Important Terms Related to Knitting

1. Alpaca Stitch Fabric
A purl fabric where the courses appear in vertical arrangement. Appearance is similiar to that of a 1x1 purl fabric turned 90 degree. May be made from any fiber, not necessarily alpaca.

2. Argyle
Diamond - shaped design of different colors, where the diamond areas are formed with their own complete stitched rather than by miss-stitch or other techniques.

3. Bird's Eye
A salt and pepper color effect on the back of a double knit fabric.

4. Bourrelet
A type of double knit fabric having a ripple stitch or corded effect on the fabric surface.

5. Brynie Cloth
A net-like fabric produced on raschel knitting machines and and resembling a fisherman's net. used with cold weather apparel as a vest worn next to the skin and beneath thermal underwear to created additional insulation.

6. Cable Stitch Fabric
Fabric having the appearance of a plaited rope or cable running in the wales direction of fabric. Basic fabric structure is a rib knit. Mostly made in coarse cut . Widely used in sweaters.

7. Cardigan Fabric
A modified form of rib knit produced by selective tuck stitches, thus producing a thicker fabric. Cardigan stitched are either full cardigan or half cardigan, and appear the same on both sides. The fabric looks like a slightly stretched jersey fabric.

8. Circular Knit
Any fabric produces on a circular knitting machine.

9. Crochette
A simulated crochet fabric having a pattern of open or hold designs on a background of jersey. Produced by selective knitting, tucking and casting off in the knitting operation.

10. Double Knit
A specialty type of rib knit fabric. Usually close stitched with a pattern or design effect . Generally thicker, heavier and more stable than jersey.

11. Double Pique
A double knit fabric with a honeycomb effect on the fabric surface. Produced by selective knitting and missing on the two sets of needles used to make double knit fabric.

12. Eightlock
A type of interlock fabric which is reversible, has a uniform surface, and is well balanced with respect to its limited stretch in either vertical or horizontal direction. Usually single color but mat be made with vertical stripe or simple box and check patterns.

13. Flat Knit
Any fabric produced on a flatbed knitting machine.

14. Full Fashioned
Knitwear, especially sweaters, which are shape during the knit manufacturing process. For example, the shoulder areas of a full-fashioned garment have rounded contour knitted in.

15. Intarsia
A decorative colored design knitted into a solid color fabric. The design areas are formed with their own complete stitched rather than with miss-stitch or other techniques. Intarsia fabrics do not have a bird's eys backing. See Argyle, a form of intarsia fabric.

16. Interlock
A variation of rib knit fabric in which wales of knit stitched are directly behind each other on the face and back of the fabric. (In regular rib knits a purl stitch is always directly behind a knit stitch). Interlock knits are firmer and tend to be thicker than regular rib knits.

17. Jacquard Knit
A knit fabric with designs in color and/or texture which is produced by attachments on the knitting machine. The attachments are programmed to automatically regulate the action of the knitting needles.

18. Jersey
Describes any knitted fabric wherein all of the stitched on one side of the fabric are knit stitches, while all stitched on the reverse side are either purl stitches or a combination of purl, tuck and. more miss-stitches. Also known as single knits.

19. Knitted Velour
Fabric with a soft, downy, suede-like face, somewhat resembling velveteen, but softer and more flexible.

20. LaCoste
A fine cut fabric usually made from mercerized cotton or polyester/ cotton blend yarn, and widely used for knit sport shirts. This is a jersey-type fabric which contains a specific pattern of knit and tuck stitches.

21. Links-and-links Fabric
See purl Fabric.

22. Milanese
A special type of wrap knit. Fine fabric made from filament yarn, having fine rib-like stitches on the face. The fabric is stable and has excellent drapability. This cloth is in very limited production, having been largely replaced by tricot.

23. Ottoman Rib
A double knit fabric having pronounced ribs or rolls across the width of the fabric. This effect is achieved by knitting more courses per unit length on one side than on the other.

24. Pile Knit
A special type of jersey knit fabric made by feeling staple fiber in the forms of silver onto the knitting needles while the fabric is being knitted. The fiber is thus caught in the knit structure. Most imitation furs are pile knits. Also know as silver knits.

25. Pointelle
A rib fabric utilizing transfer stitches to create selective opening in a fabric.

26. Ponte di Roma
A double knit fabric type, usually produced in one color rather than color patterned. The fabric is very elastic and has a slight horizontal stripe character. This fabric is usually made with interlock gaiting (i.e., needle from both beds are in line with each other).

27. Power Net
A wrap knit fabric produced on the chel machine, having elastic yarns (usually spandex) laid-in the fabric. The fabric is closely knit, elastic in character, and reveals a net-like structure when stretched.

28. Purl Fabric
A knitted fabric which knit stitches and purl stitches on the same wale. The simplest is a 1x1 purl with one course of knit stitches followed by one course of purl stitches. Purl fabrics are usually thicker than jersey and tend toward greatest stretching in their length direction. Widely used in infant's wear. Also known as links-and links fabric.

29. Rack Stitch Fabric
An innovative rib fabric produced by movement to the right or left of one needle bed in relation to the other (called racking). The effect is a rib fabric where the wales are oriented diagonally to the right for a number of courses, then to the left in accordance with the needle bed movement.

30. Raschel
Describes a class of fabric of the wrap knit type. Raschel fabrics rabge from fine laces to heavy carpets. They are made on machines which use latch needles with as many as 48 guide bars.

31. Rib Fabric
A knitted fabric where wales of knit stitches alternate with wales of purl stitches. A 1x1 rib knit has one wale of purl stitches. Rib fabrics have good elasticity in their width direction.

32. Shaker
A term given to a sweater made from a 1x1 rib stitch of heavy yarn. Baby shaker is the same, but made from somewhat finer yarn.

33. Simplex
A special type of tricot fabric in which knit stitched appear on both sides of the fabric. The fabric is denser and thicker than regular tricot but nevertheless made from five yarns and in fine gauge. Frequently finished with a slight nap and used primarily for ladies' clot gloves.

33. Sliver Knit
See Pile Knit

34. Tricot
Describes a class fabric of the warp knit type Usually made from filament or textured filament yarns, and usually lighter in weight than rashel fabrics. Tricot fabrics are relatively stable, and do not stretch as much as do most weft knit fabrics.

35. Zephyz
Any knitted fabric made from worsted yarn of grade 64's or finer.