BGMEA University of Fashion & Technology

Chapter: Knitting Terminology

Ply yarn:
• Ply yarns are made of one or more strands of staple fiber yarns. A single ply
yarn is a single strand of staple fibers held together by twisting. Two and
three ply yarns are made of two or three single yarns twisted together.
Multiple ply yarns are used for fabrics that might require more strength or
fabrics that need a desired surface effect.
Yarn:
• Yarn is a strand of natural or synthetic fibers or filaments. A fiber is a small short piece of hair.
A filament is a long strand of a single substance. In textile yarn, individual fibers or filaments are
wound together to make threads.
Staple Yarn:
• Staple yarns are made of many short staple fibers that are wound together to make yarn. This is the
most basic classification of yarn. Most staple fiber yarns are made of natural materials.
Filament yarn:
• Filament yarn is made of one or more continuous strands that run the entire length of the yarn.
These are much longer than staple fibers. Silk is the only natural filament yarn. Most filament yarns
tend to be made from synthetic materials created by mechanical or chemical processes.
Fabric:
• The term fabric can be defined as a planner structure produced by interlaced/interloped yarns or fibers and felts made by
interlocking fibers. It is a manufactured assembly of fibers and /or yarns that has substantial surface area in relation to its
thickness and sufficient mechanical strength to give the assembly inherent cohesion. Basically, there are three methods by
which fabrics are made.
Knitting:
• Knitting is a technique to turn thread or yarn into a piece of cloth. Knitted fabric consists of horizontal parallel courses of
yarn which is different from woven cloth. The courses of threads or yarn are joined to each other by interlocking loops in
which a short loop of one course of yarn or thread is wrapped over the another course.
Or,
• Knitting is a process of fabric forming by the intermeshing the loops of yarns. When one loop is drawn through another,
loops are formed in horizontal or vertical direction.

Fig: Knitted Structure

 Types of Knitting: There are two kind of knitting-
1. Weft knitting
2. Warp Knitting
Face loop:
• During loop formation, when the new loop emerges through the old loop from back to the face side
then it is termed as face loop or weft knitted loop.
Technical face:
• The side of the fabric which contains all face loops or weft knit loops is known as technical face.
Back loop:
• During loop formation, when the new loop passes from the face side to the
back of the previous loop then it is termed as back loop or purl loop.
Technical back:
• The side of the fabric which contains all back loops or purl loops is known
as technical back.
Kink of yarn:
A length of yarn that has been bent into a shape appropriate for its transformation into a
weft knitted loop.

Knitted loop:
A kink of yarn that is intermeshed at its base i.e. when intermeshed two kink of yarn is
called loop

Knitted stitch:
The knitted stitch is the basic unit of intermeshing. It usually consists of three or more
intermeshed needle loops. The centre loop has been drawn through the head of the lower
previously-formed loop and is, in turn, intermeshed through its head by the loop above it.
Needle loop:
• Needle loop is the upper part of the loop produced by the needle drawing the yarn.
Sinker loop:
• The lower part of the knitted loop is technically referred as sinker loop. It is the
connection of two legs belonging to neighboring stitches lying laterally.

• Needle loop=H+2L
• A complete loop=Needle loop+Sinker loop
Course:
• The series of loops those are connected horizontally, continuously are
called as course. The horizontal row of loops that are made by adjacent
needles in the same knitting cycle.

• Wales:
The series of loops that intermeshes vertically are known as wales. Vertical
column of loops that are made from same needle in successive knitting
cycle.
Stitch length:
• The length of yarn required to produce a complete knitted loop (i.e. Needle loop
and sinker loop) is known as stitch length or loop length.
• Stitch length is a length of yarn which includes the needle loop and half the sinker
loop on either side of it.
• Generally, the larger the stitch length, the more extensible and lighter the fabric
and the poorer the cover and bursting strength.

A course length
• In weft knitted fabrics, a course of loops is composed of a single length of yarn
termed a course length.
Definition: The length of yarn required to produce a complete knitted course is
known as course length.
• Course length= No. of loops per course X Stitch length
• Course length= No. of needles X Stitch length
Course density- The course in a cm or 5 cm or in an inch along the wale.
Wale density- The wales in a cm or 5 cm or in an inch along the course.

Stitch density
• Stitch density refers to the total number of loops ( courses and wales) in a
measured area of fabric.
• It is the total number of needle loops in a given area (such as a square inch
• Stitch density = Wales density x Courses density
=Wales per inch X Courses per inch
= WPI X CPI
Unit: number of loops per square inch
Or, SD= CPC x WPC (cm scale)
GSM:
• GSM means gram per square meter. It is a number which indicates the thickness of knit
fabric. GSM is directly proportional to the fabric thickness. GSM depends on yarn count,
density of needle, wales per unit length and course per unit length.

Feeder:
• Feeders are the yarn guides placed close to the needles to the full circumference of the
knitting zone.
• The feeders feed the yarn into the needle hooks and control the needle latches in their
open position while the needle attain their clearing position
Machine gauge or Needle gauge
• The number of needles present in one inch of a needle bed is called
machine gauge. It is denoted by G or E.
Needle Pitch:
• The distance between two neighboring needles or, Space required for
each needle.