subject: Benefits Of Knitted Garments [print this page] One of the most traditional fabrics that is used through the millennia and is widely used across the world is the knitted garment. It has a worldwide acceptance since maximum part of the world experience the winter season for a longer period of time than the other seasons. Knitted garments differ from the woven fabrics. Unlike the woven fabrics that are straight in nature, the yarns of the knotted garments are looped in two needles. However, with the advent of technology, these garments can be rendered more quickly with the help of machines that can also produce garments of other materials like silk, cotton, linen etc.
Advantages of Knitted Garments:
Provide Warmth: Knitted fabrics have warming properties which is rendered by the knitting procedure. Whether knitted by hand or machine, it creates rooms for trapped air. This trapped air generates heat while acting as insulator thereby trapping the body heat and lending the warmth. Conjointly, when the yarn is looped, the interlocking pattern also traps air which gives the warmth when finished. However, the woven pattern is straight and therefore it does not create rooms for air. Therefore, it does not provide the warmth as compared to the knitted garments.
Offer Elasticity: Knitted garments are more elastic in nature as compared to the woven garments. As a result, they fit in the human body more easily. The woven fabrics can only stretched to only one direction to which the weaving is made. On the other hand the knitted fabrics can be elongated to any direction without harming the material, on account of the pattern of the stitches which are done in loops.
Lighter in Weight: Unlike the woven fabrics, the knitted garments are loosely knitted and have trapped air inside it. The pattern indicates that less yarn is utilized to knit it. It could be either knitted tightly employing small needles or else could be knitted loosely by utilizing needles of bigger diameter. However, the woven ones are tightly bound with several strands one over the other. This eventually makes the fabric heavier as compared to the knitted garments.
Absorb Water: While the woven fabrics do not soak much water because it is tightly knitted, the knitted fabrics allow much room to expand since they have provisions to absorb water. They are loosely knitted and expand harmlessly without straining the material and the stitches. Nevertheless the knitted garments have one pitfall. They might be shapeless and would be heavy on absorbing too much water.
There are diverse of stitches that could b worked on the knitted fabrics. Several designs are formed by combining the wrong side and the right side which is familiarly known as the purl stitches or even more complex patterns.
Based on the different stylizations, designs on knitted garments can be as follows: