Studies on Handle Behaviour of Eri Silk / Wool Blended Fabrics Developed for Winter Wear Application

This work compares the handle behaviour of eri silk, wool and eri silk/wool blended fabrics. Changing the blend ratio, five yarns were developed and plain woven fabrics with similar construction were produced. Low stress mechanical properties of the eri silk and wool blended fabrics were determined using Kawabata Evaluation System. Test result reveals that eri silk and wool blended fabrics show excellent hand value, along with improved strength, firmness and smoothness characteristics, compared to pure wool or pure eri silk fabrics.