Knitting forms fabric by intermeshing loops of yarn. Weaving forms fabric by interlacing two yarn sets, warp and weft, typically at right angles. The useful starting distinction is how the yarns connect within the fabric.1
For the wider material context, see Fabric Fundamentals; for the yarn entering the process, see Yarn Fundamentals.
Loops, stitches, courses, and wales
A loop is the basic yarn unit of a knitted structure. In a simple loop fabric, a stitch is a loop intermeshed with other loops. Two terms describe their arrangement:2
- A course is a row of loops across the fabric.
- A wale is a column of loops along the fabric’s length.2
Picture a simple swatch with its length running up the page: follow a row sideways to trace a course, or a column upward to trace a wale. These words describe the fabric structure; turning the swatch does not exchange their meanings.2
Weft knitting and warp knitting
In weft knitting, a yarn forms a succession of loops generally across the fabric. A weft-knitted structure can be made from a single yarn supply.3
In warp knitting, a set of yarns is supplied lengthwise. A yarn can move between neighboring wales while forming loops in successive courses. Lengthwise supply does not mean that a yarn simply remains in one straight column.3
The distinction concerns yarn supply and path through the structure. Both families have courses and wales.23
Flat and circular knitting
Flat-bed and circular knitting describe machine arrangements within weft knitting:4
| Arrangement | Basic layout |
|---|---|
| Flat-bed knitting | Needles are arranged in a straight line on a bed. |
| Circular knitting | Knitting takes place around a cylinder, commonly producing a fabric tube. |
These describe a different aspect of knitting from the weft/warp distinction. Both arrangements listed here use the weft-knitting principle.4
Stretch, recovery, and fabric context
The looped structure allows the fabric to change shape under a pull, contributing to stretch. Stretch describes extension; recovery describes the return toward the original size and shape after deformation. Extension need not be fully recovered, and some deformation may remain.5
Construction is only part of the explanation. Fiber and yarn structure also affect their response to tension. Processing matters too: for cotton knits, knitting parameters, yarn count, processing tension, relaxation, and finishing influence fabric dimensions and shrinkage.6
Together, these distinctions explain why the word knitted does not specify a fixed amount of stretch, complete recovery, or a finished fabric’s dimensional behavior. Those claims need the context of the construction, fiber and yarn, and finishing.56
Citations
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- Knit Basics — Cotton Incorporated / CottonWorks. Evidence locator: What are Knits?, opening paragraph.
- Fabric Manufacture I — 1. Introduction to Fabric Manufacturing; 1.1 Introduction — NPTEL / Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. Evidence locator: Weaving Technology, opening paragraph, and Warp/Weft definitions.
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- Knitting Technology — 1.0 Introduction and Basic Concepts — NPTEL / Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. Evidence locator: Section 1.1 Basic concepts, WALE and COURSE paragraphs following Figures 3–4, and KNITTED FABRIC/LOOPS paragraphs preceding Figure 5.
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- Knitting Technology — 1.0 Introduction and Basic Concepts — NPTEL / Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. Evidence locator: Section 1.1 Basic concepts, yarn-path and supply paragraphs following Figures 3–4.
- Knit Basics — Cotton Incorporated / CottonWorks. Evidence locator: Weft Knitting, final paragraph, and Warp Knitting, opening two paragraphs.
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- Knit Basics — Cotton Incorporated / CottonWorks. Evidence locator: Weft Knitting, circular-machine paragraph and caption, and flat-bed-machine paragraph.
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- Knit Basics — Cotton Incorporated / CottonWorks. Evidence locator: What are Knits?, opening paragraph.
- Textile Testing — Tensile Testing: Stress-Strain Curve — NPTEL / Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. Evidence locator: Stress-Strain Curve, item g) Elastic recovery and permanent set.
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- Textile Testing — Tensile Testing: Stress-Strain Curve — NPTEL / Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. Evidence locator: Stress-Strain Curve, item d) and yarn-parameter paragraph following Work of rupture.
- Wet Processing of 100% Cotton Knitted Fabrics — Cotton Incorporated · TRI 3011; copyright 1999 · 1999. Evidence locator: printed p. 1, Introduction and Knitting, and printed p. 2, Processing Tensions opening.