![Lace knitting 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Lace_knitting_2.jpg)
Flat knitting is a method for producing
knitted fabric
Knitted fabric is a textile that results from knitting, the process of inter-looping of yarns or inter-meshing of loops. Its properties are distinct from woven fabric in that it is more flexible and can be more readily constructed into smaller pi ...
s in which the work is turned periodically; that is, the fabric is worked with alternating sides facing the knitter. Another method of achieving the same result is to knit alternately from right to left and left to right without turning; this back-and-forth technique requires either innate or learned
ambidextrous
Ambidexterity is the ability to use both the right and left hand equally well. When referring to objects, the term indicates that the object is equally suitable for right-handed and left-handed people. When referring to humans, it indicates that ...
motor skills. The two sides (or "faces") of the fabric are usually designated as the right side (the side that faces outwards, towards the viewer and away from the wearer's body) and the wrong side (the side that faces inwards, away from the viewer and towards the wearer's body).
Flat knitting is usually contrasted with
circular knitting
Circular knitting or knitting in the round is a form of knitting that creates a seamless tube. Work in the round is begun by casting on stitches as for flat knitting but then joining the ends of that row of stitches to form a circle. Knittin ...
, in which the fabric is always knitted from the same side. Flat knitting can complicate knitting somewhat compared with
circular knitting
Circular knitting or knitting in the round is a form of knitting that creates a seamless tube. Work in the round is begun by casting on stitches as for flat knitting but then joining the ends of that row of stitches to form a circle. Knittin ...
, since the same stitch (as seen from the right side) is produced by two different movements when knitted from the right and wrong sides. Thus, a knit stitch (as seen from the right side) may be produced by a knit stitch on the right side, or by a purl stitch on the wrong side. This may cause the
gauge
Gauge ( or ) may refer to:
Measurement
* Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments
* Gauge (firearms)
* Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire
** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, es ...
of the knitting to vary in alternating rows of
stockinette fabrics; however, this effect is usually not noticeable, and may be eliminated with practice (the usual way) or by using
needles of two different sizes (an unusual and less effective way).
In flat knitting, the fabric is usually turned after every row. However, in some versions of
double knitting
Double knitting is a form of hand knitting in which two fabrics are knitted simultaneously on one pair of needles. The fabrics may be inseparable, as in ''interlock knitted fabrics'', or they can simply be two unconnected fabrics. In principle ...
with two yarns and
double-pointed knitting needles, the fabric may turned after every second row.
Flat knitting can be worked by hand as described above, or made on a single-bed knitting machine, but it can also be produced on a double-bed knitting machine using only one bed.
In
Industrial Knitting applications, the terms "Flat" and "Circular" have very different meanings from those given above. A "Flat" or Vee Bed knitting machine consists of two flat needle beds arranged in an upside-down "V" formation. These needle beds can be up to wide. A carriage, also known as a Cambox or Head, moves backwards and forwards across these needle beds, working the needles to selectively, knit, tuck or transfer stitches. A flat-knitting machine is very flexible, allowing complex stitch designs, shaped knitting and precise width adjustment. It is, however, relatively slow when compared with a circular machine. A knitting speed of up to or slower is considered "low speed" in flat knitting which is generally seen in hand-flat machines. The two largest manufacturers of industrial flat-knitting machines are Stoll of Germany, and Shima Seiki of Japan. The industrial hand flat-knitting machine is considered to have been invented by work covered by the Isaac Lamb patents.
References
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* Haffenden, Translating Between Hand and Machine Knitting, Crowood Press, (2019).
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Knitting