We do not prefer wearing clothes made of the jute fibre because jute fibre is very coarse and rough which hurts the skin.

Man-made fibres are called synthetic fibres, e.g., Nylon, rayon, polyester etc.

Cotton is also used in hospitals as absorbent and for preparing bandages.

(i) Cotton is a soft fabric. It lets air pass through it.
(ii) The sweat absorbed by cotton fabric evaporates and so it cools the body.

During the ancient era, people wear bark, big leaves of trees or animal's skin to cover themselves.

Rainy season is the best season for cultivation of jute. It is grown in Bihar, Assam and West Bengal.

Plant fibres are classified into three categories on the basis of parts of plant from which these fibres are extracted :
(i) Fruit fibres: These fibres are obtained from the fruits of the plant. e.g., cotton and coconut fibres.
(ii) Bast fibres: These fibres are obtained from the stems of plants. e.g., Jute fibre.
(iii) Leaf fibres: These fibres are obtained from the leaves of plants. e.g., Sisal fibre.

Fibres obtained from plants and animals are called natural fibres.
Examples of plant fibres: cotton, jute and coconut.
Examples of animal fibres: silk and wool.

Two hand operated devices that are used for spinning are:
(i) Hand spindle (takli)
(ii) Charkha
Charkha was made popular by Mahatma Gandhi.

In ancient times, people used bark and big leaves of tree or animal skins and fur to cover themselves. Later on, they began weaving twigs, grasses etc. They twisted vines, animal fleece or hairs together into long strands. They were woven into fabrics.

Natural fibres: Wool and Jute.
i) Wool is an animal fibre which is obtained from sheep.
ii) Jute is a plant fibre which is obtained from plant.
Synthetic fibres: Acrylic, Polyester, Rayon.
iii) These are man-made fibres which are prepared from different chemical substances.

The quality of cotton fabrics can be improved by :
(i) improving the quality of soil.
(ii) protecting the crops from pests.
(iii) discarding infected fibres.
(iv) twisting the fibres to make yarn properly.
(v) ensuring minimum or no gaps during weaving.

Cotton:
Source: Fruits of cotton plants
Uses: It is used in making clothes, bed sheets, curtains, towels and quilts.
Jute:
Source: Bast or skin of jute plant stem
Uses: It is used in making curtains, chair coverings, carpets and rugs.
Silk:
Source: Cocoons of silkworms
Uses: It is used in making clothes, velvet etc.
Wool:
Source: Fleeces of sheep or other hairy animals such as yak, camel, goat etc.
Uses: It is used in making clothes, sweaters, carpets etc.

The two main processes of making fabric from yarn are weaving and knitting.
Weaving: It is the arrangement of two sets of yam to make a fabric. The threads are crossed over and under each other. This is done on machines called looms.
Knitting: It is the formation of fabric from single yarn. It is done by hand as well as by machine.