Fabric Construction: Weaving, Knitting and Non-woven Techniques
What the exam tests
This domain tests whether you can identify how a fabric was made from its appearance and stretch, compare weave and knit structures, and calculate simple fabric mass relationships.
Weaving
On a loom the primary motions are shedding, picking and beating-up; take-up and let-off are secondary. Warp yarns run lengthwise, weft yarns across; ends and picks measure their density. Plain weave has maximum interlacing - firm, strong, low drape. Twill (for example 2/2 or 3/1) produces a diagonal line and better drape. Satin has long floats, giving lustre and smoothness but poor snag resistance.
Knitting
Weft knitting builds horizontal courses from loops formed in one direction; wales are the vertical columns. Single jersey curls at the edges, rib is reversible and elastic, interlock is stable and less curly. Warp knitting (tricot, raschel) uses many warp ends and is fast and stable. Knitted fabrics stretch because loops can open and distort.
Non-wovens
A web is formed (carded, wet-laid, spunbond, meltblown) and then bonded mechanically (needle punch), thermally, chemically or by hydroentanglement. Non-wovens are used in filtration, geotextiles, wipes, interlinings and disposables because they are cheap and fast to make, but they generally have low drape and poor recovery.
Worked example
A roll is 200 m long, 1.5 m wide and 150 g/m². Area = 200 × 1.5 = 300 m²; mass = 150 × 300 = 45,000 g = 45 kg. If the same order were specified at 120 g/m², mass would fall to 36 kg - a useful check when comparing quotations.
Traps that cost marks
Ends are warp, picks are weft; wales are vertical, courses horizontal. Satin is a weave, not a fibre. Non-woven fabric is neither woven nor knitted. Do not assume a twill is always stronger than a plain weave - interlacing and yarn quality matter.