Ever wonder what Mercerized means?

[Gran]

http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-9371883 Basically it creates tensile strength.

 

It is dipped in hydroxide:

http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-9367671/hydroxide

[mwedzi]

Thank you, I have always wondered what it means. I still wonder, what does this mean for us when we're working with one vs. the other. Is mercerized shinier? Does giving it more strength mean that it's stiffer?

[Gran]

I think that's one of the enjoyable aspects of seeing and handling the threads before buying them. Do I like the luster, the feel, the suppleness of the thread?