Full Fashioned Knitting

Full fashion and shaping manufacturing
eliminate the need to mark

and cut the fabric.

The sweater is shaped on the knitting
machine by increasing or decreasing

the number of needles in use
during the knitting process.

This technique is also used in the
manufacturing of hosiery and underwear.

While full fashion and shaping utilize
the same manufacturing technique as

creates panels,
the appearance of the fabric made

from these two processes is different.

In full fashion,
the transferring of specific loops

to adjacent needles to widen or narrow
the fabric results in fashion

marks being formed.

If fashion marks are not formed,
the resulting sweater, after the pieces

are sewn, is called a shaped garment.

Because of the complexity of shaping, the
production rate of knitting is reduced.

A big advantage is that most
of the cutting is eliminated.

With full fashioning or shaping,
garment pieces can be sewn together using

conventional sewing, or they can be joined
together by a process called linking.

For example, the waistband would be linked
to the body piece or a sleeve

attached at the armhole.

In linking, each fashioned piece has
an edge that must be joined

to an edge of another piece.

Depending on the number of wale loops
on the edge and the garment manufacturing

specifications, the first piece
is placed on the linking pins.

The next piece is then placed on top of
the first piece and they're sewn together.

Linking results in a thinner seam than
most normal cut-and-sew processes.

Keep in mind that manufacturing defects
that cannot be repaired will result in

a defective garment that cannot be sold.