Disclosed are insulating materials, and in particular materials that offer improved insulation properties without compromising breathability. The insulating materials may include a base material having a moisture vapor transfer rate (MVTR) of at least 2000 g/m.sup.2/24 h (JIS 1099 A1); a plurality of heat-reflecting elements coupled to a first side of the base material, each heat-reflecting element having a heat-reflecting surface and being positioned to reflect heat towards an underlying surface; and a plurality of spacer elements coupled to the first side of the base material, each spacer element sized and shaped to reduce contact of the heat-reflecting elements with the underlying surface.

The darkening screen comprises two fabrics, namely a first fabric (10) which comprises in machining direction first strips of film material and first threads (2) in between the first strips, and a second fabric (11) which comprises in machining direction second strips of film material and second threads (6) in between the second strips. The first (2) and the second threads (6) of the first (10) and the second fabric (11) have water transporting capacity. In order to obtain improved moisture transporting properties whilst maintaining a low hemispherical light transmission the first threads (2) are aligned with said second threads (6) and are situated, in a direction perpendicular to said first (10) and second fabric (11), opposite to said second threads (6) to form pairs of first and second threads. In a number of these pairs the first thread (2) is connected at different locations by cross-connections (16) to the second thread (6), more particularly by means of a first yarn (4) of the first fabric which extends in the cross-machining direction, to thereby fix the first fabric (10) to the second fabric (11). The cross-connections (16) preferably hold the first threads (2) at least at the location of the cross-connections (16) against the second threads (6).

Disclosed is a method of forming a 3D woven omega-shaped stiffener by flat weaving a plurality of layers of interwoven warp and weft fibers to form a flat woven fabric having a cap portion, a first and a second web portion, a first and second foot portion, and an inner wrap portion. The 3D woven fabric is woven so that least some of the weft fibers are continuous across a juncture between the web portion and the foot portions. The flat woven fabric is then formed into the omega shape.

A fabric substrate having a warp direction and a fill direction is provided. The fabric substrate includes a plurality of warp yarns, a plurality of fill yarns. A portion of the plurality of the fill yarns form a hollow channel extending in the fill direction, and the hollow channel contains an encased fill yarn. As such, the encased fill yarn is protected from abrasion, bending, flexing, folding, compression, shrinkage, or expansion of the fabric substrate and remains undamaged after the fabric substrate is woven and subsequently handled or processed. In other embodiments, a hollow channel containing an encased yarn is formed in the warp direction, or hollow channels each containing an encased yarn are formed in both the fill direction and the warp direction.

A bedding system including one or more bedding components is provided for use with a bed. The bedding component includes a fitted sheet, a top sheet, a pillow case and/or a comforter. The fabric panel forming the bedding component may include air vents integrated into the fabric panel. Additionally, the fabric panel may further include an activatable material integrated into and/or disposed in proximity with the fabric panel.

A method of fabricating a woven fiber preform that is impregnated with a matrix-precursor resin, the resin, in the raw state, presenting a glass transition temperature Tg.sup.0, includes: impregnating yarns or strands with the resin; feeding a loom with the impregnated yarns or strands maintained at a temperature in the range Tg.sup.0 to Tg.sup.0+10 C.; and weaving the yarns or strands in the loom in order to obtain the resin-impregnated woven fiber preform.

The present disclosure describes a hydroentangled composite fabric. The composite fabric includes a base woven fabric having a plurality of warp yarns and a plurality of weft yarns interwoven with the plurality of warp yarns. The composite fabric also includes a web of nonwoven fibers hydroentangled with and within the plurality of warp yarns and the plurality of weft yarns, such that the nonwoven fibers are substantially entangled with fibers of the plurality of warp yarns and fibers of the plurality of weft yarns.

A method of fabricating a woven fiber preform that is impregnated with a matrix-precursor resin, the resin, in the raw state, presenting a glass transition temperature Tg.sup.0, includes: impregnating yarns or strands with the resin; feeding a loom with the impregnated yarns or strands maintained at a temperature in the range Tg.sup.0 to Tg.sup.0+10 C.; and weaving the yarns or strands in the loom in order to obtain the resin-impregnated woven fiber preform.

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a toy knitting device and a knitting kit including the toy knitting device and a breakaway clasp. The knitting device comprises a knitting body having an interior chamber in which a needle holder is rotatably coupled to the knitting device. The needle holder comprises a plurality of needles configured to move up and down the side of the needle holder as the needle holder rotates to grasp a knitting strand being fed into the interior chamber of the knitting body. The needle holder rotates by a plurality of engaged gears coupled to either an automated motor for automated rotation or a hand knob or crank for manual rotation. The needle holder comprises a center aperture through which the knitted product that is configured to receive an embellishment to be embedded within a hollow interior of the knitted product is inserted.

The darkening screen comprises two fabrics, namely a first fabric (10) which comprises in machining direction first strips of film material and first threads (2) in between the first strips, and a second fabric (11) which comprises in machining direction second strips of film material and second threads (6) in between the second strips. The first (2) and the second threads (6) of the first (10) and the second fabric (11) have water transporting capacity. In order to obtain improved moisture transporting properties whilst maintaining a low hemispherical light transmission the first threads (2) are aligned with said second threads (6) and are situated, in a direction perpendicular to said first (10) and second fabric (11), opposite to said second threads (6) to form pairs of first and second threads. In a number of these pairs the first thread (2) is connected at different locations by cross-connections (16) to the second thread (6), more particularly by means of a first yarn (4) of the first fabric which extends in the cross-machining direction, to thereby fix the first fabric (10) to the second fabric (11). The cross-connections (16) preferably hold the first threads (2) at least at the location of the cross-connections (16) against the second threads (6).