Knitting machine is a device that makes fabric by forming loops in yarn and linking them to one another by means of needles. Knitting machines use many needles and produce up to 12 million stitches per minute. Fabrics produced by knitting machines range from delicate lace to heavy drapery and rugs. Other common knitted-fabric products include hosiery, sweat shirts, and many other kinds of clothing.
There are two main types of knitting machines–weft knitting machines and warp knitting machines. Each type produces a different fabric.
Weft machines knit crosswise loops using one continuous yarn, and produce a fabric that stretches easily. Most weft machines are circular–that is, their needles are arranged in a circle on a rotating cylinder. As the cylinder turns, the machine knits a tube-shaped fabric. Small-diameter machines make stockings and socks.
Warp machines knit lengthwise loops with many interlocking yarns, and produce a flat fabric that is less elastic than a weft-knit fabric. Most warp machines have their needles arranged in a straight line.
Many design effects can be created on knitting machines by using different types of yarns and stitches. Some machines can be programmed to drop and add stitches to produce fabric that is shaped according to a specific pattern. This technique is known as full fashioning.
William Lee, an English minister, invented the weft knitting machine in 1589. Lee’s device was operated by hand. Warp knitting developed in England and France in the late 1700’s. Marc Isambard Brunel, an English engineer and inventor, patented a circular knitting machine in 1816. In 1864, William Cotton, an English textile worker, patented the first successful machine that could knit full-fashioned fabric.
