Difference between Weaving and Knitting

Clothing is one of the essential things in life. It is as important as food. There are new trends that come in clothing. People wish to inculcate and imbibe the new trends in the market. For instance, there was a time when loose pants were in fashion, then came the pencil-fit jeans, followed by ankle-length jeans. Trends keep on changing, and so do people's tastes.

Now, there are two ways in which clothes are prepared, i.e., through weaving and knitting. They might seem to be the same, but they are not. So, let us look at the primary definitions of weaving and knitting, followed by their difference.

Weaving

Weaving is defined as the process of creating a fabric through the interlacing of threads. There are two sets of yarns used in interlacing. They are called the warp, i.e., the vertical yarn, and weft yarn, i.e., the horizontal yarn.

Woven fabric is created with these two sets of yarns. There are three significant types of weaves, i.e., twill, plain, and satin. The interlacing of the yarns determines the type of weave on the cloth.

Some of the examples of weaving include Turkish handicrafts, towels, linen, bristle threads, etc. Interestingly, plain weave is the strongest kind of weave and is also the simplest. In the plain weave, the threads are interlaced one after another, i.e., crossing over one another. On the contrary, satin is one of the shiniest threads. A shiny and refined fabric is created through the satin.

Now, let us look at the history of weaving. Well, weaving dates back to the Neolithic period (12,000 years ago approx.). It was earlier done by hands, but with the invention of machines, it was later done with them. The 'flying shuffle' is the oldest weaving technique. This technique was discovered by John Kay in the year 1733.

Knitting

Knitting is defined as the process through which the yarn is used in creating a textile/ fabric. Knitting is used in various garments. Interestingly, it is done both by machines and hands. The yarn is used in connected loops with the help of needles. Some of the examples of knitting include a sweater, a dress, etc. There are two significant kinds of knitting, i.e., filling knits and weft knitting.

One of the prominent advantages of knitting is that the compactness of the fabric/ textile is easily achieved. On the other hand, one disadvantage of knitting is that the structure of the loops is easily distorted during the creation. It might lead to the wastage of yarns.

Well, there are many knitting stitches, but some of the simplest knitting stitches are Garter Stitch, Stocking Stitch, Moss Stitch, Double Moss Stitch, etc. Fabric is created through four methods of knitting, i.e., the combination method, the eastern method, the lever knitting method, and the western method. The lever knitting method is the fastest method in order to form a fabric.

It is interesting to note that knitting by hand was invented by the Spanish Christian Royal Families in the 13^th century AD. Now, there are certain differences between weaving and knitting. So, let us have a look at them.

So, these are some of the contrasting points regarding weaving and knitting. The techniques employed in creating a fabric are different in weaving and knitting. One kind of fabric is used in summers (weaved fabrics), while the other one is used in winters (knitted fabrics). Both of the clothing materials are essential. Thus, both weaving and knitting are significant in creating new kinds of textiles and fabrics.