Cotton

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Revision as of 03:40, 1 August 2003 by Karel (talk | contribs) (history of cotton: SCA myth vs reality)
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Cotton is a cellulose fibre of vegetable origin. it has a fairly long staple and can thus be spun into very fine thread. It is hard-wearing and takes colour well. However it was not grown in Europe in period, but was imported from the middle East:
"Arab merchants brought cotton cloth to Europe about 800 A.D. When Columbus discovered America in 1492, he found cotton growing in the Bahama Islands. By 1500, cotton was known generally throughout the world"

The word "Fustian" has been around since the 12th Century (England) and refers to "a hard-wearing fabric of cotton mixed with flax or wool with a slight nap"