An

Assignment Work
on
Knitwear Design Technology

Submitted by
LAKSHAY KAUSHAL
B.Sc. FASHION TECHNOLOGY
Department of FASHION TECHNOLOGY
D.B.U.

Under the Guidance of

MS. GAGANDEEP KAUR
Assistant professor
Department of Fashion Technology
Desh Bhagat University

DEPARTMENT OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY

DESH BHAGAT UNIVERSIY
 A Thesis By

LAKSHAY KAUSHAL
ROLL NO. 20261140002

SUBMIT TO

MS. GAGANDEEP KAUR

(Lacturer B.Sc. Fashion Technology )

The Department of Fashion Technology

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

At first, grateful acknowledgement are made to the Almighty who is the

most gracious and merciful. This assignment and work was carried out at
DESH BHAGAT UNIVERSITY, MANDI GOBINDGARH. It is a nice
feeling the opportunity to express gratitude for them who have relentlessly
encouraged and helped throughout the assignment. Obviously the special
credit goes to the person, Ms. Gagandeep Kaur lecturer department of
FASHION TECHNOLOGY, DESH BHAGAT UNIVERSITY. He has an
energetic and enthusiastic mind which is really inspiring. His scientific
excitement, integral view on research and his positive attitude towards his
mission for providing knowledge has made a deep impression. It gives
always a pleasant experience while working with him for his endless
support and guidance throughout the project and thesis period.

The authors would like to heartedly acknowledge with a deep sense of

gratitude to Prof. Ms. GAGANDEEP KAUR, DESH BHAGAT
UNIVERSITY for the constant support to get the job done successfully. He
took possible measures to provides all types of facilities during this project.
Every moment he gave appreciation with special eagerness and cordial
support.

The supportive attitude of administration has the project and thesis

possible. So a special thanks goes to this excellent administration.
KNITTING
The second most important fabric construction method after weaving is knitting.
Knitting is the process of making loops and throwing the yarns through loops to
form a fabric. In the earlier days knitting was con-sidered as a unique technique
of making fabric using wool fibres. The oldest knitted products are socks found
in Egypt tombs. Knitting is done using long stick like nee-dles. The first knitting
machine was invented in 1589, by Reverend William Lee. It slowly developed
and today the market is filled with complex knitting machine to produce a huge
range of knitted fabric.

Classification of Knitting
Knitting is divided into two main groups as warp and weft knitting. Warp knitted
fab-rics are produced by a series of yarn forming loops in the lengthwise direction
of the fab-ric. Weft knitted fabrics is produced when one continuous yarn forms
the loops in the crosswise directions. The most common types of warp knitt
fabrics are Tricot knit, Raschel, Milanese and Simples knit. The different kinds
of weft knits are plain, purl and rib. Both weft and warp knitting can be
incorporated in the jacquard mechanism to produce fancy knitted fabrics.
Knitted Fabric Making
Knitted fabric is constructed by forming the yarns into loops. The vertical rows
of loops stitches in knit fabric are known as wales and the horizontal rows of
loops are called courses. The loops are formed by a group of needles or shafts,
which are arranged one after the other in the knit-ting machine on the needle plate.
The needles are evenly placed. Sinker is used to pull the needles down, which
pulls the yarn into the previous loop. The knitted fabric is pulled down and rolled
at the base of the machine and collected for fur-ther use.

Uses of Knitting
Knitted fabrics are used for (Figure 5.15)

• Clothing (Underwear, Sweaters)

• Home furnishing (Curtains, Towels)

• Medical textiles (Grip Bandages)

• Industrial textiles (Wipes, Absorbent Pads)

Knitted fabric Defect: Cause
and Remedies
INTRODUCTION
A defect of the knitted fabric is an abnormality which spoils the aesthetics i.e. the clean & uniform
appearance of the fabric & effects the performance parameters, like; dimensional stability etc.
The International Standard describes defects which commonly appear during the inspection of
knitted piece-goods. The purpose of this International Standard is-to define knitted-fabric defects,
i.e. those characteristics that have been unintentionally introduced into the fabric. The presence of
one or other of these characteristics in a fabric does not automatically imply that the fabric is sub-
standard. Textile suppliers and purchasers will still have to reach agreement on whether a defect is
present. If it is considered that a defect is present they will then have to agree on the limits of the
defect and on any allowance to be made, bearing in mind the intended use of the fabric.
According to International Standards definition of defects, it is a fault that would reduce the
expected performance of the fabric or, if it appeared in a prominent position in an article made from
the fabric, would readily be seen and rejected by a prospective purchaser.
Indian Standard of knitted defect which is identical with ISO 8499:1990, classifies the defects in to 5
Sections:
Section 2: Yarn defects in a knitted fabric
Section 3: Defects in the course direction
Section 4: Defects in the length direction
Section 5: Defects due to, or apparent after, dyeing, printing or finishing
Section 6: General defects

YARN DEFECTS IN KNITTED FABRIC

Bright yarn : A yarn, in a course or wale, of higher Iustre than the adjacent yarns.
Cause : This defect is caused by irregularity in processing of the yarn, e.g. uneven distribution of
delustrant, or by mixing yarns of different delustrant content, e.g. dull, semi-dull, etc.
Remedy: Specify the quality parameters of the yarns to be used for production to the yarn supplier.
Cockled yarn: Small slub-like irregularities in the yarn that are readily extensible and that cause
loop distortion.
Cause: This defect is often caused by the unintentional introduction of stretch into some fibres
during drafting and the subsequent relaxation of these fibres to form loops or crimps in the yarn.
Remedy: Make sure the shrinkage is in the minimal level.
Slub: In a yarn, a thickened place having tapering ends and a diameter several times that of the
adjacent normal yarn.
Cause: — This defect is often caused by the presence in the yarn of fragments of undrafted roving or
stubbing that have not been cleared during winding.
Remedy – Slub should be cut with the clipper in both the ends. The resultant bare patch can be
corrected by combing with metallic comb.
Gout: A lumpy, asymmetrical fault in a spun yarn of a fabric.
Cause: This defect is caused by the accumulation of undraftad waste fibre into the yarn during
spinning.
Remedy: The extra foreign matter can be pulled out with a plucker. Combining in both direction
rectifies the resultant path.
Split yarn: A yarn which appears in the fabric as a thin yarn.
Cause: This defect is often caused by abrasion or excessive tension during winding or knitting,
which breaks a part of the yarn (e.g. a filament of a continuous-filament yarn or a ply of a two-fold
yarn) that is subsequently held back during knitting.
Remedy: Ensure uniform Yarn Tension on all the feeders.

SLUB
 SPLIT YARN

BRIGHT YARN

DEFECTS IN THE COURSE DIRECTION

Bowing: Excessive curvature of the courses in a fabric that may or may not extend over the full -
width.
Cause: This defect is often caused by incorrect take-down tension during knitting or incorrect
feeding during finishing
Remedy: Bowing can be corrected by reprocessing the fabric by feeding it from the opposite end
and a special machine (MAHLO) is also available for correcting the bowing in the knitted fabrics.
Missing yarn: A yarn absent from a pattern.
Cause: — This defect is the result of a machine continuing to run with one feed of yarn missing.
Remedy: Yarn Threading through the right bore and CKM element checking
Thick place: A prominent band in which an increase in stitch density, compared to the rest of the
fabric, is apparent.
Cause: This defect is often caused by a poor start-up of the machine, or uneven let-off or take-up.
Remedy: Make sure that the Machine is serviced properly
Thin place: A prominent band in which a decrease in stitch density, compared to the rest of the
fabric, is apparent.
Cause: This defect is often caused by uneven yarn let-off or fabric take-up.
Remedy: Make sure that the Machine is serviced properly
Wrong yarn: A yarn in a weft-knitted fabric that differs from normal yarn in respect of composition,
thickness, filament or colour.
Cause: This defect is caused by a lack of control of incoming material.
Remedy: Rigid control measures in the Blow Room to prevent the mixing of foreign matters in the
Cotton mixing.
 MISSING YARN

DEFECTS IN LENGTH WISE DIRECTION

Dragging end: One or several wales in a warp-knitted fabric in which the laps appear shorter than
those in the adjacent normal wales
Cause: This defect is caused by excessive tension in one or more warp yarns.
Remedy: Ensure correct yarn tension on all the feeders and ensure that the Yarn detectors on all the
feeders are working properly.
Fish eye pinhole: Small apertures occurring occasionally in a wale.
Cause: This defect is caused by a malfunctioning needle forming random tuck stitches.
Remedy: Ensure uniform yarn tension on all the feeders with a Tension Meter and Rate of yarn feed
should be strictly regulated as per the required Stitch Length.
Needle line: A wale that is different in configuration from the adjacent normal wales.
Cause: This defect is caused by a misaligned or.broken needle which forms distorted stitches.
Remedy: Keep recommended gap between the Yarn feeder and Needle and periodically change the
needle.
Spirality or wale Spirality: A distortion in a weft-knitted fabric in which the wales are clearly not at
right angles to the courses.
Cause: This defect is caused by twist-lively yarn (due to insufficient setting)
Remedy: Use the Hosiery yarns of the recommended TPM level for Knitting and Ensure uniform rate
of feed of the dyed fabric on both the edges while feeding the fabric to the Calender, Compactor or
Stenter machines.
DEFECTS DUE TO, OR APPARENT AFTER, DYEING, PRINTING OR FINISHING
Barriness: Bands with clearly defined edges that run full-width across a fabric, or spirally in a
tubular fabric, and that differ in colour, yarn characteristics or texture from the normal fabric.
Causes: This defect is caused by differential dyeing effects in the areas where yarn characteristics or
fabric texture vary from the normal.
Remedy: Ensure uniform Yarn Tension on all the feeders and the average Count variation in the lot
should not be more than + 0.3
Dye mark, dye spot, dye stain: In a piecedyed fabric, a discrete area of different colour.
Causes: This defect is often caused by contamination with concentrated dyestuff or dyeing
assistants.
Remedy: Scour the grey fabric thoroughly to remove all the impurities from the fabric before dyeing
and use appropriate leveling agents to prevent patchy dyeing.
Halo: An area of light colour surrounding a localized thick portion of the fabric after dyeing.
Causes: This defect is often caused by migration of dye during drying or by less dye reaching the
area around the thickening (e.g. knot, slub, gout) during pad dyeing.
Remedy: Use the correct dyeing recipe i.e. the appropriate leveling, fixing agents & the correct
combination of dyes.
Pilling: Small accumulations of fibre on the sutface of a fabric.
Causes: This defect is usually caused by abrasion during prolonged finishing processes.
Remedy: Avoid using the Tumble Dryer and control shrinkage by maximum fabric relaxation & over
feed in the processing.
Water spot: an unwanted pale area in a piece-dyed fabric.
Causes: This defect is caused by contamination with water prior to tinting or dyeing on a pad
mangle, which results in a reduction of uptake of dye liquor.
Remedy: Use the Padding mangle only for the application of the softener and use a hydro extractor
(Centrifuge) for the extraction to avoid the squeezer roll marks.

PILLING
GENERAL DEFECTS
Bad odour: A disagreeable smell that is not usually associated with the fabric.
Causes: This defect is often caused by the breakdown of finishing resins, fermented starch, mildew,
or the presence of other contaminants.
Remedy: Ensure that the finished material is treated properly
Cockling: An irregular three-dimensional effect in a fabric which prevents it from lying flat.
Causes: This defect is caused by stitch distortion, uneven yarn relaxation or, Shrinkage.
Remedy: Cockling can be corrected nearly 100% of the time with a proper pressing.
Dropped stitch: A wale, within one course, in which the yarn has not been formed into a stitch.
Causes: This defect is caused by a needle failing to take the yarn, or by the yarn casting off from the
knitting elements prematurely.
Remedy: The yarn being used should have no imperfections like; Slubs, Neps & big knots and the
gap between the Cylinder & the Dial should be correctly adjusted as per the knitted loop size.
Hole: A breakdown in the fabric where one or more adjacent loops are severed.
Causes: This defect can be due to very many causes, amongst which are: careless handling of the
fabric, defective machine elements, chemical damage, insect darnage or darnage during finishing
such as lack of control during singeing, shearing, etc.
Remedy: Use of flat knots and Yarn Regularity Control
DROPPED STITCH