SECTION 2
kNITTING TECHNIQUES
Needle
• Needle used in most knitting machines
• Hook and small latch that opens and closes
• For fast, uniform knitting
• Designed for needle beds
• Latch needles (Most used)
• Compound needle (Faster, new technology)
Carriage
• Moving part of a knitting machine
• Slides across the needle bed
• Controls needle movement
• Determines whether needles knit, tuck, slip, or transfer
• Holds yarn feeders to guide yarn into stitches.
• Needles are selected based on pattern
Needle bed
• Fixed base of a knitting machine
• Holds the needles in parallel slots
• Guides needle movement as the carriage passes
• Provides the foundation where stitches are formed and fabric grows
Casting on
• Starting method to put the first stitches on the needles
• Foundation row for knitting
• Different methods depending on stretch, strength, and look
• Affects the elasticity
• Edge of the knit
Casting off
• Finishing method
• Secure the last row of stitches
• Prevents fabric from unravelling
• Done by looping stitches over each other or using special techniques
• Different methods depending on stretch, strength, and look
• Affects edge elasticity, strength, and appearance
