Knitting machine

Last updated
A modern industrial knitting machine in action Rundstrickmaschine Zungennadeln.jpg
A modern industrial knitting machine in action
industrial circular knitting fabric machines Knitting machine.jpg
industrial circular knitting fabric machines

A knitting machine is a device used to create knitted fabrics in a semi or fully automated fashion. There are numerous types of knitting machines, ranging from simple spool or board templates with no moving parts to highly complex mechanisms controlled by electronics. All, however, produce various types of knitted fabrics, usually either flat or tubular, and of varying degrees of complexity. Pattern stitches can be selected by hand manipulation of the needles, push-buttons and dials, mechanical punch cards, or electronic pattern reading devices and computers.

Contents

Process

Six stages in the knitting machine cycle Maschenbildung 1.jpg
Six stages in the knitting machine cycle

Early flat bed stocking frames had low carbon steel bearded needles where the tips were reflexed and could be depressed onto a hollow closing the loop. The needles were supported on a needle bar (bed) that passed back and forth, to and from the operator. The beards were simultaneously depressed by a presser bar. [1]

  1. The needle bar goes forward- the open needles clear the web
  2. The weft thread is laid on the needles
  3. The weft thread falls loosely
  4. The needle bar draws back, the weft is pulled in the open needles
  5. The needle bar draws back, the presser bar drops, the needle loops close and the weft is drawn back through the web
  6. The needles open, a new row has been added to the web which drops under gravity

This basic process can still be recognised in all machines, but it has been refined as new technologies have become available.

Types

Advertisement for a late 19th-century hosiery firm that depicts its factory floor with workers using knitting machines. Published 1886. Stocking factory2.jpg
Advertisement for a late 19th-century hosiery firm that depicts its factory floor with workers using knitting machines. Published 1886.

A few simple devices permit knitting without needles for toy or hobby purposes. The simplest of these is spool knitting, followed by knitting boards or knitting looms, which consist of two rows of pins mounted in two parallel rows approximately 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) apart. Yarn is wound around the pins; various patterns of winding produce different textured knitting. A needle or special tool is then used to transfer the loops of yarn from around the pins, either off the pins or to other pins, to produce the knitting. Knitting boards can produce complex designs. Other semi-mechanical knitting devices are available.

To produce larger and more complex knitted items, such as garments, domestic and industrial machines, with either flat or circular beds, producing rectangular or tubular fabrics, respectively, are needed. Double bed machines have two flat beds facing each other, in order to produce purl and plain rib fabrics plus a variety of multi patterns. Ribbing attachments can be added to single bed machines to achieve a similar result. [2]

Late 20th century domestic/studio models typically use up to 200 latch-hook needles to hold the stitches in fine, standard, mid-gauge or bulky gauge needle. A carriage or cam box is passed across the bed of needles causing the needle movements required to produce each next stitch. By means of various selection methods, e.g. punch cards, particular needles can be caused to travel by alternate pathways through the cam box. Thus needles will knit or not, and the unknitted yarn portions will lie under (slip stitch) or over the needle or be held in the needle hook (tuck stitch). Needles can be placed in holding position to allow short row shaping. [2] In modern machines, patterns can be obtained via either mechanical control, using punchcards, or electronic control, using computer software for patterning.

Modern electronic knitting machines Jumberca.jpg
Modern electronic knitting machines

Automatic patterning machines can knit two-colour Fair Isle patterns automatically, and have machine stitch patterning features such as slipping, tucking, plating and knitweaving. Plating refers to knitting with two strands of yarn that are held in such a way that one is in front of the other. Plated effects can be particularly striking in a ribbed fabric. Knitweaving refers to a technique in which a separate piece of yarn, often heavier than the knitted fabric, is carried along and caught between stitches to produce an effect like weaving. With knitwoven fabric, the purl side (usually the wrong side) is the right side of the fabric. Current standard gauge models have the option of a lace carriage, where stitches can be transferred from one needle to the next. The yarn passes through a tensioning mechanism and down through the knit carriage, which feeds the yarn to the needles as they knit.

Domestic knitting machines use the weft knitting method which produces a fabric similar to hand knitting. Knitting proceeds more quickly than in hand knitting, where (usually two) straight needles are held in the hand and each stitch is manipulated individually across the row. Knitting machines work an entire row of loops in a single movement.

V-bed knitting machines consist of two beds located across from each other. They are called front bed and back bed. This feature allows to hold not only sheets but also tubes. X-bed machines are the advanced version of the V-bed knitting machine. This type of machine adds extra metallic elements which are called holding hooks. These hooks are located above every needle for both front bed and back bed and can only hold loops. If the loop is held by the holding hook, the needle associated with it cannot be used to perform any operations.

In the 2010's, a new technology for industrial flatbed machines emerged which enabled fully finished garments to be knit in one piece with no assembling. Although Shima Sieki was the first to develop this technology, others such as Stoll have quickly followed suit. In 2016, Fast Retailing, the parent company of Uniqlo, signed a deal with Shima Seiki to develop a factory of WHOLEGARMENT 3D knitting machines for mass-producing garments. [3] As of 2023, this partnership is still going strong. Multiple companies are using this technology to design and produce clothing made on-demand. [4]

Comparison to hand knitting

The fabric produced using a knitting machine is of a more even texture than flat knitting, hand-knitted fabric, which is particularly noticeable on large areas of plain stockinette stitch, and can be an advantage. Some stitch patterns (e.g., tuck stitches) are much easier to produce with a knitting machine. Others (e.g. garter stitch) can also be produced with machine knitting, but can take a little longer; however, this is still much faster than hand knitting. On a single-bed domestic knitting machines, garter stitch must be either worked by hand or using an accessory called a 'garter bar'. Brother machines can take an electronic accessory called a 'Garter Carriage'. These carriages have a single, internally mounted needle which faces those on the main bed, and when a stitch is selected via the patterning mechanism this needle lifts the selected stitch off its needle and makes the stitch through the back, thus creating a purl stitch on the face of the fabric. Certain models of Garter carriages can be used on both mechanical and electronic Brother knitting machines. [5]

More complex stitch transfers, such as cable stitches, require hand-manipulation to cross the groups of stitches over each other. Industrial machines that offer selective, automatic stitch transfer between front and back beds along with racking of the beds can create cable stitch automatically.

The standard gauge 200-needle machine can knit the finest yarns up to a good sport-weight (4ply UK), while the heavier yarns knit better on a mid-gauge or bulky knitting machine.

Machine knitting saves a considerable amount of time but does require learning to operate the machines correctly. Most if not all hand knitting patterns can be worked up on a machine, either identically or in a similar design, but some are simpler to by hand, whilst others are easier on a machine. Hand knitting patterns are designed to "flip" the fabric on every row so that the knitter consistently uses the dominant hand. However, machine knitting is consistently knit with the fabric facing the same way. Flat bed machines knit back and forth and circular machines knit continuously in the round.

See also

Related Research Articles

Crochet is a process of creating textiles by using a crochet hook to interlock loops of yarn, thread, or strands of other materials. The name is derived from the French term crochet, meaning 'hook'. Hooks can be made from a variety of materials, such as metal, wood, bamboo, bone or plastic. The key difference between crochet and knitting, beyond the implements used for their production, is that each stitch in crochet is completed before the next one is begun, while knitting keeps many stitches open at a time. Some variant forms of crochet, such as Tunisian crochet and broomstick lace, do keep multiple crochet stitches open at a time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knitting</span> Method of forming fabric

Knitting is a method for production of textile fabrics by interlacing yarn loops with loops of the same or other yarns. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done by hand or by machine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knitting needle</span>

A knitting needle or knitting pin is a tool in hand-knitting to produce knitted fabrics. They generally have a long shaft and taper at their end, but they are not nearly as sharp as sewing needles. Their purpose is two-fold. The long shaft holds the active (unsecured) stitches of the fabric, to prevent them from unravelling, whereas the tapered ends are used to form new stitches. Most commonly, a new stitch is formed by inserting the tapered end through an active stitch, catching a loop of fresh yarn and drawing it through the stitch; this secures the initial stitch and forms a new active stitch in its place. In specialized forms of knitting the needle may be passed between active stitches being held on another needle, or indeed between/through inactive stitches that have been knit previously.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stocking frame</span> Mechanical knitting machine

A stocking frame was a mechanical knitting machine used in the textiles industry. It was invented by William Lee of Calverton near Nottingham in 1589. Its use, known traditionally as framework knitting, was the first major stage in the mechanisation of the textile industry, and played an important part in the early history of the Industrial Revolution. It was adapted to knit cotton and to do ribbing, and by 1800 had been adapted as a lace making machine.

The term "gauge" is used in knitting to describe the fineness size of knitting machines. It is used in both hand knitting and machine knitting. The phrase in both instances refers to the number of stitches per inch rather than the size of the finished article of clothing. The gauge is calculated by counting the stitches or needles across a number of inches, then dividing by the sample's width in inches.

Combined knitting or combination knitting is a knitting method that combines elements of Eastern-style knitting with the Western techniques. The name was suggested by Mary Thomas in her 1938 book "Mary Thomas's Knitting Book", where she described the method as "..the better way to work in Flat Knitting. The resulting fabric is more even and closer in construction." By wrapping the yarn the opposite way while purling, the knitter changes the orientation of the resulting loops; then the next row's knit stitches can be formed by inserting the needle through the back leg, rather than through the front leg, without twisting the stitch. This method is suitable for all knitted fabrics from the basic Stockinette stitch, to any other technique, such as Fair Isle, circular knitting, or lace knitting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slip-stitch knitting</span> Family of knitting techniques

Slip-stitch knitting is a family of knitting techniques that uses slip stitches to make multiple fabrics simultaneously, to make extra-long stitches, and/or to carry over colors from an earlier row.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Increase (knitting)</span> Knitting term

In knitting, an increase is the creation of one or more new stitches, which may be done by various methods that create distinctive effects in the fabric. Most knitting increases either lean towards the left or the right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casting on (knitting)</span>

In knitting, casting on is a family of techniques for adding new stitches that do not depend on earlier stitches, i.e., having an independent lower edge. In principle, it is the opposite of binding off, but the techniques involved are generally unrelated.

Knitting abbreviations are often used for brevity in describing knitting patterns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welting (knitting)</span>

In knitting, welting is the horizontal analog of ribbing; that is, one or more horizontal rows of knit stitches alternating with one or more rows of purl stitches.

In knitting, a plaited stitch, also known as a twisted stitch, is a single knitted stitch that is twisted clockwise or counterclockwise, usually by one half-turn (180°) but sometimes by a full turn (360°) or more.

Basic knitted fabrics include stocking stitch, reverse stocking stitch, garter stitch, seed stitch, faggoting, and tricot. In some cases, these fabrics appear differently on the right side than on the wrong side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flat knitting</span>

Flat knitting is a method for producing knitted fabrics in which the work is turned periodically; that is, the fabric is worked with alternating sides facing the knitter. Another method of achieving the same result is to knit alternately from right to left and left to right without turning; this back-and-forth technique requires either innate or learned ambidextrous motor skills. The two sides of the fabric are usually designated as the right side and the wrong side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pick up stitches (knitting)</span>

In knitting, picking up stitches means adding stitches to the knitting needle that were previously bound off or belong to the selvage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Double knitting</span> Form of hand knitting in which two fabrics are knitted simultaneously on one pair of needles

Double knitting is a form of hand knitting in which two fabrics are knitted simultaneously on one pair of needles. The fabrics may be inseparable, as in interlock knitted fabrics, or they can simply be two unconnected fabrics. In principle, an arbitrary number of fabrics can be knitted simultaneously on one pair of knitting needles with yarns, as long as one is careful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knitted fabric</span> Textile material made using knitting techniques, often by machine knitting

Knitted fabric is a textile that results from knitting, the process of inter-looping of yarns or inter-meshing of loops. Its properties are distinct from woven fabric in that it is more flexible and can be more readily constructed into smaller pieces, making it ideal for socks and hats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selvage</span> Narrow edge of a woven fabric parallel to its length

A selvage or selvedge is a "self-finished" edge of a piece of fabric which keeps it from unraveling and fraying. The term "self-finished" means that the edge does not require additional finishing work, such as hem or bias tape, to prevent fraying.

Hand knitting is a form of knitting, in which the knitted fabric is produced by hand using needles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illusion knitting</span> Form of textile art

Illusion knitting or shadow knitting is a form of textile art, in which the knitting is viewed as simply narrow stripes from one angle, and as an image when viewed from another angle. Illusion knitting has been recognised as an art form since 2010, largely due to the advances made by Steve Plummer who has created several large and detailed pieces. Similar effects occur in Tunisian crochet.

References

  1. ↑ Earnshaw (1986) , pp. 12–13
  2. 1 2 Gaugliumi (1990) , p. 9
  3. ↑ "Fast Retailing Launches Innovation Factory Co., Ltd. - Enters Joint Venture with Shima Seiki Mfg., Ltd. | FAST RETAILING CO., LTD". www.fastretailing.com. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  4. ↑ Reilly, Michael (April 6, 2017). "3-D Knitting Brings Tech to Your Sweaters—for a Price". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  5. ↑ Haffenden (2018) [ pages needed ]

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.