Ponte is a thick, double knit

fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

design produced on double jersey ( Rib or Interlock) knitting machines. It is one of the firm, stable structures of

knits Knitting is a method by which yarn is manipulated to create a textile, or fabric. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done by hand or by machine. Knitting creates stitches: loops of yarn in a row, either flat or ...

with a subtle sheen. This fabric is heavier and thicker than a regular

jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

. As with most of the other double knit designs, Ponte is reversible. The fabric is also known as ''Ponte di Roma.'' Ponte fabric

Origin

Knitters first developed Ponte in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Ponte di Roma means "Roman Bridge" which is suggested by the arrangement of loops.

Composition and Construction

All knit fabrics are a type of textile possible with various yarns made from multiple fibers types, ranging from natural, synthetics, and blends. To meet the required traits, It is necessary to create Ponte in blends or tri-blends by combining natural and synthetic yarns such as cotton, nylon, spandex, Or Viscose, Polyester, and spandex, and other combinations be Acrylic, etc. Ponte is a double knit, weft knitting design produced on Rib/Interlock circular knitting machines by manipulating

stockinette stitch Basic knitted fabrics include stocking stitch, reverse stocking stitch, garter stitch, seed stitch, faggoting, and tricot. In some cases, these fabrics appear differently on the right side (as seen when making the stitch) than on the wrong side ...

, using at least two yarn feeds, looping now on one set of needles, now on the other, to knit two fabrics joined together. it is a double knit fabric structure similar to Milano rib but repeating on four courses. Ponte can be incorporated coarser or finer by selecting the gauge of the knitting machine.

Characteristics

Ponte fabric is a heavier structure than regular knitted fabrics, which are used in tops and

T-shirts A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt), or tee, is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a ''crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shirts are generall ...

. Ponte is fabric with moderate stretch and drape but still maintains the stretch and comfort of knitted fabric with the added advantage of strength and durability. The

gsm The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation ( 2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such ...

is around(>300). Fabric edges do not curl, unlike single knit fabrics.

Use

The fabric characteristics make it suitable for bottoms such as

skirts A skirt is the lower part of a dress or a separate outer garment that covers a person from the waist downwards. At its simplest, a skirt can be a draped garment made out of a single piece of fabric (such as pareos). However, most skirts are ...

, treggings,

jeggings Jeggings () are leggings that are made to look like skin-tight denim jeans. The word is a portmanteau of the words ''jeans'' and ''leggings''. Wear Jeggings were brought on by the resurgence in style of skinny jeans in the late 2000s, when a h ...

, track pants,

shorts Shorts are a garment worn over the human pelvis, pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" b ...

dresses A dress (also known as a frock or a gown) is a garment traditionally worn by women or girls consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice (or a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece garment). It consists of a top piece that covers ...

, and

jackets A jacket is a garment for the upper body, usually extending below the hips. A jacket typically has sleeves, and fastens in the front or slightly on the side. A jacket is generally lighter, tighter-fitting, and less insulating than a coat, which ...

. {{Cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JaWrDwAAQBAJ&q=Ponte+fabric+used+in&pg=PA95, title=Fibre2Fashion - Textile Magazine, publisher=, year=2016, isbn=, location=, pages=95, author1=Fibre2Fashion

References

Knitted fabrics