Rib Gating

Whether circular knit or flatbed machines
are used to produce double knits,

there is some variance in how needles
are employed to create this fabric.

Both sets of needles can be used
at the same time or at different times,

but they don't touch or hit.

How are they positioned
and activated to accomplish this?

On a knitting machine,
needles are gated or spaced in the dial

and the cylinder
in relationship to each other.

With rib gating, the two sets of needles
are not directly opposite each other.

The needles of the cylinder are
between the needles of the dial.

Here you can see how both sets of needles
can knit at the same time without

touching or hitting each other.

Although all needles have the same length,
the butts are in two different locations,

which activates the needles
to create patterning.

Rib gating results in a fabric where face
loops and back loops

alternate in the same course.

A face wale is made
by needles on the cylinder.

A back wale is made
by needles on the dial.

Look closely at the structure
of the fabric, and you see that a vertical

line or wale of visible crowns is arranged
between two vertical

lines of visible legs.

This construction is one-by-one rib, where
both sides of the fabric look the same.

There are different notation
systems for needle selection.

This example shows how knit loops
alternate one by one on dial

and cylinder needles.

This notation is for a one-by-one rib.

Notice that both long butt
and short butt needles are selected.

This notation is for a two-by-two rib.

Here you see that for each feed of yarn,
two loops produced on the dial are

alternated with two loops
produced by the cylinder.

Note that with this configuration,
only needles of long butt positions knit,

while the needles with short
butt positions do not knit.

Because basic rib knits have alternation
of face and back wales,

the structure can easily be stretched.

In the normal relaxed state,
the back wales hide behind the face wales.

When stretched in the width,
the structure opens like an accordion,

resulting in more stretch than
single knits and other double knits.

The back wales now become visible.

When pulled in the length direction,
the back wales move behind the face

wales and the fabric becomes more narrow.

Because of this extensibility,
basic ribs are used for sweaters

and dresses, as well as for neck
collars, arm and waistbands.

We've just shown you two of the
simplest rib-gated double knits.

Another commonly used construction
for rib-gated double knits is Swiss pique.

Its structure is a bit more complicated.

This notation shows you the pattern
for knitting on the cylinder

below and the dial on top.

With feed one of yarn,
the machine knits on all the cylinder

needles, but on the dial, the machine uses
only the needles with long butt positions.

With feed two, it misses all the cylinder
needles and knits only the dial needles

with butts in the long position.

With feed three,
the machine knits with all the needles

on the cylinder,
but only with the dial needles

that have butts in the short position.

With feed four,
the machine knits only on the dial

needles with short butt positions.

The Swiss pique produced from this needle
pattern has a distinctive

texture and appearance.

The fabric produced has good stability and does not curl.