Knitted Fabric Blog

Jacquard fabric is a popular name for figured woven fabrics with complicated and curvy designs. Jacqgurd products do not have characteristics that would define them by a more specific name, such as brocade, damask, or tapestry. Jacquard fabrics with a complex curved design on the background of a recognizable simple material such as taffeta may have the term figured added to the name of the ground fabric. Jacquard is also a method used by the jacqguard loom for weaving and allows the most intricate interlacing of warp and weft yarns to be accomplished automatically. Raising various groups of warp yarns as the weft is inserted form most woven patterns; each group of warp yarns is lifted on a frame called a harness. Jacquard designs are most often elaborate and striking, so many are not fabrics that form a quiet background! they are used in all weights, fiber contents, and interior applications, from the sheerest materials to carpets.

Knitting is one of the ways of turning thread or yarn into clothes. Knitted fabric completely consists of horizontal parallel courses (crosswise) of yarn. These courses are joined to each other by interlocking loops where a short loop of one course of the yarn is wrapped over the bight of another course.

Knitted fabric is obtained either by hand knitting process or then by machine. In hand knitting process, a base series of twisted loops of yarn are made on a knitting needle before starting the process. A second needle is then used to reach through each loop in succession to snag a bight of yarn and pull a length back through the loop. Knitting by machine use a different mechanical system producing nearly identical results.

Knitted fabric composites show higher impact tolerance compared to the traditional composites or even to woven fabric composites. It is believed that the hand knitting originated among the nomads of the Arabian Peninsula about 1000 BC.

Types of knitted Fabrics

Weft Knitted Fabric – It is either made by hand or machine by looping together the lengths of the yarn. This supports the fabric to become stretchy and comfortable. Weft-knitted fabrics are uaed in socks, T-shirts and jumpers.

Warp Knitted Fabric – It is made by machine only. The loops, in this kind of fabrics interlock vertically along the length of the fabric. It is only slightly stretchy and it do not ladders. These are used as swimwear, underwear and geotixtiles.

Compared to the other two classes, knitted fabrics are much more elastic, which accounts for their historical use in stockings and other clothing that requires changes in shape. Hence, dresses and lingerie made from knitted fabrics can be more form-fitting than counterparts made from a woven fabric. Knitted fabrics can stretch from 0 to 500%, depending on their material and knitting pattern. Lace knitting generally produces the most flexible fabric, since it has large holes that can deform in shape; by contrast, cable knitting generally produces the least flexible fabric, since the stitches are crossed under tension, which inhibits deformation. Knitted fabrics that do not deform much are called stable knits. For comparison, woven fabrics typically deform only along their bias direction — i.e., at 45° to the warp and weft directions — and only by a small amount; however, a woven fabric made with a stretchable material such as Lycra may deform more than a stable knit.

The elasticity of knitted fabrics gives them an excellent drape, but this is opposed somewhat by their generally greater thickness compared to wovens. Thus, the turn of the cloth (i.e., the maximum curvature of a fold of the fabric) is generally finer in woven fabrics than in knitted fabrics. For this reason, knitted fabrics resist wrinkles better than wovens, but do not generally take a crease.

Knitted fabrics are generally warmer and more comfortable than woven fabrics, which is why they are worn closer to the body. Moreover, knitted fabrics are often made from wool, which stays warm even when wet; wool is preferred since it is more elastic than most fibers and produces more even, beautiful knits. In general, elasticity and warmth are opposing qualities in a knitted fabric, since the most elastic knitted fabrics, such as lace, have the largest holes and are thus less insulating.