knits are produced by interloping of yarns. a knitted loop is thus called a stitch. ventical columns of stitches running length-wise are called wales. on the other hand, horizontal rows of stitches running width-wise are called courses. there are two main classifications of knitted materials : weft knits and warp knits.
Weft Knits
there are two types of weft knits; circular knit and flat knits. these are made by two entirely different machines; fabrics produced in very different forms. if fabric flat, it is called flat knitting, mainly to produce sweaters. the circular knitting produce weft knitted fabrics in tubular forms; fabrics later are cut become flat fabrics. fabrics can be used for T-shirts, sweatshirts, blouses;etc.
Circular Knits
Circular knits belong to weft knit category, which are made by machine that have knitting needles in a circular configuration. because of this, the knitted fabric produced in tubular form. defending on what the machine is design for, the diameter varies from 2,4" inch to 30 " inch, with 30" inch being the most common diameter for knit shirt machines. smaller machines are used to produce hosiery. in most cases, circular knits are cut open along the entire length to make into a flat fabric. the flat fabric will then be cut into panels for sewing.
within 30 inch mechine, fabric width of 26 to 38 inches can be knitted depending on the gauge and yarn size. "gauge means the number of needle in one inch on the the needle bed; or number of stitches per inch". gauge range may vary between 14 Gauge to 28 Gauge
a higher will result in a more compact knit, thus, a higher gram per square meter (gsm). a typical 20's single knit lacoste has 24 gg with a width of 30" and a weight of 210 gsm.
very often knit shirts are expressed as such:
20's pique yarn dyed which mean 20's yarn, a pique knit. yarns were dyed then knitted
Flat Knits
Flat Knits are made by machines that have knitting needles on a straight line, thus producing knits in an open width or flat form. knits produced from a flat knit machine have width ranging from 11 inch to 197 inch
the most common types of machine have width of 36 inch. machines with such width are used for knitting shaped sweater panels (fully fashion), which will later be joined together through the process of linking. the smaller width machines are used for knitting collar, such as those on a polo shirt.
gauge in a flat knit term refers to the number of needles per inch in the machine slot. like in circular knit, the higher the gauge, the more closely knit a knitted can be. the gauge range from 1.5 gauge to 14 gauge
the determine the number of ribs, the wales have to be counted on both the face and back of the knitted material. for example, a 3x1 rib is 3 wales at the face of the material following with 1 wale at the back of the material.
the popular item which can produced from flat knit machine are sweater, pullover,a nd cardigan. some famous design for flat knit fabric are : plain, rib, cable, intersia, kanoko, ajour, and jacquard.
Warp knitted fabric
warp knits are produced by interlooping of yarns in vertical way. warp knit can only produce in flat fabrics forms. end uses warp knits such as curtain, table cloths, net, lining etc. there are dome popular warp knitted fabrics such as plain tricot, 2x1 plain, atlas, lock-knit, warp knit terry, raschel net, and raschel lace.
