Transcriber's Note:
The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.
This work is being issued at a period of unparalleleddevelopment in the industry of knitted fabrics, when ourBritish manufacturers are straining every nerve towardsattaining a dominating position in this vital branch of theproduction of textile goods. It is highly gratifying and fullof promise to note the spirit of enterprise which animatesour younger generation of manufacturers, and the keennessand alertness which permeate the industry at the presenttime. Increased concentration by our machine builders onthe numerous mechanical improvements being brought outin rapid succession from time to time is certain to have agreat influence on the further expansion of the industry, andhas the effect of considerably extending the horizon to themaker of knitted goods. With so many new firms springingup in different parts of the country, there has arisen anincreased demand for books dealing with the knitting industry,and this work is presented in the hope that it will dosomething towards satisfying this widespread desire. Thestudy of looped fabric structure is wide in scope, and none theless difficult because, on a first view, it appears simple andelementary. The prospect of the maker of knitted goods of allkinds, is further enhanced by the enormous production possibleon the present-day knitting machinery and on the fact thatthe garments are made ready-to-wear. In this work an effortis made to outline the principles underlying the technologyof the industry, and endeavours have been made to clarifycertain problems of fabric structure which require still greaterattention from the students of technology before they canbe regarded as solved. Emphasis has also been laid on thefundamentals of the knitting process as performed on variousmechanisms, for, if these basic principles are clearly comprehended,the foundation is securely laid for a further graspof the industry and its technology.
viSpecial attention is given to the structure and propertiesof knitting yarns, for in this texture it can be said with truththat the yarn is the fabric, seeing that the bulk of the productionsare made from the single thread looped upon itself.Several problems relating to the weight of knitted fabric andsimilar questions are