Understanding Knitting | Key Fabric Traits

Mar

What is Knitting? Characteristics of Knitted Fabrics

What are Knitting and Knitted Fabrics?

The method of knitting by knitted fabric manufacturers involves weaving yarn loops together to create fabric. The Sanskrit term “Nahyati” is the source of the Saxon word “Cnyttan,” which is where the word knitting originates. Before 256 AD, knitting was connected to human civilization.

According to historical accounts, Reverend William Lee of Calverton, near Nottinghamshire, England, invented the knitting machine around 1600 AD. However, some textiles discovered in Egyptian tombs imply that this kind of fabric production goes back to the fourth century BC. Additionally, since knitters made fishing netts, knitting was primarily a male pastime rather than one for women.

The two straight sections of the loop are called the legs, and the top of the loop is called the crown; the overall length of the loop is called the stitch length. The count of the fabric structure is the number of loops in the courses and wales per two square centimetres, just like in weaving. Whereas a fabric with a high count in the courses will be stiff and stable in length, a fabric with a high wale count will be stiff and stable in width.

Although lower-count fabrics have a slower rate of recovery, they may be less stiff, have more elasticity, and better fit the contours of the body. Higher course count textiles shrink less in length, whereas higher wale count fabrics shrink less in width.

A loop is the fundamental component of a knitted structure. One loop drawn through another loop forms a stitch. Both a horizontal and a vertical direction can produce stitches. Weft knitting is the process of creating a fabric by alternating horizontal loops on a course-by-course basis to generate a circular or flat shape. Using this technique, a set of needles arranged either lateral or circular receives one or more yarns.

The process of producing a fabric by vertically interweaving stitches from the individual warp yarn vertically is known as warp knitting. Several ends of yarn are fed concurrently to separate needles arranged laterally to each other in this approach.

Features of Knitted Fabrics:

1. Extensibility:

Weft knit materials, in particular, have partial elastic recovery and are very extensible. By agitating the area, as in washing and tumble drying, this semi-permanent distortion that remains after the partial recovery can be virtually eliminated. This feature gives the wearer greater freedom and makes the fabric more comfortable for them to move their bodies in. However, issues with cutting and stitching the clothes are also brought on by the extensibility of knitted fabric. The semi-permanent distortion may result in elbow and knee bagging.

2. Crease and tear-resistant:

The knitted materials resist creases a great deal. This is because of the way they materials are looped. The loops function as reversible hinges at the edges when bent or folded. Because the loops are extensible and disperse tension over the entire fabric, knitted materials have a high tear resistance.

3. Limpness:

It is the antithesis of rigidity. The characteristically delicate drape of warp and weft knits is a result of their low bending length.

4. Softness:

The stiffness or flexural rigidity of the material affects how the fabric feels. The knits feel softer than the wovens of the same weight because they have less flexural rigidity.

5. Fullness:

The bending modulus of the knitted structure determines the fullness or hand of the knitted fabric. The bending modulus has a direct correlation with flexural rigidity and an inverse relationship with the fabric’s thickness cube. Weft knits are thicker than wovens or even warp knits because of their low flexural stiffness. Furthermore, the low twist of the yarns adds to the knitted fabrics’ softness and fullness.

6. Air permeability:

Compared to woven fabrics, knitted fabrics have multiple times greater air permeability. This characteristic results from the structure’s inherent composition of a large amount of airspace created by loop interlacing. This feature, which allows the clothing near to the skin to breathe, is beneficial for undergarments. For more information consult the best fabric suppliers in India.