The machinery from which threads are made has developed from hand-held spindles to spinning wheels to the spinnarets used to make microfibers, and computers may assist in all phases of cloth production, from pattern design and to loom operation. Today’s clothmakers have all of these tools at their disposal: they choose according to the speed of production, cost, and the special quality that a given device contributes to the finished product. Innovations in fabric technology may respond to utilitarian needs, aesthetic desires, and other motivations such as consumer demands for inexpensive options.