Process for making composite yarn of continuous filaments and staple fibers

In a process for making a composite yarn of staple fibers commingled with continuous filaments including the steps of passing a feed yarn of continuous filaments which is under tension and substantially free of twist and filament entanglement through a nip formed by a pair of counter rotating rolls which advance the yarn to a splaying zone in air wherein the filaments are splayed into an open network and airborne staple fibers are projected from a source angularly into the open network to combine and commingle with the continuous filaments after which the open network is collapsed into said composite yarn, the improvement which comprises creating said open network of continuous filaments by passing through said nip region as the feed yarn a yarn of crimped continuous filaments of a synthetic organic polymer which filaments individually contract from crimp retractive forces substantially immediately upon passing through said nip region and splay of their own accord into an open three-dimensional filament network which continues to travel in a substantially linear direction at a slightly reduced speed and projecting said staple fibers into said three-dimensional network.