Knitting Latest

Knitting Part-I
Knitting
• Knitting is the method of formation of a
fabric by the interloping of one or more
sets of yarns with help of needles.
• Knitting is the second only to the weaving

as a method of fabric manufacturing.
Weft Knitting Machine
Application of Knit Fabrics
• Apparel
• Home Furnishing
• Industrial uses
Reasons for growth of knit industry in India
• Capital Investment is low.
• High productivity
• No need of preparatory process for knitting is less than weaving,
• The setting up of knitting machines to produce a given type of fabric is a fast
and simpler operation than the setting up of a loom.
• Knitting is more flexible than weaving in the sense that styles and designs
can be changed with unparalleled rapidity.
• Knit garments are geared to quick turnover in keeping with the rapid fashion
changes in the apparel market.
• There are wide varieties of new yams that have brought new standards of
performance and new aesthetics into the knit market.
• The knit fabrics are very comfortable and are in tune with the times.
• The present generation demand wrinkle-free, ease-of-care fabrics and knit
garment is the perfect solution for this. The recent success of knit garments
has been greatly due to their easy-care properties.
• Knitted garments generally require no ironing and are therefore it is cool for
traveling persons.
• Knitted fabrics are the most comfortable ones for swimwear and sportswear.
Raw Materials for Knitting
• Yarn Synthetic or Natural
• Blend of Yarn
• Different combination of yarns
Yarn Properties
• Knitting yarn requires a relatively fine, smooth,
strong with good elastic recovery properties etc.
• Synthetic fibres are also used to make knitted

fabrics. Textures or high bulked synthetic yarn
made from Polyester, acrylics are used to
produce knitted fabrics.
• Yarn should also have even with respect to

mass variation along the length, which we call U
%, thick & thin places, neps (imperfections).
Characteristics of Knitted Fabrics
• comfort properties
• appearance retention
• Warmth and breathability
• Shrinks more than woven fabric
• Sagging during use
• Tendency to form hole when loop is
broken
Difference between Knitting &
Weaving
• Comfort and Appearance Retention
• Cover
• Fabric Stability
• Economics
• Method of Manufacturing
Terminology related to Knitting
• Warp Knitting: In this process a warp beam is
set into a machine and yarns are interloped for
form a fabric. The yarns run vertically in the
fabric.
• Weft Knitting: In this process one yarn is carried

back and froth and under needles to form a
fabric. Yarns run horizontally in the fabric. This
can be done by hand or using machines.
Terminology related to Knitting
Weft knitting Warp knitting

Needles
• Knitting is done by Spring-beared needles,
latch needles or compound needles. Most
of filling knits are formed with the latch
needle. Spring beared needles are used
for with fine yarns whereas latch needles
are usually for making coarse fabrics. A
double –latch needle is used in making
purl loops. The compound needle is used
primerly in warp knitting.
Latch Needle
Stitches
• Stitches are made by needles. The
stitches are named based on the way they
are made. Stitch may be open, closed.
Open stitch are most common in filling
knitting. In warp knitting, either kind of may
be found depending of the knit design.
Wales and Courses
Wales are vertical rows of loops stitches in
the knit fabrics. Courses are horizontal
rows of loops. In machine knitting, each
wale is formed by a single needle. Wales
and courses show clearly on filling knit
jercy.
Gauge or Cut
• It indicates the fineness of the stitch. It is
measured as the number of needles in a
specified space on the needle bar and
often expressed as needle per inch.
Higher the gauge or cut, the finner the
fabric. The finished fabric may not have
the same gauge as the machine that made
it because of the shrinkage or stretching
during the finishing.
Gauge or Cut
Technical Face-Back Identification
Loop Formation Cycle
Knitting cycle for weft knitting
1. Running Position: The loop begins to move
down the needle.
2. Clearing: the old loop is moved down to the
stem of the needle.
3. Yarn Feed Step: The new yarn is positioned in
front of the needle.
4. Knock over step: The old loop is removed
from the needle.
5. Loop pulling step: The new loop is formed and
is ready for next knitting cycle.
Sample Questions
• What are different methods of fabric manufacturing
process?
• What do you understand by knitting of fabric?
• What are different applications of knit fabrics? Give
examples.
• How do knitted fabrics differ from woven fabrics?
• What are important fabric properties of Knitted fabrics?
• Describe important properties of yarn from the point of
knitting.
• What are different tips you suggest to determine
technical face of knit fabric?
• What do you mean by Wales and Course of Knit fabric?
• What do you mean by Gauge of a Knit Machine? How is
it related with count of the yarn?
Knitting Part II
Basic structure of weft knit
• Plain
• Rib
• Interlock
• Purl
Plain Knit
• Most simplest form of structure
• The structure is produced by single set of needles.
• The structure consists of single loop stitches all of which are

intermeshed in the same direction.
• The technical face and back of the fabric is quite prominent.
• The technical face side have V shaped loop appearance and the
back side shows semi-circular loops. The face side feels smoother.
• We can produce design pattern using different colored threads.

These are useful as basic units of design when knitting with different
coloured yarns. Extra yarns or sliver are used to make terrycloth,
velour, and fake fur like fabrics.
• Plain knit fabrics have “Form Fitting” property due better elastic
recovery property.
Plain Knit
• Fabric extends more in widthwise direction than length.
• The structure can be unroved from the course.
• Plain knit fabric tend to curl when kept flat after cutting.
The fabric curls towards face at top and bottom and
towards the back at the sides.
• Most of the single jersey fabric is produced on circular
machines whose needle bed revolves through stationary
knitting cam systems.
• The machine used for plain structure is simple,
economical, and potential for using higher number of
feeders and can run at relatively high speed using wide
range of yarn counts.
• The machine sizes may vary from 1 feeder 1 inch
diameter to 144 feeds 30 inches diameter.
Single Jersey / Plain Knit
Use
The plain structure is simplest and most
economical weft knitting structure to
produce and has maximum covering
power.
The end use of plain knit structures include
hosiery, underwear, shirts, T-shirts,
sweaters etc.
Rib Structure
• A rib knit fabric is characterized by lengthwise ribs / cord
appearance formed by wales alternating on the face and
back of the fabric.
• The face and back of the fabric looks same. We can say
the structure is reversible.
• The fabric is formed on knitting machine having two sets
of needle beds. One set of needles form loops for one
wale and another set of needles form loops for alternate
wale on the reverse side.
• The simplest from of Rib Knit is 1x1 and has appearance
of technical face of plain fabric on the both sides.
Fabric Properties
• This kind of fabric consumes twice as much as
yarn compared to comparable plain knit of same
dimension and thicker.
• The 1x1 rib is balanced by alternate wales on
the both sides of the fabric; the structure does
not curl when cut like plain knit.
• Rib structures are elastic, form fitting and retains
warmth better than plain structure.
• They have twice extensibility widthwise than
plain/single jersey knit
• They unravel from the end knit last.
Use of Rib Structure
• They are used as tops of socks, cuffs of sleeves, rib

borders of garments, arm bands. They fit tighter to body
than the plain knit and give a smart appearance.
• They are extensively used in production of outer wear.
• The structure is more opaque than single jersey and
hence they are used in swimwears.
• The popular gauge range for this kind of knit is 5 to 20npi
(needles per inch). The suitable count of yarn may be
calculated using formula:
• Cotton Yarn count = G2/8.4, where G is Needles per
inch,
1 x 1 Rib Structure
Interlock Structure
• Interlock fabrics are composed of two 1x1
rib stitches intermeshed.
• The interlock fabric has the technical face
of the plain knit on both sides.
• The wale on both sides of the fabric lies
opposite to each other.
• Each pattern of interlock structure requires
two set of feeder yarns.
Fabric properties of interlock knit
• The fabric surface is smooth, stable structure and do not
curl. The interlock structure is reversible similar to rib
structure.
• The fabric is less extensible than single or rib structure.
• It unroves from the course knitted the last.
• Fabric is thicker, heavier and narrower than rib of
equivalent gauge and requires finer, better yarn.
• Most interlock fabrics are plain or printed. Colored yarns
can be used to produce horizontal or vertical stripes.
• The interlock fabrics are expensive.
Use
• Apparel, underwear, outerwear, kids
wear, sports wear, protective gloves etc.
Purl structure
Purl structure is made on knitting machines having
two sets of needles. The machine uses latch
type of with hooks on the either ends.
It is the only weft knitting machine which can
produce three types of weft knitting structure:
plain, rib, purl.
The knitter can produce three structures within
same fabric using single machine. T
he appearance of the fabric on the both sides is
same and looks like reverse side of plain knit.
Fabric properties
• The simplest purl structures each wale consists
of face and reverse loops, hence semicircles of
needle and sinker loops are seen on the both
face and back sides of the fabric due to reverse
loops.
• Fabrics produced by the purl stitch are thick and
expensive.
• The fabrics do not curl but they do run and may
be made to unravel from both ends.
• Purl knit fabrics have crosswise and lengthwise
stretch. The appearance is same on the both
sides of the fabric, the strucure is reversible
Purl structure
Use
• Major uses of purl knit structure are
children and infants wear, socks,
sportswear and sweaters
Comparison of warp knitting and
weft knitting
• Weft knitting, yarns are fed coursewise, while in warp knitting yarns are fed in wales
direction.
• Yarn supply in the weft knitting is in the form of cheese or cones, while in warp
knitting the yarns are fed in long beam or a number of small beams.
• All kinds of yarns can be used for weft knitting, while synthetic filament yarns are
suitable for warp knitting machine.
• Usually latch needles are used for weft knitting, latch, bearded or compound needles
are used for warp knitting.
• Warp knit loops are uniform compared to weft knit loops.
• Weft knit fabrics have greater resilience than warp knit fabrics.
• Warp knit fabrics stretch in widthwise direction weft knit fabrics stretch both length
and width wise direction.
• Warp knitted fabrics are dimensionally more stable than weft knitted strucure.
• Weft knitted facrics are cheaper to produce than warp knitting.
• In tailoring, cutting sewing, warp knit fabrics have greater advantage, because warp
knits are genrally less extensible than weft knits.

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Knitting Latest

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Knitting Part-I

• Knitting is the second only to the weaving

• Synthetic fibres are also used to make knitted

• Yarn should also have even with respect to

• Weft Knitting: In this process one yarn is carried

Weft knitting Warp knitting

• The structure is produced by single set of needles.

• The structure consists of single loop stitches all of which are

• The technical face and back of the fabric is quite prominent.

• We can produce design pattern using different colored threads.

• They are used as tops of socks, cuffs of sleeves, rib

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