Besides clothing and decoration, knitted products are used in industry, agriculture, medical care, and national defense. Knitting is divided into two categories: hand knitting and machine knitting. Based on different process characteristics, knitting production is divided into two main categories: weft knitting and warp knitting. In weft knitting, the raw materials are wound and the yarn can be directly fed into the machine for production.
Some knitting machines combine weft and warp knitting. In this case, two sets of yarns are used on the knitting machine: one set is laid down using the warp knitting method, and the other set is laid down using the weft knitting method. The knitting needles combine the two sets of yarns to form loops, creating the knitted fabric. Loops formed from the same yarn are arranged along the weft direction in weft-knitted fabrics, while in warp-knitted fabrics they are arranged along the warp direction.
Knitwear refers to clothing woven using knitting equipment. A sweater is a type of knitwear, specifically a sweater knitted using wool yarn. Besides wool yarn, the raw materials for knitwear include cotton yarn and various synthetic fibers.
