Kapok
Short, lightweight cotton-like fibres from the seed pod of trees of the family Bombacaceae. A very brittle fiber, it is generally not spun. It is used for stuffing cushions, mattresses, etc., and for life jackets because of its buoyancy and moisture resistance.
Kasha-lining
A lining principally for jackets featuring cotton flannel, napped face and imitates chambray back.
Kersey
A heavily fulled or milled woolen fabric having a high lustrous nap and a ‘grainy’ face, kersey is frequently used in overcoats.
Kevlar®
An aramid fiber with good heat resistance and exceptional high single-end strength. Not recommended for applications where it will be exposed to heat for prolonged periods of time. (Kevlar® is a registered trademark of Dupont.)
Khaki
A light yellow brown. A khaki-colored cloth of cotton, wool, or combinations of these fibres with man-made fibres used primarily in military uniforms and workclothes.
Kier
A large metal tank, capable of being heated uniformly, used for wet processing.
King Tube
A large plastic tube with a flanged bottom used to control spillage of smooth threads (e.g., continuous filaments).
Knit Fabric
A structure produced by interlooping one or more ends of adjacent yarn or comparable material to form the fabric. (e.g., jersey, ribbed, tricot)
Knit Flannel
A soft-filled cotton sheeting or twill that is napped on at least one side and generally on both. It is then bleached, dyed or printed, and brushed or run through the napping machine again to revive the surface texture. May also be preshrunk.
Knit Mircosuede
A fiber such as cotton, silk, rayon or polyester that has been knitted instead of woven and is sueded to have the touch and weight of genuine suede. Sueding is a process of running the fabric through cylinders with a sandpaper-like surface, creating a napped finish with an extremely soft hand.
Knop (nop) (also known as knep or fleck)
This is a fancy name for a special yarn that is frequently used in Donegal tweed, mostly in the weft, as decorative colour patterns.
Knots
Used to join ends of yarn or thread together. Most textile companies use “weavers” knots, which are three thicknesses. Coats has replaced most knots with air splices. Knots cause threads to break but most air splices sew through a needle without breaking.