But what is a knit in the end? Even seamstresses talk about it, yet they don't knit! Well, knitting is creating your own fabric.
There are several techniques to create a fabric. To understand the construction of knitting, we will distinguish the two main techniques that make it possible to achieve: woven fabric and knitted fabric.
The first is made by weaving, that is to say that at least two threads intersect perpendicularly. This accumulation of criss-crossing threads gives the fabric a firmer hold. This is also what gives it its particular aspect. Woven fabrics, also called “warp and weft”, can also be woven in different ways, which will in itself modify the rendering (canvas, twill, satin, crepe, etc.).
The second, the one that interests us, is a so-called knitted mesh fabric, because it is created by a series of loops inserted one into the other, and this, generally from a single thread. This offers a great advantage: elasticity!
So, in the trade, it is not uncommon to find pieces of clothing called knitwear when they are not knitted by hand. The merchant then refers to the type of fabric used and calls on the consumer's knowledge of its characteristics: more flexible hold, elasticity, lightness, etc. Obviously, these are fabrics knitted industrially by a knitting machine. The principle is substantially the same.
So, knitting is simple, it's creating a fabric using loops in an artisanal way. To do this, we use a knitting yarn as well as needles with which we create a series of loops held on a needle. These loops are called stitches . As we go, we work more loops through the stitches. When all the stitches have been knitted and transferred to the other needle, we have created a row . The most surprising? It's that we only need to know two types of stitch to make all the others: the knit stitch and the purl stitch .
And here is a whole creative universe that opens up to us!
Happy knitting!
Maryse
References :
Tailor, Lisa. I start sewing. Editions Eyrolles, 2021.
Bran, Sharon. The Ultimate Guide to Knitting , Modus Vivendi, 2009.
Editors of Vogue knitting magazine. Vogue knitting, The ultimate knitting book. Soho Publishing LLC, Sixth&Spring Books, 2018.