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Chapter-2 - Knitting
Chapter-2 - Knitting
KNITTING
Sonjit Kumar Saha
Lecturer
Department of Apparel Manufacturing & Technology
FABRIC
Chain notation
Depending upon the method of forming loops and intermeshing knitting technology is of two types:
- Weft knitting technique
- Warp knitting technique
WEFT
KNITTING
Weft Knitting is a method of forming a fabric in
which the loops are made in horizontal way from
a single yarn and intermeshing of loops take place
in a circular or flat form on across-wise basis.
Weft Knitted Fabrics
Where,
H, Head or Crown or top arc
L, Side limbs or Legs
S, Bottom arc or Sinker loop
- Needle loop = (H + 2L)
- A complete loop = (Needle loop + Sinker loop)
F, Foot which meshes through the head of the loop formed at
the previous knitting cycle
Technical Face Technical Back
Technical face of the fabric primarily Technical back of the fabric primarily shows the crown.
shows the legs, rather than the crown. Stitches arranged in this side have a distinctive view and
Vertical appearance. feel compared to face. Horizontal appearance.
Stitch Length
The length of yarn required to produce a complete
knitted loop (i.e. needle loop and sinker loop), also
called loop length.
Needle carrier
Cylinder and dial of the machine
that carry needles.
(cylinder) (dial)
Machine Gauge
Number of needles per inch.
It should be noted that the gauge is measured on one needle bed, so a machine of the same gauge but
with two needle beds will have a total of twice as many needles as a machine with one bed.
Normally, all primary elements (those directly involved in the knitting action) in the same machine are set to
the same gauge.
Machine gauge can be calculated by dividing the total number of needles into the length of the needle
bed. The figure is rounded to the nearest whole number.
For example, a 4-inch diameter sock machine has 168 needles. The circumference of a circle is 𝛑d
where 𝛑 = 22/7 and d = the diameter. The circumference is therefore 4 x 22/7 = 12.57 inches. The
gauge is 168/12.57 = 14 needles per inch (approx.).
This may be expressed as ‘E14’, E being the number of needles per inch.
Machine Diameter
In circular knitting m/c, the distance
from one needle exact to the other
needle is known as working diameter,
measured usually in inch.
Machine Creel
Magnetic type tensioner maintains proper
tension during yarn feeding.
Toothed belt
ELEMENTS OF
KNITTING
Needle
The Needle is the principal knitting element of the knitting machine, can be found in three varieties:
a. Spring bearded needle
b. Latch needle (mostly used)
c. Compound needle
Needles help feed the yarn, form the loops and hold the old loops.
Spring bearded needle Latch needle Compound needle
Different parts of a latch needle
Sinker
The sinker is the second primary knitting
element. It is a thin metal plate with an
individual or a collective action
Different parts of a sinker
operating approximately at right angles
from the hook side of the needle bed, It may perform one or more of the following
between adjacent needles. functions, depending upon the machine’s knitting
action and consequent sinker shape and movement:
- Loop formation
- Holding-down
- Knocking-over
Different types of sinker
Cam
The cams are the mechanical devices which convert the rotary machine drive into suitable reciprocating
action for the needles- since all latch needles have a reciprocating action either serially or seriatim. The
cams are carefully profiled to produce precisely-timed movement and dwell periods and are of two
types:
1. Engineering cams
2. Knitting cams
The knitting cams are divided in to three groups such as; knit cam, tuck cam and miss cam.