Size-covered composite yarns and method for making same

A method for making a composite yarn, comprising:

• stretching a strand of one or more elastomeric fibers in a range from 1.1× to 5× of a relaxed length of the strand;
• aligning at least one hard yarn selected from the group consisting of synthetic fibers, natural fibers and a blend of synthetic and natural fibers, adjacent and substantially parallel to said stretched strand to form an aligned yarn;
• applying a size material to said aligned yarn, wherein said size material comprises a sizing agent and optionally a wax, further wherein said size material is applied to said yarn by an aqueous or hot-melt process, and when said sizing agent is applied by an aqueous process, said size material is dissolved in water to form a solution before the size material is applied to the aligned yarn wherein concentration of the size material in the solution is from 5% to 25% by weight, and when said sizing agent is applied by a hot-melt process, said size material is applied to the aligned yarn in an amount from 3% and 6% by weight based on the aligned yarn pre-sized weight, and when wax is present in said size material, said wax is present in amounts not exceeding 1 weight % based on the solids weight of the sizing agent;
• and
• drying or curing the size material to form a composite yarn.