DOCUMENTATION

ON KNITS
CURATED BY – OORJASVITAA ASHLEY
Bachelor of Fashion Technology
National institute of Fashion Technology
CONTENTS
 KNITTING

 HISTORY OF KNITTING

 KNITTED FABRIC

 PROPERTIES OF KNITTED FABRIC

 WOVEN VS KNITS

 KNITTING TERMINOLOGIES

 TYPES OF KNITTING MACHINE

 TYPES OF KNITS

 CHARACTERISTICS AND END USE OF DIFFERENT KNITS

 INNOVATIONS IN KNITTING INDUSTRY

 KNITTING IS A
PROCESS OF
INTER-LOOPING
OF YARNS
 KNITTING!
Knitting is a production of fabric by employing a
continuous yarn or set of yarns to form a series of
interlocking loops. Knit fabrics can generally be
stretched to a greater degree than woven types.

The two basic types of knits are the weft, or filling

knits—including plain, rib, purl, pattern, and double
knits—and the warp knits—including tricot , and raschel.

Most weft knits can be made by hand or machine,

although commercial fabrics are generally machine-
made.
 HISTORY
The word is derived from knot, thought to originate from the Dutch verb knutten, which
is similar to the Old English cnyttan, “to knot”.
The oldest knitted artifacts are socks from Egypt, dating from the 11th century CE.
They are a very fine gauge, done with complex color work and some have a short row heel,
which necessitates the purl stitch.
These complexities suggest that knitting is even older than the archeological record
can prove.

Most histories of knitting place its origin

somewhere in the Middle East, and from there
it spread to Europe by Mediterranean trade
routes and later to the Americas with European
colonization.
 A Timeline on knitting
During World War I, men,
women, and children knitted
large quantities of clothing and
accessories to help the war effort
on the Allied side.
New technologies such
as zip fasteners began to
be used in knitwear. New
synthetic yarns started to
become available.
1939-
1920s
1945
The twinset was an extremely popular
combination for the home knitter. It
consisted of a short-sleeved top with a
long-sleeved cardigan in the same
color, to be worn together.

1914 1930s 1950s&60s

The 1920s saw a vast
increase in the popularity of
knitwear in much of the
western world.
Knitting patterns were
issued so that people could
make items for the Army
and Navy to wear in winter,
such as balaclavas and
gloves.
 KNITTED FABRIC

Knitted fabric is a textile that results from knitting, the process of inter-looping of yarns or
inter-meshing of loops.
the yarn in knitted fabrics follows a meandering path (a course), forming symmetric loops
(also called bights) symmetrically above and below the mean path of the yarn.

Knitted garments are often more form-fitting than woven garments, since their elasticity
allows them to contour to the body's outline more closely.

The most common fibres used for knitted fabrics are cotton & viscose with or without
elastane, these tend to be single jersey construction and are used for most t-shirt style tops.
PROPERTIES OF KNITTED FABRIC
Elastic nature
Require little care
Since knit fabric is made
Many knit fabrics require very little care to
from one continuous
keep their appearance neat and in good
thread, it is able to stretch
shape. Each type of knit does vary with
in all directions.
care, however.

Wrinkle resistant
The tendency of knits to Comparitively cheaper
resist wrinkling makes them
a popular choice for clothing. Because of the higher production speed
and reduction of steps, knits are more
cost effective to produce.
Comfortable
Easy manufacturing
The stretchy, soft feel of knits
Producing knit fabrics has
makes them comfortable to
fewer steps than woven
wear for all occasions
fabrics.
 WOVEN VS KNITS
WOVEN
• Interlacing of yarns to create fabric.
• Relatively costlier.
• Can use low quality yarn.
• Woven fabrics are not stretchable.
• Woven fabrics have fast colors and
are more durable than knitted
fabrics.
• Woven fabrics do not have shrinkage
issues a lot.
• The width or the cut edge of a woven
fabric frays.
• The lengthwise edges of woven fabrics
are strong, and they do not move.
KNITS
• Inter-looping of yarns to create fabric.
• Cheaper to manufacture.
• Require high quality of yarn.
• Knitted fabrics are mostly stretchable.
• Knitted fabrics are preferred for
comfort, warmth, and wrinkle
resistance.
• Knitted fabrics shrink easily, which
makes it hard to wash them often.
• The width or the cut edge of a knitted
fabric does not fray.
• Along the lengthwise edges of the knitted
fabric, there are round blobs of glue or
starch to prevent the fabric from curling.

KNITTING TERMINOLOGIES
Stitch
The loop of yarn
formed by the
knitting process.
Courses
In loop of knitted fabric the
total amount of horizontal
rows is known as course.
Gauge
The gauge is measured
by counting the number
of stitches (in hand
Wales knitting) or the number
A wale is a column of needles (on a knitting
of loops running machine bed) over
lengthwise. several inches then
dividing by the number
of inches in the width of
the sample.
Face/Back
Just like woven fabric, there is a face and back
to the Knitted fabric too.
 TYPES OF KNITTING MACHINES

Flat Knitting Computerized

machine Knitting Machine

• These are in high demand

• Produce flat fabric. Circular Knitting
• Produce both warp Machine
and weft knits.
• Produce tubular fabric.
• Predominately weft knits.
• Faster than flat knitting
machine.
for its features like highly
durable, strength and are
fast in functioning.
• These machines
make knitting which make
weaving more creative.
• This machine is easy to
handle and operate

Jersey knits
• Also called as single
knits.
• Knit stitch on front/ purl
stitch on back.
Lace knits
Lace knitting is a style of
knitting characterized by
stable "holes" in the fabric
arranged with consideration
of aesthetic value.
TYPES OF KNITS
Rib knits
Knit and purl wales
alternate across width.
Tricot
Tricot is a special case of
warp knitting, in which the
yarn zigzags vertically,
following a single column
("wale") of knitting, rather
than a single row
("course"), as is customary.
Purl knits
Alternate courses of knit
and purl stitches on both
sides of the fabric.
Raschel
• Raschel knitting, a type
of warp knitting,
produces an openwork
fabric resembling
crochet.
• Bulkier and less elastic
than some other types of
warp knitting.
Characteristics and end product of Jersey knits

Characteristics
End uses
• Characteristics of Jersey
• Sheets Knits Stretch crosswise and
• Sweaters lengthwise.
• T - shirt • Stretches more in the
• Underwear crosswise Tend to run or
• Dresses ladder if stitch breaks
• Hosiery Produced under tension.
• Fabric less stable and curls
when cut Special finishes.
• Counteract curling and
improve stability.
Characteristics and end product of Rib knits

Characteristics
End uses
• Reversible.
• Collars. • More elastic than jersey
• Necklines. knits.
• Cuffs. • More stretch crosswise
• Edge of sweaters than lengthwise.
• Knit hats • Edges do not curl .
• Hosiery • Running and laddering still a
problem.
• More expensive to produce.
Characteristics and end product of Purl knits

Characteristics
End uses
• More expensive
• Infant wears. • Good stretch in all direction
• Sweaters. Crosswise stretch less than
• Scarfs. a jersey knit
• Thicker than jersey knits
• Does not curl
Characteristics and end product of Tricot knits

Characteristics
End uses
• Good elasticity
• Lingerie. • Best of warp knits
• Nightwear. Inexpensive and quick to
• Blouses. produce
• Dresses. • Curls along crosswise edge
• Limited interior Good air and water
uses because of permeability
high elongation. • Soft
• Crease resistant
• Good drapeability
Characteristics and end product of Raschel knits

Characteristics
End uses
• Fine laces and • Similar to Tricot Knits
nets • Greater diversity in design
• Heavy carpets • Differences between Raschel
• Thermal and Tricot Knits
underwear with a ◦ Raschel has:
More texture
waffle effect
Open spaces
• Power-net fabrics Made from heavier yarns
for swimsuits and
foundations
• Heavy blankets
INNOVATIONS IN KNITTING INDUSTRY
The benefits of Whole-Garment
knitting was further showcased in its
ultimate form in the MADE2FIT area of the
Shima Seiki booth, where the company
was demonstrating mass-customization.
The concept begins by scanning
a body using a smartphone app, then
sending that data to a server that
automatically adjusts preloaded data
categories including size, length, sleeve
length and color, and then knits the
garment on the MACH2XS103 Whole-
Garment knitting machine.
INNOVATIONS IN KNITTING INDUSTRY

Germany-based H. Stoll AG & Co.

KG introduced its new knitelligence
machine generation at ITMA 2019, which
is tailored to the specific needs of the
digital world, facilitating work through
process automation, more transparency,
shorter response times, shorter production
cycles and higher productivity.
INNOVATIONS IN KNITTING INDUSTRY

Another application on display

was a knitted sensor glove developed in
cooperation with Germany-based BOSCH
GmbH.
The glove was made using
conductive yarns to provide sensory and
control functions on all fingers.
This design gives wearers the
ability to interface with machines, control
movement in augmented and virtual reality
applications, and gain rehabilitative
healthcare capabilities.
 THANK
YOU!!!

CREDITS: Slidesgo.com