THE KNITTING PROCESS
Did you know that yarn can be turned into many different knitted structures to be used for anything from shaped knitwear to fabric for underwear? In this module, you will learn all about manufacturing knitted fabric and knits from wool yarn.
When you think of knitting, do you imagine using needles and a ball of yarn? In principle, the same thing happens whether knitting by hand or knitting on a machine. The yarn is formed into a loop, by a needle, through which another loop of yarn is threaded. As this is repeated, row by row, the loops are locked together. Each row is known as a course. This is known as ‘weft knitting’ because the yarn is being fed from the side of the fabric, rather like a weft yarn in weaving. The different machines use hooked needles, which can be arranged in a circle or in a straight line. The loops can be formed one by one or in batches, depending on the machine type
TYPES OF KNITTING MACHINES
There are several types of machines commonly used to produce wool knits. The sections below explain these different knitting machines.
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STRAIGHT-BAR FULLY FASHIONED (BENTLEY COTTON TYPE)
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The needles on this machine are arranged on a bar of steel in a straight line and all the yarn loops form at the same time before being inserted into the previous row of loops to build up the fabric. This knitting machine produces shaped panels in single jersey only, with little or no yarn wastage.
V-BED (MANUAL AND AUTOMATIC)
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V-BED (MANUAL AND AUTOMATIC)
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With the V-bed knitting machine, two lines of needles are set in two metal bars inclined towards each other to form a V-shape in cross-section with the needle hooks at the apex. The needles sequentially loop the yarn via a yarn guide (feeder), which travels backward and forwards along the beds of needles. This versatile machine can make single and double structures, as well as shaped panels.
CIRCULAR (SINGLE CYLINDER AND CYLINDER-DIAL DOUBLE JERSEY)
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CIRCULAR (SINGLE CYLINDER AND CYLINDER-DIAL DOUBLE JERSEY)
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The hooked needles of a circular knitting machine are arranged in a circle and the needles sequentially loop the yarn. Instead of one yarn guide, there are multiple guides (up to 200 on large machines), simultaneously feeding yarn as the needle bed rotates. These machines can have one bed for single jersey or two beds of needles to enable double-jersey fabrics to be knitted. This machine produces long lengths of tubular fabric, which are slit then cut and sewn into garments such as t-shirts.
WARP KNIT
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WARP KNIT
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Warp knit machines differ from other knitting machines in that the yarns are arranged along the length of the fabric (i.e. as warp yarns). These highly-productive machines quickly produce long lengths of fabric, which do not require slitting, but they are not commonly used for wool because of the high strains placed on the yarns during the knitting process.
SUMMARY
Look in your wardrobe for knitted garments, any fibre will do, not just wool, and think about what type of knitting machine could have created them.
In this topic, you learned about knitting machines and the knitted fabrics they produce. Did you know knitting machines are defined by their gauge, which relates to the number of needles per inch? In the next topic, you will learn about knitting gauges.
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