How is knitting constructed

The knitted stitch usually consists of three or more intermeshed needle loops Fig. The center loop is drawn through the head of the lower, previously formed loop and is, in turn, intermeshed through its head by the loop above it. This intermeshed loop structure makes knits highly elastic, especially along the vertical axis. Thus, they are more flexible and resilient than other textile structures. This makes them amenable to bending or curving around a surface without distorting.

Woven fabrics, by comparison, are more constrained, and thus more rigid, typically only able to stretch on the bias. There are, however, techniques available to reduce the elongation of a knitted material where necessary in applications where stretch must be controlled or reduced. Knitting is faster than braiding, but slower than weaving or twisting.

Unlike weaving, braiding and twisting, knitting does not require the use of special yarn packages. Interestingly, the examples of early knitting from Egypt are actually made from cotton fibres, not wool. Many of them have Arabic blessings knitted into them, or symbols to ward off bad luck. In the 14th century, the knitted textile form was used by fishermen to make warm, woollen, weatherproof jumpers for trips to sea. By the 16th century, knitting machines were used to knit hosiery for elite classes.

Knitting soon became a local industry in the Highlands and Scotland, employing men in factories to knit stockings that were exported to the rest of Europe. Soon, hats, shawls, bags, jumpers and other forms of knitwear were available in the market. The first knitting loom was built in and woollen mills were set up to create expensive garments. Eugene Rodier set up the first woollen textile factory in By the 20th century, knitwear was part of mainstream fashion.

With the introduction of jersey dresses, cardigans and jumpers by fashion labels like Chanel , knitwear was a practical, fashionable and modern choice for men and women. The knitting process basically involves continuously interlinking or knotting series of loops of yarn using needles. These consecutive loops are intermeshed into the previous loop structure. Thus the new stitch secures the loop structure by locking the previous stitches that are suspended from it, eventually creating a sheet of material.

Just like in weaving , this sheet of materials is a two-dimensional fabric. The difference, however, is that the threads run straight or parallel in weaved cloth, whereas the yarns follows a meandering path in knit fabric. The symmetric looping of yarn causes the resulting fabric to be elastic and stretchy, a highly desirable property that makes knitwear a wardrobe staple in winters.

Knitting is done by hand or using machines. Twill weave jeans. Herringbone weave fabric. Satin weave fabric. Pile weave velvet. Knitted fabrics are made from loops that interlock together, allowing the fabric to stretch considerably.

This can be increased when the yarns are made from elastic fibres - they are not always made from wool. The front surface of the fabric has clearly defined vertical wales, and the back surface has crosswise courses. Raschel knits are produced from spun or filament yarns of different weights and types. Most raschel knits can be identified by their intricate designs, the open-space look of crochet or lace, and an almost three-dimensional surface effect design.

Cable fabric is a double knit fabric made by the special loop transfer technique. The wales in the fabric have a rope-like an appearance, where plaits are based on the transfer of loops with adjacent wales. The fabric has an interesting surface texture like braids as the loops cross each other. It is widely used as sweater fabric. FabThe fabric usually made of multi-colored threads creating scrambling effect. The fabric may be made with designs having eyelets. Pointelle is a type of double knit fabric.

The fabric has patterned miss stitches. The fabric has looked like lace, with holes made by these transferred stitches. Intarsia is patterned single knit fabric. It is made of knitting multi-colored yarns.

The fabric has the same course knitted in different colors with different yarns. It has colored designs as blocks distributed in different color backgrounds. The patterns look identical on both the face and backside of the fabric. There are no floats found on the backside of the fabric. It is typically used to make shirts, blouses, and sweaters.

Jacquard Jerseys are single jersey fabrics made of Circular Knitting machines using Jacquard mechanism. They are the simplest method of making patterned fabrics. They are produced with interesting patterns, which may have any of the following:. Jacquard fabrics have different colored loops made of different threads in the same course. Floats are an inherent feature of single jersey jacquards. They are widely used in the sweater industry.

Knitted Terry is pile jersey fabric made with a special attachment in regular circular knitting machines similar to woven fabrics. The fabric has loops on the fabric surface. The fabric is made of two sets of yarns, in which one set of yarn makes the pile, while the other set of yarn makes the base fabric.

Knit terry is softer, more flexible and is more comfortable than woven terry fabrics. However, they are not firm and durable as woven terry. Owing to its softness and absorbency, it is widely used in beachwear, towels, bathrobes etc. The piles on the fabric are not napped and the technical back of the fabric is used as face side. French Terry has loops or piles on one side only. The piles of the French Terry are much shorter when compared to usual Terry. The fabric has excellent stretch and gives fleece like a handle.

These features make the fabric more comfortable hence, they are popularly used in clothing, especially infants and kids. French Terry is widely used in sportswear, jogging suits and workout suits owing to its absorbency and stretch. Knitted Velour are Pile jersey fabrics having soft protruding fibers on the fabric surface. Like knit terry, they are also made of an additional set of yarns making pile loops on the fabric surface.

However, in Velour, these pile loops are sheared evenly and brushed. It may be dyed and generally available with solid colors. They are used in luxurious apparels like jackets, blouses, dresses etc.

The Sliver Knit is Pile jersey fabric. Unlike Velour fabric, Sliver knit fabric is characterized by a longer pile on the fabric surface.

It is made of special circular knitting machines in which the surface fibers imitating fur are attached to the fabric, by means of knitting sliver along with base yarn making the fabric. Sliver knit fabrics have longer and denser piles on the fabric surface than other pile jerseys. Animal printed sliver knit fabrics are popularly used as imitation fur fabrics.