Production methods of fabric

Weaving is a textile production method which involves interlacing a set of longer threads is called warp threads which is crossing with weft threads. This is done on a frame or machine known as a loom. Some weaving is still done by hand but the majority is machinesed.

Knitting is a process of manufacturing a fabric by the interloping of yarn.
Weft knitting is a method of forming a fabric by knitting means in which the loops are made in a horizontal way and inter meshing of loops taken place in a circular or flat form on a course wise basis,

Warp knitting is a method of forming a fabric by knitting means in which the loops are made in a vertical way along the length of the fabric form each warp yarn and inter meshing of loops takes place in a flat form or a length wise basis.

Lace is made by interlocking threads together independently using a backing and any of the methods described above, to create a fine fabric with open holes in the work. Lace can be made by either hand or machine.

Non woven textiles are manufactured by the bonding of fibres to make fabric. Bonding may be thermal, mechanical or adhesives can be used.

The evaluation of hand knitting

The term knitting describes the technique of constructing textile structures by forming a continuous length of yarn into columns of vertically intermeshed loops.
It relies heavily on the availability of fine, strong, uniformly spun yarn. The term knitting dates from the mid-sixteenth century, earlier words such as the Saxon.

The principles of frame knitting 

After the weft yarn has been laid by hand across the horizontally mounted needle bed, thin metal sinkers descend individually between each pair of adjacent needles to kink or sink it into a loop shape around each needle stem. Each sinker is caused to descend because it is hinged at its upper end to a pivoted jack that is lifted at its outer end by a wedge shaped piece of iron termed slurcock.

The development of warp knitting

Warp knitting the second and smaller section of machine knitting was never a hand manipulated craft. It was first developed by Crane and Porter in 1769 as a method of embroidery plating, by means of multiple warp thread guides, onto stocking fabric as it was being knitted on the hand frame.
As the technique improved, purely warp intermeshed loop structures without the weft knitted ground began to be knitted and Crane patented his warp loom in 1775.

The potential knitting technology

i)Using a minimum number of yarns.

ii)Easy flow of yarn from one loop to another under tension.

iii)Varying the size of loops.

iv)Loop distortion when under tension.

v)Loop transfer.

vi)Knitting single face, double face, open-work and surface interest structures.

vii)Increasing or decreasing the number of loops in width or depth.

viii)Knitting to shape either fabric pieces or separate articles.

ix)Knitting from a selection of yarns.      

  

Principle of weave structures                                                                

It is also essential to know the basic principles of fabric forming and weave structures before we go ahead with the mechanisms. The most common and simple interlacement of warp and weft threads is represented by a plain weave. Each individual thread of warp and weft is called end and pick respectively. It is seen that two ends and two picks complete one repeat of the plain weave. Most of the commonly used apparel fabrics use this simple weave, though the ornamentation or decoration of this weave can be achieved by a number of ways. From the thinnest light weight fabric known as muslin to the thickest and the heaviest fabric such as canvas cloth, can be formed by using plain weave. The same plain weave can be represented on a point paper or a graph paper represent the warp thread on the top of the weft thread, while the blank positions represent the reverse, that is, the weft thread on the top of the warp thread.Thus, in a plain weave there are two different ways of lifting the ends. On the first pick end number one and all odd ends are lifted and on the second pick end number two and the even ends are lifted. As there are two different liftings minimum two healds are required for drawing the ends-all the odd ends through, say the first heald and all the even ends through the second healds. This is shown at the top of the design by two horizontal spaces of graph paper. The cross in the squares indicates the ends drawn through the particular heald. This is called the draft on the loom. In the given illustration the first and the other odd ends are drawn through the second heald. This order of drawing the ends through the healds is called a draft. In order to get the interlacement of ends and picks as per the weave shown in the design, a certain order of lifting and keeping the healds down is required.           All these preliminary terms of design, draft and peg plan should be understood properly before the fabric forming on the loom could be discussed.