Knit fabric is a textile that results from interlocking yarn together with long needles. Knit fabric falls into two categories: weft knitting and warp knitting.

• Weft knitting is a fabric knit in which the loops run back and forth, while
• Wrap knitting is a fabric knit in which loops run up and down.

Knit fabrics can be made from many fibres:

* Cotton

* Silk

* Viscose

* Spandex
* Wool

* Polyester

* Nylon

* Tencel

* Modal

* Hemp

* Bamboo etc.

Knit fabrics are used for many different clothing types:

• Tee shirts
• Sweaters
• Joggers
• Dresses
• Underwear
• Swimwear

And come in different knit "weights" too!

Characteristics of Knit Fabric

• Stretchy and Flexible

Since knit fabric forms from a series of loops, it's incredibly stretchy and can stretch both in width and length. This fabric type works well for zipper less, form-fitting clothing items. The texture of knit fabric is also flexible and unstructured, so it will conform to most shapes and drape or stretch over them.

• Wrinkle-resistant
  

Due to knit fabric's elasticity, it's very wrinkle-resistant-if you crumple it into a ball in your hand and then release, the material should spring back into much the same shape it had before.

• Soft

Most knit fabrics are soft to the touch. If it's a tight-knit fabric, it will feel smooth; if it's a looser-knit fabric, it will feel bumpy or ridged due to the ribbing.

• Easy to Maintain

Knit fabric doesn't require a lot of special care like hand-washing and can easily handle machine-washing. This fabric type doesn't require ironing, since it's generally wrinkle-resistant.

• Easy to Damage
  

Knit fabric isn't as durable as woven fabric, and it will eventually begin to stretch out or pill after wear.

• Difficult to sew

Due to its stretchiness, knit fabric is much harder to sew (either by hand or on a sewing machine) than non-stretchy fabrics, because it can be challenging to stitch straight lines without gathers and puckers.

Jersey knit: Jersey is the most common type of knit fabric. To make this textile, both knit and purl stitching are put together using a single needle. Thus, this fabric is also called the single or plain knit. Among the knit fabrics, this one is easy to distinguish because of its unmistakable right and wrong side of fabric.

Jersey knit fabric is a common textile used for making basic T-shirts. It is also perfect for draped garments like dresses and tops. It can come in any fiber, like wool, hemp, bamboo, cotton, tencel, modal, rayon, polyester, nylon etc.