What Is Knitting in Clothing? How Knitted T-Shirt Fabric Is Made

Every knitted t shirt manufacturer depends on one step that most buyers never see: turning yarn into fabric on a knitting machine. This guide explains what knitting is in clothing, how knitted fabric is made on machines, the main knit structures and what each is used for, and how the knitting stage is actually organised in Tirupur, based on more than 20 years of producing knitted garments for export.

What Is Knitting in Clothing?

Knitting is a method of making fabric by forming rows of interlocking loops from one or more yarns. Each loop is pulled through the one before it, so the fabric can stretch and recover in a way woven fabric cannot. That is why knitted clothing, t-shirts, polo shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, leggings, and baby wear, feels soft and moves with the body. Woven fabric, by contrast, is made by crossing two sets of threads at right angles, which makes it firmer and more stable, as in shirts and denim. Knitted garments are the core of Tirupur’s industry, and they make up most of the everyday clothing people wear.

How Knitting Is Organised in Tirupur

In Tirupur, knitting is normally outsourced to specialist knitting units rather than done inside each garment factory, and that is how we work too. It is the usual practice across the cluster, because knitting is a capital-heavy, specialised process, and dedicated units with rows of circular machines run it more efficiently than a garment factory could. The garment manufacturer’s job is to specify the fabric exactly, the yarn type and count, the knit structure, the machine gauge, the GSM, and whether it is tubular or open width, and then to check and approve the knitted fabric before it moves on to dyeing. For knitted clothing manufacturers, that specification and approval step is where fabric quality is won or lost, and it is why the knitting partner matters as much as the sewing floor. We work with certified knitting and garment partner factories across the cluster.

How Knitting Is Done Using Machines

Industrial knitting is done on three main machine types. Circular knitting machines knit a continuous tube of fabric and produce most t-shirt, polo, and sweatshirt fabric, including single jersey, rib, interlock, pique, terry, and fleece. Flat bed knitting machines knit flat panels and are used for collars, cuffs, and fully fashioned sweaters, the kind covered on our sweater manufacturing page. Warp knitting machines form loops lengthwise from many yarns at once, making stable fabrics such as tricot and mesh used in sportswear and linings.

The machine’s gauge, the number of needles per inch, controls how fine or heavy the fabric can be. For t-shirt jersey, 160 GSM fabric can be knitted on a 24 or 28 gauge machine, but above 160 GSM only a 24 gauge machine works, because heavier fabric needs coarser yarn. Our guide to t-shirt jersey fabric explains how gauge, GSM, and finishing shape the final feel.

A Real Order: How a Gauge Change Fixed the Feel

A buyer from France once rejected a fabric because they did not like its feel. The yarn and the weight were not the problem; the knitting was. We changed the knitting to a 24 gauge machine and re-knitted the fabric, and the new fabric was approved. It is a good example of why gauge belongs in the fabric specification. Two fabrics can share the same yarn and GSM and still feel different, because the gauge changes how tightly the loops are formed and how the fabric handles in the hand.

Weft vs Warp, Single vs Double Knit

Knitting divides into two families. Weft knitting forms loops across the width of the fabric, row by row, from a single yarn, and it covers almost all t-shirt and sweatshirt fabric. Warp knitting forms loops lengthwise from many yarns, making fabric that is more stable and less stretchy. Weft knits are then split into single knits, made on one set of needles, such as jersey, and double knits, made on two sets, such as rib and interlock, which are thicker and smooth on both sides.

Knitted Garments and Where They Are Used

Knitted garments cover most of the clothing worn every day: t-shirts and polos, sweatshirts and hoodies, joggers and leggings, sleepwear and loungewear, and almost all baby and kids wear. Their stretch, softness, and breathability suit anything worn close to the body. For any knitted t shirt manufacturer, the knit structure is chosen first, jersey for tees, pique for polos, terry or fleece for sweatshirts, and the rest of production, dyeing, cutting, and sewing, is planned around it. After knitting, the fabric moves to colour, covered in our guide to dyed t-shirt production.

Knitting Defects to Check

Most fabric problems start at the knitting machine, so they are worth checking on the knitted fabric before it is dyed. Holes and dropped stitches come from broken or faulty needles. Needle lines, thin vertical lines along the fabric, come from a damaged needle or uneven tension. Barré, faint horizontal stripes, comes from mixing yarn lots with slightly different properties. And spirality, where t-shirt side seams twist after washing, begins with yarn twist and knit structure. A fabric inspection at this stage costs far less than finding the same fault in finished garments.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is knitting in clothing?

Knitting is a way of making fabric by forming rows of interlocking loops of yarn. The looped structure gives knitted fabric natural stretch and softness, which is why it is used for t-shirts, sweatshirts, leggings, and baby wear. Woven fabric, by contrast, crosses two sets of threads at right angles.

What is the knitting process in the textile industry?

Yarn is fed into a knitting machine, usually a circular machine for t-shirt fabric, which forms loops into continuous fabric. The fabric is then inspected, dyed, and finished before cutting and sewing. In Tirupur, knitting is usually done by specialist knitting units working to the garment manufacturer’s specification.

What is the difference between weft and warp knitting?

Weft knitting forms loops across the fabric width from one yarn and makes stretchy fabrics such as jersey, rib, and interlock. Warp knitting forms loops lengthwise from many yarns and makes more stable fabrics such as tricot and mesh.

What does gauge mean in knitting?

Gauge is the number of needles per inch on a knitting machine. A finer gauge knits lighter, smoother fabric; a coarser gauge knits heavier fabric. For t-shirt jersey, 160 GSM can be knitted on 24 or 28 gauge, and above 160 GSM only 24 gauge works.

When was knitted fabric invented?

Hand knitting dates back many centuries, with some of the earliest known knitted items being socks from Egypt around the 11th century. Machine knitting began in 1589, when William Lee invented the stocking frame in England, the ancestor of modern knitting machines.