arn Fashion design.
Knitting industry is a very complex one. It has two primary areas having their own sub divisions of specialization. One of the key segments of knitting industry manufactures knitted goods for garment manufacturers, sewing centers, and consumers among others. The other one produces finished apparels such as hosiery, sweaters, underwear etc.
Basic Principle of knitting
A knitted fabric may be made with a single yarn which is formed into interlocking loops with the help of hooked needles. According to the purpose of the fabric, the loops may be loosely or closely constructed. Crocheted fabric is the simplest example of knitting where a chain of loops is constructed from a single thread with the help of a hook. As the loops are interlocked in a knitted fabric, it can stretch in any direction even when a low-grade yarn having little elasticity is used.
Basic Construction Process of Knitted Fabric
Importance of Needles in Knitting Process
2) Warp Knitting
Knitting Basics
There are two broad
categories of knit textiles: weft and warp. Weft knits are made by feeding yarn
to all needles horizontally to construct a course. Weft knits can be produced
on either a circular knit machine or a flat bed machine.
In warp knitting, one
yarn is used for each knitting needle. Each stitch in a course is made by a
different yarn.
Basic weft knit fabric
Course: Row of loops or
stitches running across
the knit fabric
Wale: Vertical chain of
loops in the length wise
direction of the fabric,
formed by one needle.
Glossary of Knitting Terms
Basic weft knit fabric
Course: Row of loops or
stitches running across
the knit fabric
Wale: Vertical chain of
loops in the length wise
direction of the fabric,
formed by one needle.
Glossary of Knitting Terms
·
Ø Single knit: Knit fabric produced
using a single set of knitting needles. It is usually a thin lightweight
fabric.
·
Ø Double-knit: Knit fabric produced on
two sets of opposed needles. It is thicker and heavier than a single knit
fabric.
·
Ø Technical Face: The outside of the tube
of fabric produced by a circular knitting machine. This may or may not be the
outside of a finished garment made from the fabric.
·
Ø Technical Back: The inside of the tube
of fabric produced by a circular knitting machine. This may or may not be the
inside of a finished garment made from the fabric.
·
Ø Knit Stitch: An interlocking series
of loops used to construct fabric. See the diagram above of the basic weft knit
fabric.
·
Ø Tuck Stitch: A needle receives a new
yarn without losing its old loop. A tuck loop always faces the technical back
of the fabric.
·
Ø Welt, Miss, or Float Stitch: These terms describe the
same formation. The stitch is created by not allowing the needle to raise high
enough to receive a new yarn, causing the yarn to float behind the face
stitches.
·
Ø Inlay Stitch: Combination of float and
tuck stitches. In a 3x1 inlay, three needles float and one tucks. Commonly used
in Fleece and French Terry fabrics.
·
Ø Jersey Fabric: The basic single knit
construction (T- shirt fabric) with the appearance of tiny “V” s on the face of
the fabric and wavy courses on the back of the fabric.
·
Ø Rib Fabric: This double-knit fabric
draws some wales to the front and others to the back for a ridge effect. Ribs
have a higher stretch and recovery than most knits and they are used for trim
and body goods.
·
Ø Interlock Fabric: Two yarn feeds are
required to create one course. The knitting on front and back gives interlock a
smooth surface on each side of the fabric. Selected needles can be pulled out
for poor boy looks.
·
Ø Lacoste Fabric: The original stitch
configuration used in Lacoste shirts. The tucking pattern creates a tiny
honeycomb look on the technical back of the fabric, which is used as the face
for garments.
·
Ø Pique Fabric: The combination of knit
and tuck stitches gives a small diamond appearance to the face of the fabric.
It is the most popular fabric used in collar/placket shirts
·
Industrial Knitting
Process
It is a known fact that
the main material for fabric construction is yarn. Knitting is the second most
frequently used method, after weaving, that turns yarns or threads into
fabrics. It is a versatile technique that can make fabrics having various
properties such as wrinkle-resistance, stretch ability, better fit,
particularly demanded due to the rising popularity of sportswear and casual
wears. As of present day, knitted fabrics are used widely for making hosiery,
underwear, sweaters, slacks, suits and coats apart from rugs and other home
furnishings.
Knitting Industry
Knitting industry is a very complex one. It has two primary areas having their own sub divisions of specialization. One of the key segments of knitting industry manufactures knitted goods for garment manufacturers, sewing centers, and consumers among others. The other one produces finished apparels such as hosiery, sweaters, underwear etc.
Basic Principle of knitting
A knitted fabric may be made with a single yarn which is formed into interlocking loops with the help of hooked needles. According to the purpose of the fabric, the loops may be loosely or closely constructed. Crocheted fabric is the simplest example of knitting where a chain of loops is constructed from a single thread with the help of a hook. As the loops are interlocked in a knitted fabric, it can stretch in any direction even when a low-grade yarn having little elasticity is used.
Basic Construction Process of Knitted Fabric
The construction of
knitted fabric is assessed by the number of stitches or loops per square inch.
When the interlocking loops run lengthwise, each row is called a wale that
corresponds to the direction of warp in woven fabrics. When the loops run
across the fabric, each row is called a course that corresponds to the filling
or weft in woven fabrics. A knitted fabric having 50 loops or stitches in one
inch of width and 60 loops in one inch of length will be said to have 50 wales
and 60 courses.
Importance of Needles in Knitting Process
The needle quality also
affects the knitted fabric's quality. If the thickness of the hook differs from
one needle to another then the stitches will also vary in width. Same is the case
with loops which will vary in length with the needle lengths. Various types of
needles are used for making different knitted fabrics including latch needle,
spring-beard needle, and compound needle. Latch needle has a latch or swinging
finger that closes onto the hook of the needle as it pulls the yarn through a
loop in order to form a new loop. It is used for jersey and rib knitting. A
spring-beard needle has a fine, springy hook looking like a beard. This hook
has to be used with a sinker to hold the fabric down and a presser to close the
hook as it forms the loop. It is used for making more fine fabrics with smaller
loops. A compound needle made up of a hook and a sliding closing element is
used for faster knitting with lesser fabric distortion.
Types of knitted Fabrics
There are various types
of knitted fabrics and each type has different appearance and characteristics.
The construction of a knitted fabric depends upon the type being
constructed. A knitted fabric that has more wales will be rigid and
stable in width while a fabric that has more courses will be rigid and
stable in length. A fabric having many wales and courses per square inch
will have better recovery from stretching than a fabric having lesser wales and
courses. Such fabric that will have fewer wales and courses will be less
rigid, stretch more easily, fit to body shape in a better way but will have
poorer recovery ability. All the knitted fabrics are classified into two
general categories:
·
Weft
knit fabric, where one continuous yarn forms courses across the fabric.
·
Warp
knit fabric, where a series of yarns form wales in the lengthwise direction of
the fabric.
1) Weft Knitting
There are three basic
stitches in weft knitting
·
Plain-knit
stitch
·
Purl
stitch
·
Rib
stitch
Any other stitch is a
variation of these three stitches. Hand knitting is basically weft knitting.
When done on weft knitting machines, individual yarn is fed to a single or
multiple needles at a time.
Plain-knit stitch:
Plain knit, the basic
form of knitting can be produced in flat knit or in tubular (or circular) form.
It is also called jersey stitch or balbriggan stitch. A row of latch or beard
needles is arranged in a linear position on a needle plate or in a circular position
on a cylinder. The side by side evenly spaced needles are moved by cams, which
act on the needle butts. The spacing of the needles is called gauge, gage or
cut which refers to the number of needles in one and a half inches, for
example, a 60 gauge machine will have 40 needles per inch. The needles
intermesh loops drawn to one side of the fabric, forming vertical herringbone
like ribs or wales on the right side or technical face of the fabric. On the
reverse side or the technical back, courses are visible as interlocking rows of
opposed half circles. These fabrics have the tendency of curling up at the
edges which is controlled to a level through certain finishes.
Plain knit allows the use of single or plied yarns produces comparatively lightweight fabrics than produced by other stitches. The production rate is higher, about 5 times more than weaving. It is inexpensive and a variety of designs may be produced including stripes, multicolored patterns, textured surfaces produced by raised designs and pile effects. Plain-knit fabrics stretch more in the width than in the length and as such, they are widely used for making underwear, gloves, hosiery and sweaters.
Purl stitch:
Purl stitch, also called link-and-link stitch, is made on flat bed knitting machines and circular machines by needles using hooks on both ends to alternately draw loops to the front of the fabric in one course and to the back in the next course. The fabrics look similar on both the sides resembling back of the plain knit. Heavy, jumbo stitch is also possible which gives a bulky effect to the fabrics. However, It is comparatively slower and a costly technique. The fabric doesn't curl at the edges. Purl stitch is widely used in infant wear and kids clothing due to its crosswise stretch and excellent lengthwise stretch.
Plain knit allows the use of single or plied yarns produces comparatively lightweight fabrics than produced by other stitches. The production rate is higher, about 5 times more than weaving. It is inexpensive and a variety of designs may be produced including stripes, multicolored patterns, textured surfaces produced by raised designs and pile effects. Plain-knit fabrics stretch more in the width than in the length and as such, they are widely used for making underwear, gloves, hosiery and sweaters.
Purl stitch:
Purl stitch, also called link-and-link stitch, is made on flat bed knitting machines and circular machines by needles using hooks on both ends to alternately draw loops to the front of the fabric in one course and to the back in the next course. The fabrics look similar on both the sides resembling back of the plain knit. Heavy, jumbo stitch is also possible which gives a bulky effect to the fabrics. However, It is comparatively slower and a costly technique. The fabric doesn't curl at the edges. Purl stitch is widely used in infant wear and kids clothing due to its crosswise stretch and excellent lengthwise stretch.
Rib stitch:
Rib stitch produces
alternate lengthwise rows of plain and purl stitches and as such the face and
back of the fabrics are a look-alike. Rib stitch can be produced on a flat rib
machine as well as circular rib machine. In the flat rib machine, one set of
needles is placed opposite the other set of needles in an inverted V position.
In the circular rib machine, one set of needles is placed vertically in a
cylinder and the other set of needles is placed horizontally on a dial. In both
the machines, one set of needles pulls the loops to the front and the other set
of needles pulls the loops to the back of the fabric. Each set of needles
alternately draws loops in its own direction, depending on the width of the rib
desired. For instance, rib stitches can be 1X1, 2X2, 2X1, 3X1, and the like.
Accordion rib is the combination of 1x1 and 2X2. As a greater amount of yarn is
required for rib stitch and the rate of production is also slower, it is an
expensive method of fabric construction. The fabric doesn't curl at the edges
and as the fabric possess an excellent widthwise elasticity, it is widely used
for making such clothing that needs an excellent fit such as wristbands of
sleeves and waistbands of garments, underwear and socks for men and
children.
2) Warp Knitting
Warp knitting is
different from weft knitting in the sense that in it each needle loops its own
thread. The needles of warp knitting machines produce parallel rows of loops
that are interlocked in a zigzag pattern. The stitches on the front side of the
fabrics appear vertically having a slight angle. The stitches on the backside
appear horizontally as floats at a slight angle. These floats are called laps
or underlaps and are a distinguished features of warp knit fabrics. Warp
knitting machine Warp knitting may be flat or tubular that can produce a
variety of patterns. It is a very fast technique that can produce fabric with a
dimensional stability almost equal to that of a woven fabric. It can also use
yarns of man made fibers very efficiently. There are basically seven types of
warp knitting- Tricot knit; Milanese knit; Simplex knit; Raschel knit; Ketten
Raschel knit; Crochet and Weft-insertion warp. Warp knit fabrics are very
popular due to their many properties such as smoothness, sheerness, wrinkle resistance,
shrink resistance, strength and abrasion resistance.
Comparison of Weft Knitting and Warp Knitting
Warp knit fabrics have
certain advantages over weft knits
·
Warp
knit fabrics do not ravel easily.
·
They
are less prone to sagging.
·
Quality
is generally better than weft knits..
·
Stitch
definition, texture and fabric cover are also usually better than weft knits.
·
Warp
knits have superior dimensional ability.
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