Textile

Flat knitting

Flat knitting is a method for producing knitted fabrics in which the work is turned periodically; that is, the fabric is worked with alternating sides facing the knitter.

A picture of a scarf being knitted on single point needles out of homespun yarn
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The tradition & historical record

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Flat knitting is a method for producing knitted fabrics in which the work is turned periodically; that is, the fabric is worked with alternating sides facing the knitter. Another method of achieving the same result is to knit alternately from right to left and left to right without turning; this back-and-forth technique requires either innate or learned ambidextrous motor skills. The two sides (or "faces") of the fabric are usually designated as the right side (the side that faces outwards, towards the viewer and away from the wearer's body) and the wrong side (the side that faces inwards, away from the viewer and towards the wearer's body). Flat knitting is usually contrasted with circular knitting, in which the fabric is always knitted from the same side. Flat knitting can complicate knitting somewhat compared with circular knitting, since the same stitch (as seen from the right side) is produced by two different movements when knitted from the right and wrong sides. Thus, a knit stitch (as seen from the right side) may be produced by a knit stitch on the right side, or by a purl stitch on the wrong side. This may cause the gauge of the knitting to vary in alternating rows of stockinette fabrics; however, this effect is usually not noticeable, and may be eliminated with practice (the usual way) or by using needles of two different sizes (an unusual and less effective way). In flat knitting, the fabric is usually turned after every row. 1

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Flat knitting”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. 1

Flat knitting is Knitting technique, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. 2

The source record links this tradition to 1 external register, which can be verified through the citation. 2

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Sources on Record
[1]Wikipedia: Flat knitting · encyclopedia
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