I put on a “textile specialist” hat this week, observing one of my closet staples to figure out its beginnings–“the fibres, dyes, weave structures and patterns” (Sheng 175).
My short-sleeved, V-neck, button-up cardigan was knitted together. I saw interlocking loops when I stretched the fabric. Around the collar, down the buttons, and around the waist hem, the knit is much tighter; there is the least amount of space between the loops, and those areas feel the most dense. The intermediate knitting is around the sleeves. It has more “give” than the tighter regions. The loosest is along the front and back, taking up the majority of the clothing piece. The fabric feels the thinnest, and I do not have to stretch it to see the interlocking loops. It is made from pure cotton. The cardigan was made in China. I bought it from a clothing store called Cos.
I would also like to include that I was initially surprised to read that juan-silk was less important and less convenient as an exchange medium in southern China because of its high value (Sheng 184). It took me awhile, but (of course!) it could be due to regional preferences. In northern China, for example, juan-silk was more significant and functioned as money more frequently.
Bibliographic References
Slides (Gdrive link)
Sheng, Angela. “Determining the Value of Textiles in the Tang Dynasty: In Memory of Professor Denis Twitchett (1925-2006)”. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, Third Series, 23, no. 2 (2013): 175-95.
