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Study on Various Faults, their Causes and Possible Remedies of Knitting and
Finishing Sections of Composite Knit Industries in Bangladesh

Article · January 2013

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 OmniScience: A Multi-disciplinary Journal
Volume 3, Issue 1, ISSN: 2231- 0398
__________________________________________________________________________________________

Study on Various Faults, their Causes and Possible

Remedies of Knitting and Finishing Sections of Composite
Knit Industries in Bangladesh
Md. Suman Chowdhury, Md. Reaz uddin Repon, Md. Rakibul Islam, Amit Sarker,
Md. Abdullah al Mamun*, Md. Abu Bakar Siddiquee
Department of Textile Engineering, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University,
Santosh, Tangail, Bangladesh

Abstract
The main aim of knitting and finishing sections of textile industries is to provide fault-free
finished fabrics to the garment section. But the knitters and the finishers have to face a
lot of problems for the fulfillment of this purpose. They have to face some problems,
particularly, whose causes are mostly unknown to them. The aim of this paper was to
investigate and find out the various faults of knitting and finishing sections of composite
knit industries in Bangladesh that are encountered due to man, machine and other factors
of processing and to identify the possible causes and remedies of these faults to save the
precious raw materials, energy, cost, time, etc. Finally, it was observed that most of the
knitting and finishing faults are attributed to the inferior yarn quality, improper machine
parameters, faulty machine parts, and unskilled machine operators.

Keywords: knitting faults, finishing faults, needle line, stenter machine, spirality

*Author for Correspondence E-mail: tex_mamunbd@yahoo.com

INTRODUCTION of faults may occur in the fabric due to variety

Composite knit industry is the shiniest star in
the sky of textile sector of Bangladesh. Knit
garments sector holds more than 40% of the
annual export items proportion which shows
the role of knit composite industries in our
national economy of Bangladesh [1].
Manufacturing of knit goods is easier and knit
items are very comfortable as underwear as
well as outerwear. As a result, composite knit
industries (knitting, knit dyeing and finishing)
are growing very rapidly. Textile intelligence
estimated yearly production of knitted goods
to be 17 million tons which is one-third of
global textile market [2]. Besides this
zncreasing demand, there is a great problem of
quality product. Day by day, the customers are
going to be more conscious about quality of
clothing items. As a result, it has become more
challenging for the manufacturers. Various
steps included in preparing a knit garment are
knitting, pretreatment, dyeing, after treatment,
finishing, and finally garment manufacturing.
Faults in different sections of a composite knit
industry are very common and great headache
for the responsible authorities. The same type
of different causes. Prime causes of the fabric
faults are as follows:
 Yarns
 Knitting elements
 Knitting machine settings
 Dyeing
 Finishing
This paper deals with the detailed
investigational study on knitting-finishing
faults, their causes and suggestions about the
possible remedial measures.
METHODOLOGY
This paper is based on the case study in
selective composite knit industries in
Bangladesh. It also includes some prospective
ideas and suggestions based on probability
analysis of different factors. The whole work
is based on practical experiences as well as
investigational work on fabric (dyed and
finished) with 4-point system [3] on currently
faced problems in the industries.

OSMJ (2013) 16-25 © STM Journals 2013. All Rights Reserved Page 16
Study on Composite Knit Industries in Bangladesh Mamun et al.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

 The 4-point system approved by section has been shown in the following pie
American Apparel Manufacturing chart as percentage (Figure 1).
Association (AAMA) and American
Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM)
in U.S.A and this system is widely used
by most textile manufacturers and lots of
clothing manufacturers and buyers as
well as U.S. pentagon [4].
 In this system, defect points are counted
in 100 yd2 of fabric by inspection. The
fabric must be rejected if the defect
points are more than 40. In this system,
fabric faults are identified with defect
points in the scale of 4.

Points/100
yd2 =   Fig.1: Pie Chart of Knitting Faults.

Causes and Remedies of Different Knitting

Faults
Spirality
Table 1: 4-Point System for Determining the Spirality appears in the form of a twisted
Fabric Faults. garment after washing. The seams on both
Defects length for warp Points sides of the garment displace from their
and weft way position and appear on the front and back of
Up to 3” 1 the garment.
” ”
3 –6 2
”
6 –9 ”
3 Causes
”  High TPI (twist per inch) of the hosiery
Above 9 4
yarn.
Defects area for hole Points  Uneven fabric takes down tension from
and opening the knitting machine.
1” or less than 1” 2  Unequal rate of fabric feed on the stenter,
Above 1” 4 calendar and compactor machines.

FINDINGS
Findings in Knitting Section
In knitting section the commonly found faults
are imperfection, contamination, needle line,
broken needle, drop stitch, horizontal stripe,
patta, fabric press off, spirality and black spot.
Pie Chart of Knitting Faults
The mean value of various faults found in
different composite knit industries’ knitting
Remedies
 Use the hosiery yarns of the
recommended TPI level for knitting.
 Fabric pull or the take down tension
on both sides of the grey fabric tube
should be equal.
 Ensure uniform rate of feed of the
dyed fabric on both the edges while
feeding the fabric to the calendar,
compactor or stenter machines.

OSMJ (2013) 16-25 © STM Journals 2013. All Rights Reserved Page 17
 OmniScience: A Multi-disciplinary Journal
Volume 3, Issue 1, ISSN: 2231- 0398
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Fig. 2: Spirality.
Patta Problem
Patta defect appears in the knitted fabric in the
form of horizontal stripes of uniform or
variable width.
Causes
 High yarn tension
 Count variation
 Mixing of the yarn lots
 Package hardness variation
Remedies
 Ensure uniform yarn tension on all the
feeders.
 The average count variation in the lot
should not be more than ±0.3.
 Ensure that the yarn being used for
knitting is of the same lot/merge
number.
 Ensure that the hardness of all the yarn
packages is uniform using a hardness
tester.
Contaminations
Contaminations appear in the form of foreign
matter such as dyed fibers, husk, dead fibers
etc. in the staple spun yarn or embedded in the
knitted fabric structure.
Fig. 4: Contaminations.
Causes
 Presence of dead fibers and other foreign
materials such as dyed fibers, husk and
synthetic fibers, etc.
OSMJ (2013) 16-25 © STM Journals 2013. All Rights Reserved
Fig. 3: Patta Problem.
 Dead fibers appear in the fabric as a result
of the presence of excessive immature
cotton fibers in the cotton fiber crop.
 Dead fibers do not pick up color during
dyeing.
 Presence of the foreign materials in the
staple fiber mixing.
 Dyed and other types of fibers flying from
the adjacent knitting machines cling to the
yarn being used for knitting and get
embedded in the grey fabric.
 Rigid control measures in the blow room
to prevent the mixing of foreign matters in
cotton mixing.
Remedies
 Use rich fiber mixing for the yarns to
be used for knitting in order to have
less dead fibers appearing in the
fabric.
 Rigid control measures in the blow
room to prevent the mixing of foreign
matters in cotton mixing.
Imperfections
Imperfections appear on the fabric surface in
the form of unevenly placed or randomly
appearing knots, slubs and neps, thick and thin
places in the yarn.
Causes
 Big knots, slubs and neps, thick and
thin place in the yarn.
Remedies
 Specify the quality parameters of the
yarns to be used for production to the
yarn supplier.
 Specify the number of acceptable
imperfections/km of the yarn and the
USTER evenness percentage while
ordering the yarn.
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Study on Composite Knit Industries in Bangladesh
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Fig. 5: Imperfections.
Needle Lines
Longitudinal gaps in fabric– irregular space
between adjacent wales– broken appearance in
fabric [5].
Causes
Bent latches, needle hooks and needle stems
 Tight needles in the grooves
 Wrong needle selection (Wrong sequence
of needles put in the cylinder or dial)
Remedies
 Inspect the grey fabric on the knitting
machine for any needle lines.
 Replace all the defective needles
having bent latches, hooks or stems.
 Remove the fibers accumulated in the
needle tricks (grooves).
 Replace any bent needles running tight
in the tricks.
 Check the needle filling sequence in
the cylinder/dial grooves (tricks).
Broken Ends
Broken ends appear as equidistant prominent
horizontal lines along the width of the fabric
tube when a yarn breaks or is exhausted.
Causes
 High yarn tension
 Yarn exhausted on the cones
Remedies
 Ensure correct yarn tension on all the
feeders.
 Ensure that the yarn detectors on all
the feeders are working properly.
 Depute a skilled and alert machine
operator on the knitting machine.
OSMJ (2013) 16-25 © STM Journals 2013. All Rights Reserved
Mamun et al.
Fig. 6: Needle Lines.
Fig. 7: Drop stitches (holes)
Drop Stitches (Holes)
Drop stitches are randomly appearing small or
big holes of the same or different size which
appear as defects in the knitted fabrics.
Causes
 High yarn tension
 Yarn overfeed or underfeed
 High fabric take down tension
 Obstructions in the yarn passage due to the
clogging of eyelets, yarn guides and
tension discs with wax and fluff, etc.
 Defects like slubs, neps, knots, etc.
 Incorrect gap between the dial and
cylinder rings.
Remedies
 Ensure uniform yarn tension on all the
feeders with a tension meter.
 Rate of yarn feed should be strictly
regulated as per the required stitch
length.
 The fabric tube should be just like a
fully inflated balloon – neither too
tight nor too slack.
 Eyelets and the yarn guides should not
have any fibers, fluff and wax, etc.,
stuck in them.
 The yarn being used should have no
imperfections like slubs, neps and big
knots, etc.
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 OmniScience: A Multi-disciplinary Journal
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 The gap between the cylinder and the
dial should be correctly adjusted as
per the knitted loop size.
Oil Marks
Oil marks are prominent vertical lines which
appear along the length of the knitted fabric.
The lines become permanent if the needle oil
used is not washable and gets baked due to the
heat during the finishing of the fabric.
Causes
 Fibers and fluff accumulated in the
needle tricks which remain soaked
with oil.
 Excessive oiling of the needle beds.
Remedies
 Remove all the needles and the sinkers
of the machine periodically.
 Clean the grooves of the cylinder and
dial of the machine thoroughly with
petrol.
 Blow the grooves of the cylinder, dial
and sinker ring with dry air after
cleaning.
Sinker Marks
Sinker marks are prominent or feeble vertical
lines appearing parallel to the wales along the
length of the knitted fabric.
Causes
 Bent or worn out sinkers
 Sinkers being tight in the sinker ring
grooves
Remedies
 Replace all the worn out or bent
sinkers.
Fig. 8: Broken Needles.
OSMJ (2013) 16-25 © STM Journals 2013. All Rights Reserved
 Remove fibers clogging the sinker
tricks (grooves).
Snarls
A place in a fabric where a short piece of yarn
has twisted on itself to form a loop trapped in
the fabric structure [6]. Snarls cause fabric
defects and needle breakages.
Causes
 Tension variations in different yarn
feeders.
 Hosiery yarns are soft twisted but high
twist in the yarn causes snarling.
Remedies
 Ensure the usage of hosiery yarns of
the recommended TPM (twist per
meter) only.
 The yarn has a balanced twist if it
does not tend to rotate or turn in the
form of a snarl.
Broken Needles
Defects caused by broken needles show
prominently as vertical lines parallel to the
wales. There are no loops formed in the wale
which has a broken needle.
Causes
 High yarn tension
 Bad setting of the yarn feeders
 Old and worn out needle set
Remedies
 Ensure uniform and right yarn tension
on all the feeders.
 Keep the recommended gap between
the yarn feeders and the needles.
 Periodically change the complete set
of needles.
Fig. 9: Surface Hairiness and Pilling.
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Study on Composite Knit Industries in Bangladesh
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Surface Hairiness and Piling
Surface hairiness appears in the form of excess
superfluous fibers on the surface of the knitted
fabrics which have either been reprocessed or
tumble dried.
Pilling appears as small fiber balls formed on
the fabric surface due to the entanglement of
loose surface fibers.
Factors such as the fiber staple length, low TPI
and fabric construction (with long yarn floats),
etc., also contribute to pilling.
Causes
 Abrasion due to the contact with
rough surfaces
 Excessive surface hairiness caused due
to abrasive tumbling action
 Fabric friction in the tumble dryer
 Rough dyeing process and abrasive
machine surfaces
 Reprocessing of the fabric also a
major cause of pilling
Remedies
 Avoid using the tumble dryer.
 Control shrinkage by maximum fabric
relaxation and over feed in the
processing.
 Regularly inspect the fabric contact
points on all the machines for any
rough and sharp surfaces.
 Avoid repeated reprocessing of the
fabrics.
 Use anti-pilling chemical treatments
for fabrics prone to pilling.
Snagging
Snagging appears on the knitted fabric surface
as a pulled up yarn float showing up in the
form of a large loop.
Fig. 10: Horizontal Stripes.
OSMJ (2013) 16-25 © STM Journals 2013. All Rights Reserved
Mamun et al.
Causes
It is caused by the pulling or the plucking of
yarn from the fabric surface by sharp objects.
Remedy
Inspect and rectify the fabric contact points on
all the machines.
White Shade Change after Drying
Causes
 Inferior quality of yarn
 Improper bleaching
 Inferior quality of optical brightener
 High temperature during drying
Remedy
Better quality yarn, brightener, proper
bleaching, optimum temperature during
drying, etc., can minimize this problem.
Streakiness
Streak in the knitted fabrics appears as random
and irregularly spaced thin horizontal lines.
Causes
 Yarn slippage from yarn storage
device
 Worn out yarn guides and eyelets, etc.
 Faulty winding of the yarn packages
Remedies
 Ensure very smooth, clean and
obstacle free passage of the yarn
through the eyelets and tension discs.
 No cuts or rough surfaces in the
porcelain eyelets, yarn guides and the
yarn feeder holes, etc.
 Sound winding of the yarn package
(yarn coils should unwind smoothly
without any obstruction).
Fig. 11: Fabric Press Off.
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 OmniScience: A Multi-disciplinary Journal
Volume 3, Issue 1, ISSN: 2231- 0398
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Horizontal Stripes
Causes
Yarn consumption is not constant at all
feeders.
Remedy
Yarn consumption and couliering readjustment
Fabric Press Off
When an end of yarn breaks out, the needle
will knock over its previous loop without
forming a new stitch. This is called an
“endout.” If this endout occurs in succession
on a number of needles, it is called “press off”
[7]. Press off takes place when the yarn
feeding to both the short butt and long butt
needles suddenly stops due to the yarn
breakage.
Causes
 End breakage on feeders with all
needles knitting.
 Yarn feeder remaining in lifted up
position, due to which the yarn does
not get fed in the hooks of the needles.
Remedies
 Needle detectors should be set
precisely to detect the closed needles
and prevent the fabric tube from
completely pressing off.
 Proper yarn tension should be
maintained on all the feeders.
Findings in Finishing Section
In finishing section, the commonly found
faults are wet squeezer mark, folding mark,
bowing, skewing, shrinkage, GSM variation,
fabric width variation and others.
Pie Chart of Finishing Faults
The mean value of various faults found in
different composite knit industries’ dyeing
section has been shown in the following pie
chart as percentage (Figure 12).
OSMJ (2013) 16-25 © STM Journals 2013. All Rights Reserved
Fig. 12: Pie Chart of Finishing Faults.
Causes and Remedies of Finishing Faults
Shrinkage
The original intended measurements of the
garment go haywire during storage or after the
very first wash.
Causes
 High stress and strain exerted on the fabric
during knitting, dyeing, processing and the
fabric not being allowed to relax properly.
 High shrinkage is primarily due to the
fabric being subject to high tension during
the knitting, dyeing and the finishing
processes.
Remedies
 Keep the grey fabric in loose plated
form immediately after the roll is cut.
 Store the finished fabric also in the
plated form and not in the roll form.
 Allow the fabric to relax properly
before it is cut.
 Give maximum overfeed to the fabric
during the processing on the stenter
and compactor machines.
GSM Variation
The fabric will appear to have a visible
variation in the density from roll to roll or
within the same roll of the same dye lot.
Causes
 Roll to roll variation in the process
parameters of the fabric like overfeed and
widthwise stretching of the dyed fabric on
the stenter, calendar and compactor
machines
 Roll to roll variation in the fabric stitch
length
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Study on Composite Knit Industries in Bangladesh
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Remedies
 Make sure that all the fabric rolls in a
lot are processed under the same
process parameters.
 The knitting machine settings like the
quality pulley diameter, etc., should
never be disturbed.
Fabric Width Variation
Different rolls of the same fabric lot having
difference in the finished width of the fabric.
Causes
 Grey fabric of the same lot knitted on
different makes of knitting machines
having varying number of needles in
the cylinder
 Roll to roll difference in the dyed
fabric stretched width while feeding
the fabric on the stenter and compactor
Remedies
 The whole lot of the grey fabric
should be knitted on the same make of
knitting machines.
 For the same gauge and diameter of
the knitting machines, there can be a
difference of as high as 40 needles
Fig. 13: Bowing.
Skewing or Diagonal Grain Lines (Wales)
Fabric wales appear in the diagonal direction
to the edges of the fabric instead of being
parallel [5].
OSMJ (2013) 16-25 © STM Journals 2013. All Rights Reserved
Mamun et al.
from one make to the other make of
the machine.
 This difference in the number of
needles causes a difference of up to 2–
3 in in the finished width of the fabric.
 The stretched width of the grey fabric
should remain constant during
finishing on the stenter.
Bowing
Bowing appears as rows of courses or yarn
dyed stripes forming a bow shape along the
fabric width [5].
Causes
Uneven distribution of tension across the
fabric width while dyeing or finishing the
fabric
Remedies
 Bowing can be corrected by
reprocessing the fabric by feeding it
from the opposite end.
 A special machine (MAHLO) is also
available for correcting the bowing in
the knitted fabrics.
Fig. 14: Skewing.
Causes
This is caused due to improper feeding of the
fabric during compacting.
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__________________________________________________________________________________________
Remedies
 Keep a slit line on one side of the
tubular fabric.
 Use the slit line as a reference line to
keep the grain lines straight while
feeding the fabric slowly on the
compactor machines.
Wet Squeezer Mark
The fabric on the edges of gets permanent
pressure marks due to the hard pressing by the
squeezer rolls. These marks appear as distinct
lines along the length of the fabric and cannot
be corrected.
Causes
These marks are caused due to the excessive
pressure of the squeezer rolls of the padding
mangle on the wet fabric while rinsing.
Remedies
 Use the padding mangle only for the
application of the softener.
 Use a hydro-extractor (centrifuge) for
the extraction to avoid the squeezer
roll marks.
 Soon after extraction, open the fabric
manually to prevent crease marks in
the damp fabric.
Over Compacting
It is excess compaction given to a fabric over
its potential shrinkage. It leads to marbling
effect in fabric which is clearly seen while
inspection.
Causes
 Excess shoe pressure
 Improper gap between upper and lower
tips
 Excess overfeed (compaction) given to
fabric with respect to potential shrinkage
in fabric before compaction.
Remedies
 Potential shrinkage test
 Correct setting of machine
 Re-compaction with lesser over-feed
Folding Marks
Fold marks appear as distinct pressure marks
along the length of the fabric.
OSMJ (2013) 16-25 © STM Journals 2013. All Rights Reserved
Causes
 High pressure of the fabric take down
rollers of the knitting machine on the
grey fabric is one of the main causes.
 Too much pressure of the feeding rolls of
the calendar and compactor is the primary
cause of the folding marks in the knitted
fabric.
Remedies
 Adjust the gap between the two rolls as
per the thickness of the fabric sheet (pique,
single jersey, etc.)
 Gap between the two calendar rolls should
be just enough to let the rolls remove the
wrinkles in the fabric but put no pressure
on the fabric sheet especially in the case of
pique and structured fabrics.
Problems Faced in Knits on the Cutting
Table
(Curling of the single jersey fabrics)
Single jersey fabrics when layered on the
cutting table tend to curl at the edges.
Causes
 Dimensional instability of the single
jersey knitted fabrics
 The face side of the fabric has loops
whereas the back side has only yarn
floats. So, there is an imbalance
between the face and the back side of
the fabric.
Remedy
 Gumming on both edges of the single
jersey fabrics while stentering can
control the curling.
Measurement Problems
The measurements of garments totally change
after a few hours of relaxation and after the
first wash. The arm lengths or the front and
back lengths of the garments may vary due to
the mix up of the parts.
Causes
 Shrinkage caused due to inadequate
relaxation of the knitted fabrics before
cutting.
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 Study on Composite Knit Industries in Bangladesh
__________________________________________________________________________________________
 Mixing of the garment parts cut from
different layers or different rolls of the
knitted fabric.
Remedies
 Use a trolley for laying the fabric on
the table to facilitate a tension-free
laying.
 Let the fabric relax for a few hours
before cutting especially the lycra
fabrics.
 Ensure the numbering of the different
layers of the fabric to prevent the mix
up of the components.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings have been obtained from the
technical data sheet that could be useful for
responsible group in composite knit industries.
It will help to determine the causes and
remedies of faults in knitting and finishing
sections of composite knit industries. In
knitting section, 20% spirality, 12% patta
problem, 12% imperfection, 10%
contamination, 8% needle lines, 7% broken
lines, 4% drop stitch, 3% oil mark, 3% sinker
mark and 21% other problems have been
OSMJ (2013) 16-25 © STM Journals 2013. All Rights Reserved
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Mamun et al.
counted and in finishing section 35%
shrinkage, 25% GSM variation, 8% width
variation, 8% bowing, 6% skewing, 4% wet
squeezer mark and 14% other problems have
been found. At the same time, the possible
remedies of these faults have also been
originated.
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2. J. Innov. Dev. Strategy August 2009;
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3. Kashem MA. Garments and Technology.
Gronthonir Prokashoni, Dhaka. 2006;
272p.
4. http://kotiti.re.kr:8081/english/inspection/t
extilevel
5. Journal of the Textile Association July-
August 2006.
6. Perkins S Warren. Textile Colouration and
Finishing. Carolina Academic Press,
North Carolina; 1996; 205p.
7. Booth JE. Principles of Textile Testing.
CBC Publishers and Distributors, New
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