3. 3
DEFINITIONOF KNITTING
Knitting is one way to convert thread or yarn in
to fabric, called knit or knitted fabric.
knitted fabric consists entirely of horizontal
parallel courses of yarn.
knitting can be done either by hand or by
machine.
4. 4
PROPERTIES KNITS WOVENS
Movement,mobility&
elasticity
Good Poor
Recovery from wrinkling Good Poor
Design & pattern changes Easy Time Consuming
Insulation & warmth Poor Good
Dimensional stability Poor Good
COMPARISONBETWEEN
KNITTING & WEAVING
9. 9
• Vertical columns of stitches in a knitted fabric
are called wales.
• Wales run lengthwise through the entire fabric
WALE
10. 10
• Horizontal rows of stitches are called courses.
• Courses run widthwise.
COURSE
11. 11
STITCHDENSITY
• It is a measurement of total number of needle loops in a sq.
area .
• Stitch density tends to be a more accurate measurement
because tension acting in one direction in the fabric may,
produce a low reading for the courser and a high reading
for the wales, which multiplied together cancel the effect
out.
STITCH DENSITY = No. Of Courses X No. Of Wales
12. 12
MACHINE GUAGE
• The number of needles linearly arranged in a
specific measure of length.
• Gauge is expressed in needles per inch .
The finer the gauge of the machine , that is the more needles
per inch, the finer or thinner the needles, the finer the yarn required
for knitting , and the finer or thinner will be the knitted fabric produced.
• Coarse gauge machines are used for knitting heavier fabrics.
19. 19
NEEDLES
•Needle is the basic element of loop formation.
•Two important functions of a needle
Linking of new yarn loops with knitted loops,
To carry the knitted loops during the early stage of the
stitch formation cycle.
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THE LATCHNEEDLE
• Latch needle reduces the stroke
• It offers a wider sampling potential
• Better quality of the fabric
23. 23
Latch needle is used to make the
heavier and coarser knitted fabrics e.g
Raschel , circular , flat, hosiery , milanse
etc.
Drawback
Higher costs
Complicated operating technology
25. 25
SPRING – BEARDNEEDLE
• In spring –beard needles hook is closed
by an external device, the presser,which, at
specific time during the stitch formation,
comes in contact with it & makes it bend
and close .
• When the presser is pulled away , the
hook springs back and opens the needle
automatically.
26. 26
• Spring –beard needle is used to make finer knitted
fabrics of high gauge,
Women’s stockings and lingerie fabrics
Tricot, fully fashioned garments
29. 29
WARP KNITTING
• Warp knitting is the fastest
method of producing fabrics
• Each needle loops its own thread.
• It’s a flat knitting process with one or more
sets of yarns that run vertically & parallel
to each other.
30. 30
• Needles produce parallel rows of loops , that are
interlocked in a zig-zag manner
• Warp knitted fabrics are flat, has straight side edges.
• Warp knits are classified according to the type of
equipment used, these are Tricot, Raschel, Milanese,
and Simplex.
• Two most common types of warp knitting machines
are Tricot & Raschel.
31. 31
RASCHELKNIT
Pillar or
chain
stitches
In – laid yarn
• They split or come apart lengthwise
when the in-laid yarn is removed.
• Latch and compound needles are
used.
• These include nets (meshes) , laces,
• Columns of loops are connected by in-laid yarns traversing
from column to column up the fabrics.
elasticized fabrics and bands etc.
32. 32
• Tricot knit has fine Wales on the right
side
• Crosswise ribs on the back.
• One-bar tricot has one set of warp
yarns forming all the loops.
• The greatest quality of tricot produced
is two-bar.
TRICOT KNIT
• Highly controlled manufacturing processes
• Tricot knits are used for underwear, nightwear, & lingerie,
followed by dresses, blouses and then outer wear.
33. 33
• Filament or textured- filament yarns are used
Exceptionally uniform in diameter
High quality to knit efficiently with the high gauge & very
high speeds of the tricot machine.
• High degree of consistency in
Appearance
Stitches per unit length, etc.
Have clear and uniform stitch definition.
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Comparison of Tricot & Raschel Knit Fabrics
TRICOT RASCHEL
Machinery Spring beard & compound
needles
Two to four guide bars
Latch & compound needle
Fine to coarse gauge
Four to fifty six guide bars
Yarn
Utilized
Fine denier filament & textured Spun & filaments
All counts & denier
Design
Potential
Simple design & small geometric Large & intricate designs but not
as versatile as weaving .
Typical
Fabric
End
Uses
Lingerie, Sleep Wear , Bonded
Fabric,skirts & Blouses,dress
Fabrics,suiting & Sport Wear
,Upholstery,specialties.
Laces & Lace Trims,nets,dress
Material,sweater Fabrics,suiting &
Coats , Thermal Knits , Blankets,
Carpets, Tennis Nets.
35. 35
MILANESE KNITS
•A special type of warp knit
•Fine fabric made from filament yarns
•Fine rib like structure on the face.
•Very limited production, largely replaced by Tricot
•Stable fabric
•Excellent drability
•High tear strength
36. 36
SIMPLEX KNITS
•A special type of tricot fabric
•Fabric is denser & thicker than regular tricot
•Used primarily for ladies gloves.
•Good elastic recovery, abrasion resistance.
37. 37
WEFT KNITTING
•This is a flat or circular knitting process
that places one yarn at a time to form
loops running across the fabric.
•Finished garments can also be produced.
•They are classified according to the m/c
or the stitch such as plain,jersey,purl & rib
with interlock or jacquard variation.
•Finished garments or lengths of fabrics for clothing or
upholstery can be produced
38. 38
In weft knitting machine, latch needles slide freely
in the slots ("tricks") of the needles bed
Individual selection and control of the needles, whether
arranged in straight or circular beds, enable some weft
knitting machines if required, to knit garment
sequences and integrally shaped garments.
There are also large-diameter circular weft knitting
machines which knit single and double jersey fabrics.
39. 39
• Flatbed machines knit full
garments & operate at much
slower speed
• Needles arranged on
horizontal or flat needle beds.
FLATBED MACHINES
• Latch needle is used.
40. 40
CIRCULAR KNIT MACHINES
• Allover the world, the majority of knit
fabrics are manufactured on circular
knitting machines.
•The high performance level of these
machines, the different materials and
the range of yarn counts that they are
able to process, the wide variety of
designs and stitches
41. 41
• On the circular machine, the yarn runs
horizontally and continuously in the
same direction -in contrast to the
flat bed m/c, where the yarn changes
direction with each course.
• The yarn is knitted around and around,
• Very high rates of production.
42. 42
The fabric is a seamless tube of material.
The variety of knit fabrics that can be manufactured
with these machines can meet the needs of a very
large end user market; from the traditional outwear
and underwear sectors to hosiery, household and
car interiors, without forgetting technical textile
applications.
43. 43
SINGLE JERSEY OR SINKER BODY
Back
Face
•All the component of knitted loops are of
the same sort and meshed in the same
manner
•Wales show on the face side and courses
show on the back of the fabric.
•The fabric tends to curl at the edges.
44. 44
• Jersey-knit fabrics stretch approximately equally in
both the length and width directions.
• One shortcoming of jersey-knit fabrics is that if one
yarn breaks, it causes an unraveling of adjoining
stitches, called a "run".
45. 45
RIB KNITFABRIC
•Back and face loops are apparent.
•Two sets of needles worked in between each other so
that Wales of face stitches and Wales of reverse stitches
are knitted on each side of the fabric.
•The simplest rib fabric is the 1x1 (one by one or one and
one). Alternating Wales of back forms this and face loops.
46. 46
Rib single-knits are noted for their excellent
crosswise elongation and recovery and they do not
curl like jersey knits.
47. 47
INTERLOCK KNITS
• Its produced by using both long &
short needles
• It has smooth surface on both the sides.
• Horizontal and vertical strips can be knitted by
using yarns of different colours
48. 48
•Interlock fabric is extremely soft, firm, extensible &
absorbent.
•Technical face of plain fabric on both sides
•Cannot be stretched out to reveal the reverse meshed
loop wale because the wale on each side are exactly
opposite to each other and are locked together.
49. 49
PURL KNIT
•They are made with alternate courses
of knit stitches and purl stitches on
both sides of the fabric.
•In purl-knit fabrics, each wale contains both knit stitches
and purl stitches whereas in rib-knits, each wale contains
either knit or purl stitches.
•Purl fabrics look the same on both sides of the fabric,
they both appear somewhat like the back of a jersey.
•Purl fabric is highly extensible in all directions.
50. 50
COMPARISION
JERSEY RIB PURL
Definite face & back May be reversible May be reversible
Stretches equally in
length & width
Greater stretch in width Greater stretch in width
Highest machine
productivity
Next Highest machine
productivity
Lowest machine
productivity
USES
Hosiery, t-shirt,
sweaters, knit terry
Collars,cuffs& trims Infants wear,fancy
sweaters,fancy garment
FABRICRECOGNISATION
Knit st. on one side,purl
st.on reverse
Wales predominate on
face & back;knit st. only
on same wale
Course predominate on
face & back; knit & purl
st. in same wale.
51. 51
COMPARISON BETWEEN
WARP KNITTING & WEFT KNITTING
WARP KNITTING WEFT KNITTING
Each needle requires one
separate yarn
Only one cone is sufficient
to knit the fabric
Yarn path is either vertical
or horizontal
Yarn path is only in
horizontal direction
Change in patterning does
not effect the speed of the
machine
Change in patterning effects
the speed of the machine
52. 52
PROPERTIES WARP
KNITTING
WEFT
KNITTING
Stitch Variation
and combination
Unlimited Limited
Special
Attachment for
Pattern Work
Not Required Required
Quality Consistent &
Uniform
More
Springy
Stretch ability More stretchable
in widthwise
direction.
Both
widthwise &
lengthwise
direction
