underwear, underclothing, or undergarments are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer clothing from being soiled ...

and

hosiery Hosiery, (, ) also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the foot, feet and human leg, legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also ...

Yarns Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, used in sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery, ropemaking, and the production of textiles. '' Thread'' is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manufac ...

made with long-staple fibers such as Egyptian cotton were passed repeatedly and swiftly through gas flames. The action removes the fuzzy and protruding fibers. The finish adds smoothness, gloss, and evenness to the yarn. Most often, yarn done with a lisle finish was referred to as "Lisle yarn." or "Lisle thread." These were

plied In the textile arts, plying (from the French verb ''plier'', "to fold", from the Latin verb ''plico'', from the ancient Greek verb .) is a process of twisting one or more strings (called strands or plies) of yarn together to create a stronger yarn ...

, high-twisted, gassed combed yarns of long-staple cotton. Another method of "lisle" was on finishing fabrics, in which hosiery fabric was treated with a dilute acid solution such as

hydrochloric acid Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid or spirits of salt, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride (HCl). It is a colorless solution with a distinctive pungency, pungent smell. It is classified as a acid strength, strong acid. It is ...

sulfuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen, ...

, the fabric was then tumble dried without washing at a temperature of a hundred degrees Fahrenheit. The

acid An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. Hydron, hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory, Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis ...

and tumble exposure remove the loose ends and fuzziness from the fabric, which is subsequently neutralised with an

alkaline In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The ...

solution to prevent further acid damage.

Etymology

Lisle is derived from the French city

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

. It was formerly known as Lisle and served as a textile hub.

Use

Lisle was used to manufacture underwear, hosiery, stockings, and sports wear.

References

{{Reflist Textile techniques Textile treatments

Etymology

Use

See also

References