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What is Knitted Fabric?

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Knitted Fabric has been well-known in the past. Knitting started out being done by hand, and then technology advanced to the knitting machine, encompassing various fabric types. This article will help you better understand knitted fabric after reading this article.
Knitted fabric is made by forming yarn into interlocking loops with needles, rather than crossing two sets of threads as in weaving. In weft knitting a continuous yarn runs across the fabric and each loop hooks through the loop below — so the columns of loops (wales) and the rows of loops (courses) are formed by the same yarn, not by two separate threads. This loop structure gives knitted fabric its stretch, comfort and wrinkle resistance, and it can be knitted in a wide range of weights and textures.


On the other hand, Woven fabric is made by interlacing two threads from edge to edge, warps go south to north, and wefts go right to the left. Woven Fabric is durable, tight, windproof, and has a fine texture.

Knitted Fabric is divided into 2 types:




1. Weft Knitting - is when loops are knitted continuously in a horizontal direction. It can be produced from either single or multiple threads, and it's stretchable in both directions. Weft Knitted Fabrics, for example, Pique, Lacoste, Fleece, Single Jersey, Jacquard, etc.




2. Warp Knitting - is when loops are knitted continuously in a vertical direction. And there are smooth surfaces, mesh, patterns, colors, and many textures. Warp Knit Fabric only stretches horizontally; for example, Tricot (Tricot Half, Tricot Satin, Tricot Mesh, Tricot Fancy, Tricot Brush) and Lace Fabric.

Many of you may know the difference between Knitted and Woven Fabric and Knitting structure. For the next chapter, we'll detail each knitted fabric. Stay tuned!