Introduction to Textile Knitting Fundamentals

Introduction to Textile Fabric
Knitting

Knitting
• To form a fabric by the intermeshing of loops of
single yarn.
• Knitting is a process of manufacturing a fabric
by inter looping of yarns.

Contents
• What is knitting
• Difference between knits & woven
• Classification of KnittingKnitted structure
• Principles of knitting
• Knitting methods & machines
• Weft knitted fabrics
• Warp knitted fabrics
• Knitting defects
• Types of knitted garments
• Points to be considered while pattern making of knitted
garments
• Machines used in manufacture of Knitted garments
• Points to be consided while stitching of Knitte dgraents

Knitting
• Knitting is the second most important method of fabric formation.
• It can be defined as a needle technique of fabric formation, in
which, with the help of knitting needles , loops are formed to make a
fabric or garment.
• Fabric can be formed by hand or machine knitting , but the basic
principle remains exactly the same i.e. pulling a new loop through
the old loop.
• Knitted Fabric are popular for their shape fitting property, soft
handle, bulkier nature and high extension at low-tension.
• It is import to understand knit as in today's time knitted fabric are
being used largely due to the comfort they provide, easy handing etc

Difference between
woven and knitted fabrics

1) Fabric Construction
Woven Knits
• Woven fabric is at least made up
of two separate groups of yarns
(warp and weft)
• Weaving is interlacing of 2 set of
yarn to form a fabric
• knitted fabric is made up of single
yarn
• Knitting is interloping of yarn by
forming a series of loops
dependent on each other.

2) Elasticity
Elasticity is the ability of the fabric to extend and recover
to its original shape and length.
woven fabric Knitted fabric
• Less extensible
• has higher extensibility and
instant recoverability

3) Fabric Density and Cover
Woven Knits
In general, woven fabrics can be
produced in extremely tight
with higher coverage.
Range of density is much higher
• Knitted fabric in general, is
looser in structure

4) Thickness and Handle
woven fabric Knitted fabric
• Woven fabric are flatter
• Knitted fabric is much thicker
and softer as it has a
complicated 3-dimensional
structure.
• Knitted fabric seems to be softer
because the knitted loops are
more easily compress and
extensible.

5.Crease resistant
Knitted woven
• Good crease resistant and no
need of ironing
• Less crease resistant property

6.Dimentional Stability
Woven
Knitted
• Dimensionality stable
• Dimensionally not stable
The dimensional stability of a fabric is the ability to retain the
original dimensions or shape of the fabric while being subjected to heat &
humidity. The length and width of the fabric gets changed after any finishing
process.

7.Air permeability
measures how easily air is passed through fabric.
Knitted Woven
• Excellent air permeability • Air permeability property is
poor

8.Production Cost
▫ Weaving requires expensive preparation processes
like warping, sizing, draw-in; while knitting only
requires yarn waxing.
▫ The production rate of circular knitting is roughly
FIVE times faster than modern weaving loom.

9. Dimensional stability
Woven Knitted
• If fabric requires good
dimensional stability, high
tenacity like trousers,
jackets, canvas, woven
fabric is the right choice
• The popularity of
sportswear, hosiery,
underwear and high fashion
knitwear make a strong
demand on knitted fabric
every year which cannot be
replaced by woven fabric.

Warp
knitting
Computerized
knitting
Machine knitting
Weft
knitting
Flat
knitting
Circular
knitting
Hand knitting
Knitting
Classification of Knitting
Tricot Raschel

KNITTED FABRIC STRUCTUES
• There are two main industrial categories of knitting :
warp knitting and weft knitting. Fabrics in both
these categories consist essentially of a series of
interlinked loops of yarn.
Warp Knit Weft Knit
18

WARP KNITTING
• Warp knitting is the process
of making a fabric in which the
loops form in a vertical or warp
wise direction
• the yarn is prepared as warp on
beams with one or more yarns
for each needle.
19

WARP KNITTING
• The fabric has a flatter, closer,
less elastic knit than weft knit
and is very often run resistant
• In warp knitting all needles knit
simultaneously for all yarns

WEFT KNITTING
• Weft knitting is the most common
type of knitting,
• it is the process of making a fabric by
forming a series of connected loops
in a horizontal or filling-wise
direction;
• produced on both flat and circular
knitting machines.
• Most of the sweaters, cardigans, and
other knitted outerwear are weft knitted
21

• In weft knitting single yarns across all the
needles
• In weft knitting needles knit one by one
WEFT KNITTING

WEFT KNITTING
• Hand knitting
• Machine knitting
▫ Flat knit
▫ Circular knit

• Wales -a wale is a column of loops running
lengthwise, corresponding to the warp of
woven fabric
• courses -a course is a crosswise row of loops,
corresponding to the filling

Gauge
• In knitting, the word gauge is used both
in hand knitting and machine knitting;
"Knitting Machines" fineness size.
• Gauge refers to the number of needles
per linear inch of the needle bar.
• Gauges available in hand flat -2.5 to 18
• Gauges available in Fine knits- 18-32

PRINCIPLE OF KNITTING
• LOOP AND STITCH
The loop is the fundamental
element of all knitted fabrics.
• It is a basic unit consisting of a
loop of yarn meshed at its base
with previously formed basic
units (stitches).
• Components of a knitting loop
are the needle loop and the
sinker loop.
29

LOOP
• A needle loop is one
which has been drawn
through a previous loop.
• A sinker loop is one
which connects adjacent
needle loops.
30

STITCH
• The stitch is the smallest dimensionally stable unit of
all knitted fabrics. It consists of a yarn loop, which is
held together by being intermeshed with another
stitch or other loops.
• There are three basic knitted stitches : KNIT, TUCK
and MISS (float or non-knit) which form the entire
range of weft knitted structure.
31

KNIT AND PURL
• Knit stitch (technical face) is of V-
shape appearance where the shanks
are above, and the feet are below the
head of the preceding stitch.
• Purl stitch (technical back) is of the
semi-circle appearance where the legs
are below, and the feet are above the
head of the preceding stitch.
32

TUCK
• Tuck stitch is made when a
needle rises to take a new
loop without casting off the
old.
• It consists of a held loop
and a tuck loop, both of
which are intermeshed in
the same course.
33

MISS (NON-KNIT)
• A length of yarn not
received by a needle and
connecting two loops of the
same course that are not in
adjacent wales.
34

FORMATION OF KNIT STITCH
(1) Start position (2) Clearing
37

(3) Latch opening (4) Feeding
38

(5) Drawing (6) Knock over
39

Knitting Methods
• Hand knitting
• Machine knitting
▫ Flat Knitting
 Hand Flat
 Computerized Flat Knitting
▫ Circular Knitting
40

Hand knitting
• Knitting was originally done
by hand on straight or round
needles by slipping stitches
from one needle to the other
and making a new stitch
with each change. Hand
pins of wood or plastic are
used for hand knitting and
crochet.
41

KNITTING MACHINES
• Knitting Machine - V-bed flat machine
▫ The latch needles, mounted in beds opposed in an
inverted “V” formation, are operated by cams in a
reciprocating carriage.
▫ Machines are built with E1½ - E18 (needles / inch), in
several cm (for rib trims) to about 210 cm.
▫ The V-bed flat machine is probably one of the most
versatile machines for the production of knitwear.
42

HAND FLAT MACHINE
• Hand operated machines were not expensive
and could be found in many developed countries
around the world. Great skills were developed
by the knitters and soon small businesses
flourished
43

ELECTRONIC FLAT MACHINE
44
Because of the almost unlimited patterning scope available with
electronic flat machines, considerable numbers are used for the
production of patterned fabrics and garment lengths and some models
are being offered with full fashioning capability.

Knitted fabric can be classified into
• Single knit- means one side of the fabric is
technical face & another side of the fabric is
technical back. It is made on single bed.
• Double knit- means it has technical face both the
sides. It is made on V bed or double beds.eg:
Interlock fabrics, rib etc.

Basic Weft Knitted fabrics
• Basic Types of fabrics in weft knitting are
▫ Jersey knit,
▫ Rib knit
▫ purl knit
• Each of these has unique appearance and
function
• Specialized weft knit fabrics
▫ Interlock fabrics
▫ Double knits
▫ High pile knits
▫ Terry
▫ Knitted velour

Jersey knit fabrics
• Jersey fabric also known as single knit fabric.
• These Fabric have all loops drawn to one side
of the fabric and are most easily recognized by
the fact that the face is smooth and back has
textured appearnce,giving fabric a definite face
and back.
• The knitting machine that produce single
jersey have one set of needles in one needle bed
and are called jersey machine or plain knit
machines.

• All the needles pull loops in one direction ,as
a consequence jersey knit fabric are
unbalanced and curl at the edges.
• Another short coming of jersey fabrics is that
if yarn breaks, it causes an unraveling of
adjoining stitches in the wale , called a run.

Characteristics of Plain Single Jersey
Knitted Fabric
1. Face side and back side of fabric are different.
2. Fabric curls or roll at the edges.
3. Wales are clearly visible on the face side of the fabric.
4. Extensibility in widthwise is approximately twice than length.
5. Unraveling of fabric occurs from either side is possible.
6. Thickness of fabric is approximately twice the diameter of
yarn used.

Purl knitted fabrics
• Purl Knit is made by knitting yarn as
alternate knit and purl stitch in one wale of the fabric.
The fabric has alternate courses of knit stitch and purl stitch.
• A simple purl fabric contains either knit or purl stiches
• A purl knit fabric looks similar to the back of jersey knit fabric
• Simplest purl fabric known as 1X1 purl
• To identify a purl knit fabric, it is necessary to stretch the fabric in
length wise direction .The appearance of alternating rows of knit
stitches and purl stitches in the horizontal direction is the evidence
of purl knit.

•The fabric is reversible and identical on both sides of
the fabric.
•Extensibility is same as all direction.
•The fabric does not curl and lies flat. There is no
curling tendency.(it does not curl at the edges).
•The fabric tends to be two or three times thicker than
single jersey.
•There are two types of purl needle bed machine: flat
bed purl and circular purls.

Rib fabrics
• Rib knit fabric have knit stitches on both
the sides and there is knit and purl stitch
in alternate course.
• Rib fabric have very distinct rib effect in
length wise direction on both sides
• Rib fabrics have extensive stretch.
• Ribs are stable than jersey as they have
loops on each side.

Rib knitting
• Rib knit have stitches drawn on
both the sides of the fabric .
• Machines called are rib knit
machines, require 2 set of needles
• The machinery required to
produce rib is more complex than
single knit machine and operates
slower.
• Can be produced both on flat &
circular beds.

• To identify rib fabrics , specially closed knitted fabrics ,it is
necessary to stretch the fabric in width wise direction . The
appearance of alternating columns of knit and purl stitches is the
evidence of rib knit.
• It can be created in many combination of 1X1 rib, 2X2 rib , 1X2 etc.

Interlock fabrics
• Interlock fabric is a variation of
rib knit construction.
• Similar to a jersey knit except
both front and back of
the fabric look identical.
• Double knit construction
makes this a thicker knit fabric.
• The fabric is extremely soft,
firm and absorbent but less
stretch.

•Interlock the technical face of plain on both
sides so the appearance of face and back are
same.
• The Wales of each side are exactly apposite to
each other and are locked together.
• Widthwise and length elongations are
approximately the same as single jersey .
•The fabric does not curl at the edges .
•Two yarn must be removed to unravel a
complete repeat of knitted courses.
• Fabric thickness is approximately twice than
that of single jersey.

Intarsia Knit Fabric
• The Intarsia Knit fabric has the same course knitted in different colors
with different yarns.
• It has colored designs as blocks distributed in different color
backgrounds.
• The patterns look identical on both the face and backside of the fabric.
• There are no floats found on the backside of the fabric.
• Usually used in production of sweaters with large, solid-colour
features like fruits, flowers, or geometric shapes.
•Intarsia knit fabric is a patterned single knit
fabric (jersey-based, rib-based, or purl-based
fabric). Intarsia knit fabric is made of knitting
multi-colored yarns.

French Terry
French terry is a knit fabric similar
to jersey, with loops on one side and
soft piles of yarn on the other.

Fleece
Fleece Knit Fabric is a durable, warm, and stretch fabric with a thick,
deep pile. Fleece Fabric dries quickly, making it perfect for active wear.

Jacquard
Birds Eye
Lace
pattern
Cables
Honey comb
Tuck Pattern
Tuck Pattern

Warp Knitting Types
Warp knitting comprises several types of knitted fabrics . All warp-
knit fabrics are resistant to runs and relatively easy to sew.
• 1)Tricot -The right side of the fabric has fine lengthwise ribs while the
reverse has crosswise ribs. The properties of these fabrics include having a
soft and 'drapey' texture with some lengthwise stretch and almost no
crosswise stretch.
• Some examples of tricot fabric are sleepwear, blouses, dresses etc.

2) Raschel Knit: makes varieties of products ranging
from laces, power nets for foundation garments, swimwear
to carpets. Raschel knitting is done with heavy yarn &
usually has a complex lace-like pattern.

• 3) Crochet Knit: This basic stitch is used in hand crochet. This
construction is used in a wide variety of fabrics ranging from nets
& laces to bed spreads & carpets, various types of edgings or
trimmings lace are also produced.

4) Milanese Knit: The Milanese stitch produces a fabric very similar
to tricot. It can be identified by the fine rib on the face & a
diagonal pattern on the back. However, Milanese fabric is superior
to tricot in smoothness, elasticity, regularity of structure & friction
resistance.
• These knit fabrics are made from two sets of yarn knitted
diagonally, which results in the face fabric having a fine vertical
rib and the reverse having a diagonal structure, and results in
these fabrics being lightweight, smooth, and run-
resistant. Milanese is now virtually obsolete.

Knitted Garments
The principal feature of garments made from knitted fabric
is that the nature of the final garment and the processing it
goes through are affected in a major way by the primary
knitting process.
It is possible to have four types knitted garments which
look superficially similar but have been produced by four
differing
All knitted garments can be classified into four categories
according to general production methods:
(1) fully cut
(2) stitch shaped cut
(3) fully fashioned
(4) integral

Fully cut
• The term 'fully cut' describes the processes most akin to making
garments from woven fabric.
• Garments are cut from piece goods fabric, laid up (spread) on to
cutting tables. All parts of the garments other than the trims are cut
from the lay. Each garment piece has all edges cut, hence the term
fully cut.
• The garments are assembled by sewing machines, often of a
specialist nature, and trims are added where appropriate.
• The fabric for this process is invariably knitted on circular knitting
machines.

Cut stitch shaped
•
• The majority of knitwear is produced by this method.
• The general method involves knitting rectangles of fabric relating to
the size of the portions of the garment to be made.
• The pieces, known as 'blanks', have the lower edge of the fabric
sealed with a structure known as a 'welt' that prevents laddering and
distortions of waistbands and cuffs.
• The term 'stitch shaped' derives from different stitch structures
within the length of the blank that distort it from the rectangle into a
shape associated with the human body.

• These blanks require minimal preparation for seaming. Cutting
involves trimming for length and sometimes for width, followed by
cutting neck holes and armholes, lower arms and shoulder shaping.
Cutting is still largely carried out by hand, using shears on
individual or doubled pieces.
Production management of such a plant is extremely difficult as
changes of structure in the fabric of the blanks change the
circumference of the fabric produced. An 18 in diameter machine
may produce a 44 in (112 cm) width of one fabric type and a 38 in
(96 cm) width of another.

Fully fashioned
• Fully fashioning is the process whereby portions of a
garment are shaped at the selvedges by progressively
increasing or decreasing the number of loops in the width
of the fabric. Such narrowing and widening produces the
shape of a piece of garment that would otherwise be
generated by cutting.

• Fashioning has two obvious advantages over the two previously
described categories of garment making:
• (1) there is little or no cutting waste;
(2) the edges of the garment pieces are sealed and not liable to fraying,
so can be joined by simple non-bulky seams.

Integral garments
• Integrally knitted garments are those that are
essentially knitted in one piece with little or no
seam.
• Another integral garment using a combination of
tubular knitting and shaping is the men‘ssock or
half hose. To shape the heel and toe of a sock,
pouches are formed from extra rows of knitting.
The third common type of integral garment
consists principally of joined tubes — the glove.
Such gloves can now he knitted fully
automatically (Shim, Seiki) with no subsequent
making up procedures.
The rewards could be considerable, saving both
raw material and labour costs at the expense of
lower machine output
•

Pattern Making
• The obvious difference between the basic sloper for wovens and the one for
knits is that the knit bodice sloper usually doesn’t have darts. This is because
it's drafted with the specific behavior of the knit fabric in mind. It wraps
around and follows the curves of the body which makes darts unnecessary.
• Another difference is in the sleeve and armhole construction. The sleeves and
armhole curves on the bodice don’t have a front and a back side.
• You usually need to add some inches for ease of movement to the basic bodice
for woven. When making the bodice pattern for knits, sometimes you have to
subtract inches which is called a negative wearing ease which depends on how
stretchy the fabric is.
• Understand stretch-Before you even start your project, you need to
understand your chosen fabric. Not all knit material stretches in the same
way. It depends on the way it’s been made, the fiber content, and quality. It
can be two-way stretch (it stretches just horizontally or just vertically),
or four-way stretch (it stretches both horizontally and vertically)

Machines used
• Lock stitch Machine- is used to make plackets
,pockets etc.
• Industrial Over lock machine- used to make sew
side seams as these machine make looped structure
which provide flexibility to the seams & avoid
breaking of seams
• Flat lock machine- used to do the hemlines or cover
stitch. Flat lock machine also has looped structure
which gives stretchable seams.
• Ball point needle is used in these machines to sew
the knitted fabrics.

Tips and Tricks for Sewing with Knits
• Use the right needle
▫ Ball Point (Style 2045) needles are used
for sewing on knits; the rounded tip allows
the needle to pass between the fabric threads by
separating themThe needle you use in a project with knits
can make or break the results. Generally speaking, you
need a specialized needle to sew knits.
▫ Ballpoint -Ballpoint needles are best used for sweater-
type and loosely woven knits. They have a rounded
point that penetrates the fabric without catching or
cutting through the yarns.

Use the right stitch.
The most important way to avoid this happening is to use a stitch that will expand
with the fabric which means that a classic straight stitch is out of the question.
An over lock with 4 thread or 5 thread , Chain and flat lock are the options. This
sewing machine’s stitches are stretchy by nature, so perfect for knits.
Use the right thread.
Thread doesn’t stretch as much as stretchy fabric, which means that it can
easily snap. This is why polyester thread are used with knits. Some people
use wooly nylon or stretch thread,
▫

• Seam finishes
Knit fabrics, especially jerseys, don’t generally ravel, so you can
get away without finishing the seams in many cases. However over
lock is used to finish the raw edges.
• Facing
Many patterns for knits call for using a facing for necklines and
other exposed edges. Facing can be placed with the lock tich when
join the seam & inter side can be left free for the movement.
Some times, especially stretchy jerseys, you can often skip the
facing entirely. Simply overlock the edge & fold under the seam
allowance and stitch in place & eliminate the facings.

• Interlinings- Always use stretchable interlinings. like Tricot
interlinings do use woven or non woven as it will hamper the
flexibility of garment.
• Linings- In the knitted garment the lining used should always be
knitted fabric other the complete purpose of making the knitted
garment will be defeated.

• Shouldering the burden when making a knit top or dress,
stabilizing the shoulder seams to prevent stretching is very
important. To do this, Mobiline tapes are used. This adds
stability & it is light enough and provides a lot of strength to
the seam, but adds no bulk.
• Hemming
Cover stitch is used to achieve the nice finished hem. Knitted
fabric are little bulky also due to the stretch it is difficult to
double fold the hem & finish.
Cover stitch provide stretch to the hem due to the looped
structure & covers the raw edges.

• The most important is that knit fabric stretches while woven fabric
doesn’t. Because knits are by stretchy by nature, garment patterns
using knits usually have what is called negative ease. This means
that the finished garment is actually smaller than your body’s
measurements. This is because knits are meant to hug the body to a
varying degree, and it will stretch over the body for a perfect fit.
This also means that garments made with knit material are more
forgiving in terms of sizing.
• Knits also tend to be more pliable than wovens. This means that
they drape easily and are very soft. So front & back of the arm hole
are cut same.

Home
Knitted Fabric Defects and
Remedies
Faults or defects in knitting production can be caused in different ways
and quite a few of them cannot be related to just one cause. The
following explanations are expected to be helpful in trying to locate the
causes of these faults easier.
Reasons of fabric defects:
•Yarn manufacturing defects
•Fabric manufacturing defects
•Fabric processing faults or defects. Such as dyeing faults, printing faults
or finishing faults.
Sources of fabric faults:
The sources of faults could be:
•Faults in yarn and the yarn package
•Yarn feeding and yarn feed regulator
•Machine setting and pattern defects
•Machine maintenance

List of Knitting Faults Found in Knitted
Fabric:
Knitted fabric faults are very different in nature and
appearance and are often superimposed. The following
knitted fabric defects are found in knitted fabric
production.
1.Broken ends, holes or cracks
2.Drop stitch
3.Cloth fall-out or pressed-off stitches
4.Snagging or snags
5.Tuck or double loop or stitches
6.Bunching-up
7.Vertical stripes
8.Horizontal stripes
9.Soil stripes
10.Color fly or color tinges
11.Distorted stitches or deformed or tilted loops

1. Broken ends, holes or cracks:
•Holes are the result of cracks or yarn
breakages. During stitch formation the yarn
had already broken in the region of the
needle hook.
•Depending on the knitted structure, yarn
count, machine gauge and course density,
the holes have different sizes.
•This size can therefore only be estimated if
the comparable final appearance of a
comparable fabric is known.

2. Drop stitches:
• These are the result of a defective needle. They
also occur when a yarn is not properly fed
during stitch formation, i.e., not properly laid-in
the needle hooks. These are the unlinked knitted
loops.

• 3. Cloth fall-out or Pressed-off stitches:
It is an area consisting of drop stitches lying side by side. They can
occur either when a yarn is laid-out or when it breaks without any
immediate connection. Cloth fall-out can occur after a drop stitch
especially when an empty needle with closed latch runs into the
yarn feeder and removes the yarn out of the hooks of the following
needles.

Needle marks or Vertical stripes:
• Vertical stripes can be observed as longitudinal
gaps in the fabric. The space between adjacent
wales is irregular and the closed appearance of
the fabric is broken up in an unsightly manner.
• Vertical stripes and gaps in the fabric are often
the result of a meager setting, i.e., the yarn
count selected is too fine for the machine
gauge or the stitch size (course density) is not
correct. Needles are bent, damaged, do not
move uniformly smooth, come from different
suppliers or are differently constructed.

Horizontal Stripes:
• These are caused by unevenness in the
courses; they traverse horizontally and repeat
themselves regularly or irregularly.

6. Barriness
• Barriness defect appears in the knitted fabric in
the form of horizontal stripes of uniform or
variable width. Actually barre'ness is the periodic
lateral irregularities

Bunching-up or Thick and Thin
Places
Visible knots in the fabric are referred to as bunching up. They appear as
beads and turn up irregularly in the fabric. Can build up resulting in a
‘cloudy’ appearance. More irregular the yarn, more pronounced is the
‘cloudy’ appearance

Snagging:
• Snags mainly occur while processing filament
yarns. The tendency towards snagging can be
reduced by using yarns with a coarser single
filament count, lesser crimp elasticity and higher
twist.

Tuck or Double stitches:
• These occur due to badly knitted or non-knitted loops. They are
unintentional tuck loops or floats, also showing up as thick places or
small beads in the fabric. At first instance they may also appear as a
shadow when the fabric is observed against light.
Possible causes:
Fabric take-up is too weak, i.e., fabric take-up is insufficient, must be
re adjusted, has a one sided drag on the fabric or is not continuous.
• The dial is set too high. The dial needles do not support the fabric,
which is thus pulled up.
• The course density or couliering is not set correctly.
• The loops are too tight, e.g. with interlock. These loops are not
removed from the needles.
• Remedies:
Fabric take-up must be adjusted.
• The coarse density must be set correctly.

Soil stripe:
• .
Soil stripes can appear both in the direction of wales as well as courses.
Soil stripes in the direction of the wales are solely caused by the knitting
machine. In most cases they are so called needle stripes; they occur when
individual needles have been replaced or when the working of mechanical
or automatic oiling or greasing devices is defective.
Stripes or soiled places in the direction of the courses were already present
usually in the yarn, if not caused by a standing course as a result of
machine stoppage.
Causes:
Defective oiling or greasing.
• Sudden machine stoppage.
• At the time of defective needle replacing.
• Remedies:
• Consciously oiling or greasing.
• Being aware of needle changing.

Colour Fly:
•
Colour fIy consists of single fibres, bunches of fibres or yarn
pieces in varying colours. It additionally sticks on the yarn or
is knitted into the fabric and is very difficult to remove.
Causes:
Hairs with natural dark color present in raw wool.
• Fly coming from various processing stages during spinning.
• Remedies:
• Should be careful of fly coming at the time of spinning.
• Certain of hairs with natural dark color are unavoidable &
must be tolerated.
•

Spirality:
Spirality is when after washing garment gets twisted, and
the seams of the garment
get displaced from the sides of front and back of the
garment

• t is well known that weft knitted fabrics tend to
undergo certain dimensional change that causes
distortion in which there is a tendency of the
knitted loops to bend over, causing the wales to
be at diagonal instead of perpendicular to the
courses

• In other words, spirality occurs in knitted fabric because of asymmetric loops which turns in the wales and course of a fabric into an angular relationship
other than 90 degree. This is a very common problem in single jersey knits and it may exist in grey, washed or finished state and has an obvious influence on
both the aesthetic and functional performance of knitwear. However, it does not appear in interlock and rib knits because the wale on the face is counter
balanced by a wale on the back.
•
• Course spirality is a very common inherent problem in plain knitted fabrics. Some of the practical problems arising out of the loop spirality in knitted
garments are: displacement or shifting of seams, mismatched patterns and sewing difficulties. These problems are often corrected by finishing steps such as
setting / treatment with resins, heat and steam, so that wale lines are perpendicular to the course lines. Such setting is often not stable, and after repeated
washing cycles, skewing of the wales normally re-occurs.
•
• Causes of generation:
•
• The residual torque in the component yarn caused due to bending and twisting is the most important phenomenon contributing to spirality. The residual
torque is shown by its twist liveliness. Hence the greater the twist liveliness, the greater is the spirality. Twist liveliness of yarn is affected by the twist factor or
twist multiple. Besides the torque, spirality is also governed by fibre parameters, cross-section, yarn formation system, yarn geometry, knit structure and fabric
finishing. Machine parameters do contribute to spirality. For instance, with multi-feeder circular knitting machines, course inclination will be more, thus
exhibit spirality.
•
•
• Influencing factors:
•
• 1. Influence of yarn properties :
•
• Count: Degree of freedom of yarn movement in the fabric structure contributes significantly to the increase in spirality. Dimensional parameters of fully
relaxed single jersey fabrics depend on the yarn linear density and tightness of construction. If diameter is reduced, its resistance to deformation is lowered. It
indicates that, deformation of loop structure is influenced by yarn count. In other words, the finer the yarn, the more will be the spirality due to more twisting.
•
• Twist: Usually in knitting, low twisted yarns are used. High twisted yarn has a great impact on spirality due to its unrelieved torque. With the increase in
twist, the twist liveliness increases, this in turn, causes the angle of spirality to increase. The direction of spirality in the fabrics knitted from short staple ring
spun single yarns is determined by the yarn twist direction. Thus, the technical face of single jersey fabric exhibits spirality in the Z direction if a Z twisted yarn
is knitted.
•
• a) Yarn Twist Multiplier (TM):
• This index is represented by the following formula:
• TM = T.P.I. / √N, where T.P.I. indicates twist per inch and N represents yarn number in an indirect system, the cotton system unless otherwise specified.

• YARN DEFECTS IN KNITTED FABRIC
• Bright yarn : A yarn, in a course or wale, of higher Iustre than the adjacent yarns.
• Cause : This defect is caused by irregularity in processing of the yarn, e.g. uneven distribution of
delustrant, or by mixing yarns of different delustrant content, e.g. dull, semi-dull, etc.
• Remedy: Specify the quality parameters of the yarns to be used for production to the yarn supplier.
• Cockled yarn: Small slub-like irregularities in the yarn that are readily extensible and that cause loop
distortion.
• Cause: This defect is often caused by the unintentional introduction of stretch into some fibres during
drafting and the subsequent relaxation of these fibres to form loops or crimps in the yarn.
• Remedy: Make sure the shrinkage is in the minimal level.
• Slub: In a yarn, a thickened place having tapering ends and a diameter several times that of the adjacent
normal yarn.
• Cause: — This defect is often caused by the presence in the yarn of fragments of undrafted roving or
stubbing that have not been cleared during winding.
• Remedy – Slub should be cut with the clipper in both the ends. The resultant bare patch can be
corrected by combing with metallic comb.
• Gout: A lumpy, asymmetrical fault in a spun yarn of a fabric.
• Cause: This defect is caused by the accumulation of undraftad waste fibre into the yarn during spinning.
• Remedy: The extra foreign matter can be pulled out with a plucker. Combining in both direction
rectifies the resultant path.
• Split yarn: A yarn which appears in the fabric as a thin yarn.
• Cause: This defect is often caused by abrasion or excessive tension during winding or knitting, which
breaks a part of the yarn (e.g. a filament of a continuous-filament yarn or a ply of a two-fold yarn) that is
subsequently held back during knitting.
• Remedy: Ensure uniform Yarn Tension on all the feeders.
• SLUB

• DEFECTS IN LENGTH WISE DIRECTION
• Dragging end: One or several wales in a warp-knitted fabric in which the laps appear shorter than those in the adjacent normal wales
• Cause: This defect is caused by excessive tension in one or more warp yarns.
• Remedy: Ensure correct yarn tension on all the feeders and ensure that the Yarn detectors on all the feeders are working properly.
• Fish eye pinhole: Small apertures occurring occasionally in a wale.
• Cause: This defect is caused by a malfunctioning needle forming random tuck stitches.
• Remedy: Ensure uniform yarn tension on all the feeders with a Tension Meter and Rate of yarn feed should be strictly regulated as per the required Stitch Length.
• Needle line: A wale that is different in configuration from the adjacent normal wales.
• Cause: This defect is caused by a misaligned or.broken needle which forms distorted stitches.
• Remedy: Keep recommended gap between the Yarn feeder and Needle and periodically change the needle.
• Spirality or wale Spirality: A distortion in a weft-knitted fabric in which the wales are clearly not at right angles to the courses.
• Cause: This defect is caused by twist-lively yarn (due to insufficient setting)
• Remedy: Use the Hosiery yarns of the recommended TPM level for Knitting and Ensure uniform rate of feed of the dyed fabric on both the edges while feeding the fabric to the Calender, Compactor
or Stenter machines.
• DEFECTS DUE TO, OR APPARENT AFTER, DYEING, PRINTING OR FINISHING
• Barriness: Bands with clearly defined edges that run full-width across a fabric, or spirally in a tubular fabric, and that differ in colour, yarn characteristics or texture from the normal fabric.
• Causes: This defect is caused by differential dyeing effects in the areas where yarn characteristics or fabric texture vary from the normal.
• Remedy: Ensure uniform Yarn Tension on all the feeders and the average Count variation in the lot should not be more than + 0.3
• Dye mark, dye spot, dye stain: In a piecedyed fabric, a discrete area of different colour.
• Causes: This defect is often caused by contamination with concentrated dyestuff or dyeing assistants.
• Remedy: Scour the grey fabric thoroughly to remove all the impurities from the fabric before dyeing and use appropriate leveling agents to prevent patchy dyeing.
• Halo: An area of light colour surrounding a localized thick portion of the fabric after dyeing.
• Causes: This defect is often caused by migration of dye during drying or by less dye reaching the area around the thickening (e.g. knot, slub, gout) during pad dyeing.
• Remedy: Use the correct dyeing recipe i.e. the appropriate leveling, fixing agents & the correct combination of dyes.
• Pilling: Small accumulations of fibre on the sutface of a fabric.
• Causes: This defect is usually caused by abrasion during prolonged finishing processes.
• Remedy: Avoid using the Tumble Dryer and control shrinkage by maximum fabric relaxation & over feed in the processing.
• Water spot: an unwanted pale area in a piece-dyed fabric.
• Causes: This defect is caused by contamination with water prior to tinting or dyeing on a pad mangle, which results in a reduction of uptake of dye liquor.
• Remedy: Use the Padding mangle only for the application of the softener and use a hydro extractor (Centrifuge) for the extraction to avoid the squeezer roll marks.
• PILLING
•
•
•
• GENERAL DEFECTS
• Bad odour: A disagreeable smell that is not usually associated with the fabric.
• Causes: This defect is often caused by the breakdown of finishing resins, fermented starch, mildew, or the presence of other contaminants.
• Remedy: Ensure that the finished material is treated properly
• Cockling: An irregular three-dimensional effect in a fabric which prevents it from lying flat.

•
• SPLIT YARN
•
• BRIGHT YARN
• DEFECTS IN THE COURSE DIRECTION
• Bowing: Excessive curvature of the courses in a fabric that may or may not extend over the full -width.
• Cause: This defect is often caused by incorrect take-down tension during knitting or incorrect feeding during finishing
• Remedy: Bowing can be corrected by reprocessing the fabric by feeding it from the opposite end and a special machine (MAHLO) is also available for correcting the bowing in the knitted fabrics.
• Missing yarn: A yarn absent from a pattern.
• Cause: — This defect is the result of a machine continuing to run with one feed of yarn missing.
• Remedy: Yarn Threading through the right bore and CKM element checking
• Thick place: A prominent band in which an increase in stitch density, compared to the rest of the fabric, is apparent.
• Cause: This defect is often caused by a poor start-up of the machine, or uneven let-off or take-up.
• Remedy: Make sure that the Machine is serviced properly
• Thin place: A prominent band in which a decrease in stitch density, compared to the rest of the fabric, is apparent.
• Cause: This defect is often caused by uneven yarn let-off or fabric take-up.
• Remedy: Make sure that the Machine is serviced properly
• Wrong yarn: A yarn in a weft-knitted fabric that differs from normal yarn in respect of composition, thickness, filament or colour.
• Cause: This defect is caused by a lack of control of incoming material.
• Remedy: Rigid control measures in the Blow Room to prevent the mixing of foreign matters in the Cotton mixing.
• MISSING YARN
• DEFECTS IN LENGTH WISE DIRECTION
• Dragging end: One or several wales in a warp-knitted fabric in which the laps appear shorter than those in the adjacent normal wales
• Cause: This defect is caused by excessive tension in one or more warp yarns.
• Remedy: Ensure correct yarn tension on all the feeders and ensure that the Yarn detectors on all the feeders are working properly.
• Fish eye pinhole: Small apertures occurring occasionally in a wale.
• Cause: This defect is caused by a malfunctioning needle forming random tuck stitches.
• Remedy: Ensure uniform yarn tension on all the feeders with a Tension Meter and Rate of yarn feed should be strictly regulated as per the required Stitch Length.
• Needle line: A wale that is different in configuration from the adjacent normal wales.
• Cause: This defect is caused by a misaligned or.broken needle which forms distorted stitches.
• Remedy: Keep recommended gap between the Yarn feeder and Needle and periodically change the needle.
• Spirality or wale Spirality: A distortion in a weft-knitted fabric in which the wales are clearly not at right angles to the courses.
• Cause: This defect is caused by twist-lively yarn (due to insufficient setting)
• Remedy: Use the Hosiery yarns of the recommended TPM level for Knitting and Ensure uniform rate of feed of the dyed fabric on both the edges while feeding the fabric to the Calender,
Compactor or Stenter machines.
• DEFECTS DUE TO, OR APPARENT AFTER, DYEING, PRINTING OR FINISHING
• Barriness: Bands with clearly defined edges that run full-width across a fabric, or spirally in a tubular fabric, and that differ in colour, yarn characteristics or texture from the normal fabric.

• When we talk about quality control in the garment
industry, mostly we relate quality with defects on
garments and raw materials; and finding solutions for
those defects.
A defect may occur due to improper handling of
garments and garment components. Defects might exist
in the raw material (fabrics, and trims) itself, or it may
be generated at the time of stitching the garment. In this
post, we will only discuss stitching defects in found
knitted garments.

Stitching Defects Found in Knits
Garments
•
2. Jump Stitch/ Skipped stitch: Each stitch has a certain length if you see suddenly a longer
stitch it is due to jump stitch.
3. Uneven stitch: This refers to uneven stitch density in the stitch line
4. Stripe/check mismatch: Sometimes it is a design requirement to match stripe while joining
garment component. Like matching colour stripes at sideseam, armhole, or at back yoke joining.
If it does not match, this considered as a defect.
5. Roping: Mostly at bottom hemming of the garment this kind of defects are found. This
happened due to an uneven feeding of the top and bottom fabric layer while stitching.
6. Pinching: Any part of product caught in seam or stitches is called as pinching.
7. Puckering: The unwanted gather or waviness on the seam is called as puckering. At the time
of stitching puckering may not be seen immediately, it may appear later stage after seam
relaxation. This may be caused by stitching seam with high thread tension.
8. Uneven bottom hem: The defect name itself defines it – where the width of the bottom hem
is not equal it is also considered as a defect in stitching.

• Possible causes:
a) Yarn parameters High yarn irregularity Incorrect yarn input tension
setting, yarn running-intention is too high Poorly lubricated yarns
Weak places in yarn, which break during stitch formation Knots, slubs
etc. Yarn is too dry.
• b) If the yarn is trapped between the cheek taper and the closing
latchYarn damage
• c) Too small stitchesDifficulty in casting-off of the stitches
• d) Relation between cylinder and dial loop not correct; yarn feeder
badly set; defective knitting elements.
Remedies:Yarn strength must be sufficient to with stand the stretch
as well as uniform.
• Use proper count of yarn.
• Air humidification.
• Guide blowing.
• Correctly set of yarn feeder.
• Yarn regularity control.
• Precise yarn - guide resetting.
• Knot should be given properly.
• Use of protective filter creel.

a) In accurate insertion of the yarn into the needle hook;Closed latch – a wale of dropped stitches will be
produced until the latch is opened either by the operator or due to machine vibration.
• b) Broken needle hook;
c) Due to high yarn twist and low fabric take-down-tension the knitted loop could fall out of the hook;
d) Improper setting of the yarn feed angle i.e. badly set yarn feederThe yarn is not caught by the needle hook,
Example-low yarn tension and high yarn vibrations
• e) Yarn feeder wrongly threaded-in;
f) Dial loop length not properly related to cylinder loop length; the loop jumps out of the needle hook;
g) Bad take-up;
h) Very dry material;
i) Insufficient yarn tension.
Remedies:Correct take-up of the fabric & correct fabric tension.
• 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.
• Proper feeding of yarn during loop formation.
• The fabric tube should be just like a fully inflated balloon, not too tight or too slack.
• Needle should be straight & well.
• The yarn being used should have no imperfections like; Slubs, Neps & big knots etc
• The gap between the Cylinder & the Dial should be correctly adjusted as per the knitted loop size.

• Possible causes:Yarn breaks before the yarn
feeder
• Yarn package winding faults, poor package buildup;
• Fibre fly block the yarn guides, feeders etc.
• Remedies:Needle detectors, should be set
precisely, to detect the closed needles & prevent the
fabric tube from completely pressing off.
• Make sure all the latches of needle are closed with
feeding yarn after a drop stitch.
• Proper yarn tension should be maintained, on all the
feeders.

• Possible causes:Twisted or bent needle hooks;
• Stiff latches and needles;
• Incorrect closing of the hook by the latch;
• Heavily running needles;
• Damaged dial and cylinder;
• Damaged needle latch and needle hooks;
• Damages on other knitting elements.
• Remedies:Yarn count should be selected as machine
gauge.
• Stitch size should be correct.
• Selection of needle properly.
• Needle should be straight as well as from broken latch

• Possible causes:Deflector in dial cam brought into tuck position.
• Deflector not completely switched off. Needle can still grip the yarn
and forms a tuck loop.
• Yarn feeder badly set.
• Differences in the yarn running-intension.
• Couliering not constant at all feeders.
• Jerky impulse from fabric take-up.
• Remedies:The machine must be mounted horizontally.
• Needle dial & cylinder must be exactly centered towards one
another.
• Replace that bobbin.
• Yarn tension & stitch should be controlled uniformly.
• Yarns of same lot should be used.
• Check cams positioning

• A. Structural Barre'ness:
Possible causes:Individual yarns differ with respect to count, properties or structure;
• Different course lengths in feeders.
• B. Colour Barre'ness:
Possible causes:Knitting of yarns which differ in colour;
• Yarns dye differently during piece dyeing.
• C. Shadow Barre'ness:
Possible causes:
Shadow like changes in the appearance of the fabric. Very difficult to detect and done by
reflected light.
• Remedies:
Ensure uniform Yarn Tension on all the feeders.
• Ensure that the hardness of, all the yarn packages, is uniform, using a hardness tester.
• 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 no.

Thick and thin places in the yarn;
• Fabric take-up too weak.
• Remedies:
Specify the quality parameters of the yarns to be
used for production to the yarn supplier.
• Preventing count or lot mixing.
• Maintaining uniform yarn tension..
• Fabric take-up should function properly

• Causes:
During knitting all mechanical influences, caused by rough surfaces
on yarn guide elements, yarn feeders, needles, fabric take-up, etc.
have to be avoided. Even after knitting some snags can appear
especially during fabric setting, if its storage and further processing
has not been undertaken carefully.
Remedies:
Inspect & rectify the fabric contact points on all the machines (Soft
Flow Dyeing, Tumble Dryer & Centrifuge etc), on which snagging is
taking place.
• Using yarn with a coarser single filament count, lesser crimp
elasticity and higher twist.
• During knitting on mechanical influences, caused by rough surfaces
on yarn guide elements, yarn feeders, needles, fabric take-up etc.

Introduction to Textile Knitting Fundamentals

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Introduction to Textile Knitting Fundamentals

Similar to Introduction to Textile Knitting Fundamentals (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Introduction to Textile Knitting Fundamentals