weaving knitting

• Knit Fabrics/Weft knits

  Basic structure consists of a single element interlooped to form a fabric
• Warp knits

  Basic structure consists of one set of elements interlooped to form a fabric
• Warp knits are unlike weft knits and are not what we typically think of as knit fabrics
• Warp knits usually have little to no widthwise stretch unless spandex is used in the construction
• Warp knits often form fine open structures
• Both weft and warp knits are composed of wales and courses (in woven, they are referred to as warp and weft)
• Knitted fabric count

  • Wales/cm - wales form in the machine direction
  • Courses/cm - courses form in the cross machine direction
• Values of wales/cm and courses/cm are not added together to give a total
• If wales/cm and courses/cm are multiplied, the result is total knit stitches/cm2
• Quality and performance of knitted fabric

  • Type of knitting - warp or weft
  • Fibre content
  • Fineness, evenness and twist levels of the yarns
  • Closeness of the knitting (gauge)
  • Extensibility of the finished fabric - non/stretchy
• Weft (filling) knits

  • Yarns move horizontally across the fabric as it forms — similar to the weft direction in woven fabric
  • Packages of yarn are used for knitting — similar to weft yarns in weaving
  • Stitches form sequentially across each course which slows down the speed
  • Additionally, courses can be started before the preceding one is completed
  • Process is slower than warp knitting
• Weft knits may be circular/flat
• Basic weft knit stitch or loop

  Looks like a lululemon logo (head, legs, foot)
• Wales form vertically in weft knit fabrics
• One needle required on the knitting machine for each wale formed
• Needles/inch


  The knitting gauge
• Courses form horizontally in weft knit fabric
• Yarns forming the weft knit follow the direction of the courses — moves horizontally across or around the fabric
• To know the course, count the legs of the wale
• Hand knitting - weft

  • It is a form of weft knitting produced with pointed needles that are sometimes called pins
  • The needles are used to form the stitches and hold the fabric as it's being made
• Terminology associated with hand knitting differs from that used for industrial machine knitting
• Fabric

  A planar structure consisting of yarns
• Single jersey knit (hand knitting)

  1. First course - knit stitches are made

  2. Return course - purl stitches are made
• Single jersey knit (hand knitting with double-pointed needles)

  Knit stitches are made continuously as the knitting progresses around the circular structure
• Fabric classification by construction method

  • Woven
  • Knitted
  • Nonwoven (intermeshed, no yarns)
  • Braid, net, lace, film, etc.
  • Multi-component - bonded, laminated, quilted, tufted (carpet)
• Industrial knitting machines - weft

  • Knitting machines have many needles
  • One needle for every wale that will form in the finished fabric
  • Needles are not pointed, instead they have fine hooks on their ends
  • Each needle has some mechanism, such as a latch, to temporarily close the hook during stitch formation
• Latch needle


  Needles in a section of a cylinder knitting machine — typical gauge (needles/inch) up to 28npi
• For a single jersey knit machine, the gauge is 11 needles/cm
• Woven fabric

  • Formed by interlacing
  • Two sets of elements/yarns are required for weaving (Warp & Weft)
  • In a plain weave, two sets of yarns may pass over or float over two sets or more yarns before interlacing, as in [twill and satin]
• Plain weave

  • Warp and weft yarns interlace at every intersection
• Weft knitting machines

  • May have a single bed of needles for single knits
  • Flat bed for flat fabric
  • Cylinder for circular knits
  • Machines may also have two needle beds - V-bed machines, Cylinder and dial machines
  • 2 needle beds allow for stitches of similar appearance to be formed on the face and back of the fabric
  • Used for rib knits, double knits and interlock
• 2/2 Twill weave

  • Yarns pass over two yarns before interlacing
• Circular, weft knitting machine has cylinder and dial needle beds and an overhead creel holds the yarn packages used for knitting the patterned fabric
• Complex woven fabrics


  • Additional set of yarns are needed - may have two or more sets of warp and/or weft yarns (double weave, pile weaves)
  • The sequence of yarn interlacement must be more complex and irregular than in basic weaves (damask, tapestry)
• Knit stitch

  • Head or crown of the stitch loop is on BACK of the fabric
  • Knit stitches form on FACE of jersey
• Purl stitch

  • Head or crown of the stitch loop is on the FACE of the fabric
  • Purl stitches form on BACK of jersey knit
• Fabric direction and surfaces

  • Warpwise - Lengthwise
  • Weftwise - Crosswise grain
  • Bias - Diagonal
  • On-grain - Warp & weft yarns cross at right angles
  • Face and Reverse (back)
  • Selvedge (self-edge) - Finished warpwise edges
• Common weft knit fabrics

  • Single knit or jersey knit (F.64-65)
  • Rib knit (F.68)
  • Double knit and interlock knit (F.69)
  • Pile knits (F.70-71)
• Single knit or jersey knit

  • Face and back differ in appearance
  • Widthwise stretch - 2x lengthwise stretch
  • Edge of fabric tends to curl
  • Run forms if a loop is cut or broken
  • Fabric ravels from end last knit; course by course
• Fabric 65

  • Single knit, jersey knit with printed design