Worsted

yarn or thread spun from long-stapled wool which has been combed. The yarn is soft and smooth, but is twisted harder in spinning than is yarn which is carded only. The latter is known as woolen yarn. In former times, an important distinction was made between "worsteds," that is to say, fabrics woven from worsted yarns, and "cloths," or fabrics woven from woolen yarns. Owing to advancement in methods of manufacture, this distinction is no longer of special significance, and the word worsted is used with various loose meanings. Technically, worsted yarn is distinguished from woolen yarn by being combed. As commonly used, the specific meaning of the word worsted is yarn for knitting and fancy work, which is smooth, being made from combed wool; whereas woolen yarn, spun from short wool that has been carded only, is rougher and more hairy since the fibers project in all directions from the body of the yarn. See Wool; Spinning