- Related Topics:
- fashioning
- course
- warp knit
- filling knit
- hand knitting
knitting
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What is knitting?
Knitting is a textile production method that interlocks a series of loops from a continuous yarn or set of yarns. These fabrics generally stretch more than woven ones. The two basic stitches are knit stitch, where a loop passes through the front of the preceding loop, and purl stitch, drawn through the back.
Knitted fabrics have loops running lengthwise, called wales, and crosswise rows of loops called courses. The primary types include weft (or filling) knits and warp knits. Weft knits include plain, rib, purl, pattern and double knits, while warp knits include tricot, raschel and milanese. Hand knitting possibly started with Arabian Desert nomads around 1000 BCE.
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What materials are commonly used for knitting?
Yarns for hand knitting commonly use two or more plies and a variety of materials, both natural and synthetic. These materials greatly influence the fabric's appearance, texture, and performance.
Examples include:
* Wool Worsted knitting yarn is highly twisted and heavy, suitable for sweaters. Shetland yarns are fine, soft, and lightweight, often used for children's sweaters and shawls.
* Acrylic Acrylic fibers are soft, flexible, and lightweight, frequently used as a replacement for wool in knitwear like sweaters and socks.
* Linen Made from flax, linen is valued for its strength, durability, and moisture absorbency.
* Silk Known for its elasticity and strength, silk thread is suitable for delicate fabrics like silks and wools.6 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are knitting needles and how are they used?
Knitting needles are slender, rod-shaped tools with blunt points, used to create fabric by interlocking loops of yarn. They come in various materials like steel, plastic, or wood.
To use them, one first needs to cast on, which means placing the initial stitches on a needle to begin the knitted work. Then, using two needles, loops of yarn are drawn through existing loops to create rows of interlocking stitches, forming a knitted fabric. Different techniques of manipulating the yarn and needles produce various knit patterns.
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What are the basic stitches used in knitting?
Knitting primarily uses two basic stitches: the knit stitch and the purl stitch. The knit stitch is made by inserting the right needle into a loop on the left needle, catching the yarn, and bringing it through to form a new loop. The purl stitch is similar, but the yarn is held at the front of the work.
Combining knit and purl stitches creates various patterns and textures, with stockinette stitch being a common one. Stockinette is made by alternating knit and purl rows, resulting in a fabric with vertical rows on one side and horizontal rows on the other. Another basic pattern is garter stitch, which is made by knitting every row.
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How can knitting create different textures and patterns in fabric?
Knitting creates varied textures and patterns through different stitches and techniques. Basic stitches include knit and purl, which can be altered to generate unique patterns. For instance, rib knits have vertical ridges, while purl knits display horizontal ridges, making them reversible.
More complex textures can be achieved through techniques like cable stitch, which produces a raised, rope-like design. Cables are often associated with Aran sweaters from Ireland, which feature intricate combinations of cable patterns. Lace knitting, conversely, uses intentionally placed holes to create texture through negative space.
Additionally, Jacquard mechanisms allow individual needle control, enabling the creation of intricate patterns. Variations like tuck and float stitches further expand the possibilities for texture and design.
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What are some common items made by knitting, and how has knitting influenced fashion and culture?
Knitting produces various items, including underwear, hosiery, and sweaters. Austria and Germany created heavily cabled and knotted fabrics with bright embroidery, while the Dutch knitted naturalistic patterns.
With the invention of the frame knitting machine in 1589, hand knitting decreased in importance, though yarns for hand knitting remain significant in the textile industry. Today, the modern knitting industry uses sophisticated machinery evolved from this early device.
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knitting, 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, raschel, and milanese. In knitting, a wale is a column of loops running lengthwise, corresponding to the warp of woven fabric; a course is a crosswise row of loops, corresponding to the filling.
Most filling knits can be made by hand or machine, although commercial fabrics are generally machine-made. Basic stitches are the knit stitch, a loop passed through the front of the preceding loop, and the purl stitch, drawn through the back. Some filling knits are fragile because of the dependency of each loop in a vertical row on the stitch next to it. Runs can occur when one loop breaks, releasing other loops in the same row. Filling knits have the greatest amount of stretch in the crosswise direction. The plain knits, also called flat knits, have a flat surface, with short, horizontal loops visible on the back. When produced by hand knitting, this structure is called stockinette. Pile-surfaced fabrics produced by variations of the plain knit include velour and fake furs. Rib knits have pronounced lengthwise ribs formed by wales alternating on both sides of the fabric. These knits are fairly heavy, have good elasticity, and are more durable than the plain knits. Purl knits have horizontal ridges running crosswise on both the face and the back of the fabric, making them reversible. Pattern knits, such as those of fisherman knit sweaters, are produced by varying the manner in which the knit and purl stitches are used. Because the knit stitch tends to advance and the purl stitch to recede, a variety of patterns can be made by adding, dropping, alternating, or crossing stitches. Double knits are heavy and firm and rarely run. They are produced only by machine, with a variation of the rib stitch, the interlock stitch, employing two yarns and two sets of needles, with loops drawn through from both directions.
Warp knits, also produced only by machine, are usually run-resistant and are closer, flatter, and less elastic than filling knits. They are made on a chain loom, with each warp controlled by a separate needle. The loops interlock along the length of the fabric. Tricot is characterized by fine, vertical wales on the surface and crosswise ribs on the back. It has good draping qualities and is frequently used for lingerie and as backing for laminated fabric. Raschel knits have a lacelike, open construction, with a heavy, textured yarn held in place by a much finer yarn. Raschels can be made in a variety of types, ranging from fragile to coarse, and usually have limited stretch. Milanese is made with two sets of warp, one moving downward to the left and the other downward to the right, with the diagonal crossing of the yarns producing a diamond effect on the back, and a fine rib showing on the surface.
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Knit fabrics are produced in both flat and tubular form. Filling knits are most often tubular; warp knits are usually flat. Flat filling knits can be shaped by a process called fashioning, in which stitches are added to some rows to increase width, and two or more stitches are knitted as one to decrease width. Circular (tubular) knits are shaped by tightening or stretching stitches.