slub

plural slubs

1. countableA small thickened portion or knot found in yarn, caused by defects or uneven spinning.

   The huge bolts of cloth had to be checked for imperfections such as slubs and misweaves.

   2014, Thomas Allison, Moonshine Memories, page 98

   1 more example

   The challenge is not just to produce a thick-and-thin yarn, but to make soft slubs, connected by nicely spun yarn without overtwist. The should not be lumps and bumps that happen by accident, but a contrived texture, with the size and placement of the slubs completely controlled by the spinner.

   1987, Paula Simmons, Spinning and weaving with wool, published 1977, →ISBN, page 135

2. countableuncountableFabric fiber produced by slubbing.

present singular third person slubs · participle present slubbing · participle past slubbed · past slubbed

1. To draw and twist fibers in order to prepare them for spinning.