STITCHES

Weft Knitted Fabric Designs are based on the combinations of four basic stitches

KNITTING
 Knitting is the production of fabric by forming loops with yarn, which are interlaced in a variety of ways to form the fabric. fabric.

STITCH
 KNIT STITCH  PURL STITCH  TUCK STITCH  FLOAT (or) MISS STITCH

KNIT STITCH
 When the needle is raised sufficiently high by camming action to obtain the yarn in the hooked portion of the needle and the old loop is below the latch ( the old loop is cleared ) a knit stitch will be formed when the needle descends.

PURL STITCH
 The face back side of the knit stitch is called the purl stitch.

TUCK STITCH

Tuck stitch is nothing but the two old loops intermeshed with the new loop.

TUCK STITCH
 Tuck stitch is really an incomplete knitted loop.  A Tuck loop is formed, if the needle is raised only partially by clearing cam so that the held loop does not clear but raises sufficiently for feeding to take place.

TUCK STITCH  This results in two yarns being held in the hook.  The held loop and the new yarn will form the tuck loop.

TUCK STITCH
 Four course tuck is the maximum limit otherwise loops become tight and yarn breakage would occur.  It is also possible to form a horizontal tuck stitch by tucking or adjoining needles.

TUCK STITCH

PROPERTIES OF TUCK STITCH

 FABRIC WITH TUCK STITCHES IS WIDER THAN THE NORMAL KNIT STITCHED STRUCTURE.  STRUCTURE BECOMES OPEN & MORE POROUS.  LESS EXTENSIBLE  TUCK STITCH IS ALSO USED TO GET FANCY EFFECTS.

EFFECT OF TUCK STITCHES

 FABRIC WITH TUCK STITCHES IS THICKER THAN KNIT STITCHES DUE TO ACCUMULATION OF YARN IN STITCHES AT TUCKING LACES.  THE STRUCTURE WITH TUCK STITCHES IS WIDER THAN WITH KNIT STITCHES AND LOOP SHAPE HAS A WIDER BASE AT STITCHES.

EFFECT OF TUCK STITCHES

 TUCK STITCH STRUCTURE IS LESS EXTENSIBLE BECAUSE AT EVERY TUCK STITCH,THE LOOP LENGTH IS SHORTENED.  DUE TO THICKER IN NATURE,THE TUCK STITCHED FABRIC IS HEAVIER IN WEIGHT PER UNIT AREA THAN THE KNIT STITCHES.

EFFECT OF TUCK STITCHES

 TUCK STITCHED STRUCTURE IS MORE OPEN AND POROUS THAN THE KNIT STITCHED FABRIC.  TUCK STITCH IS ALSO USED TO GET FANCY EFFECTS BY USING COLOURED YARN.

MISS (or) FLOAT STITCH

 IT IS COMPOSED OF A HELD LOOP, ONE (or) MORE FLOAT LOOP AND KNITTED LOOPS.  IT IS PRODUCED WHEN A NEEDLE HOLDING ITS OLD LOOP FAILS TO RECEIVE THE NEW YARN WHICH PASSES A FLOAT LOOP.

MISS (or) FLOAT STITCH

 A SINGLE FLOAT STITCH HAS THE APPEARANCE OF A U SHAPE ON THE REVERSE OF THE STITCH.  FLOAT STITCH IS NOTHING BUT THERE WILL BE MISS IN LOOP.

PROPERTIES OF FLOAT STITCH

 FLOAT LOOPS MAKE A BASIC KNIT FABRIC NARROWER THINNER AND MUCH LESS EXTENSIBLE.  THIS STITCH DEVELOPS DESIGN IN CONSTRUCTION.

PROPERTIES OF FLOAT STITCH

 PROVIDES THE FABRIC WITH LESS WEIGHT.  PROVIDES THE FABRIC WITH LESS ELASTICITY IN WIDTH SIDE.

EFFECT OF FLOAT STITCHES

 IT IS USED FOR DESIGNING , WHEN AN UNWANTED, COLOURED YARN IS TO BE HIDDEN COMPLETELY FROM THE SURFACE,BY ALLOWING IT TO FLOAT AT THE BACK INSTEAD OF TUCKING.  BY FLOATING , UNIFORM TEXTURE IS OBTAINED AND THE YARN CAN BE SAVED.

EFFECT OF FLOAT STITCHES

 FLOAT STITCH MAKES THE FABRIC THINNER THAN THE TUCK STITCHED ONE,AS THERE IS NO YARN ACCUMULATION.  IT MAKES THE FABRIC NARROWER AS THERE IS NO LOOPED CONFIGURATION AND HENCE THE WHOLE STRUCTURE IS PULLED TO MINIMUM WIDTH

EFFECT OF FLOAT STITCHES

 LESS EXTENSIBLE THAN EITHER KNITTED or TUCKED STRUCTURES.  FABRIC IS LIGHTER IN WEIGHT DUE TO MINIMUM YARN USED IN CONSTRUCTION.  FABRIC IS FLIMSY or LESS RIGID COMPARED TO OTHERS.