Intarsia: referring to colourful patterns on a single-jersey knit (e.g. Argyle), the term “intarsia” originally comes from wood inlaying.

Jacquard pattern: a technique for creating knitted fabrics with a textured surface that enable the production of complex patterns (named after its inventor, Joseph-Marie Jacquard).

Weft knitting: a special technique in which the threads are simply inserted. This has the effect of eliminating the sideways stretch, so that the finished product is similar to a woven fabric.

Doubleface: a knitted fabric in which the front and back are made from two different, independent thread systems. This means that the two sides can be different colours, and/or made from different fibres.

Felted knit: knitted textiles in which the surface has been felted in specific areas using a fulling technique so that the original knitted structure can hardly be seen.

Plating: colour plating is a patterned effect produced by using different colours knitted with right and left stitches.

Structured pattern: different knitting techniques (e.g. Aran) can be used to produce fabric surfaces with a varied texture.

Plaited stitch: a special structured pattern that has the form of a plait.

Interlock: a type of knitting in which two layers of jersey are knitted together, back to back.

Woven design: see weft knitting.

Applied elements: decorative elements of various types and sizes that are worked into the knitted fabric, including floating threads, protruding elements, fringes and loops, as well as knitted accessories (bands, collars, facings, etc.).

Gauge: a unit of measurement that specifies the mesh count: this tells you how fine the knitted fabric is. We produce knitted fabrics ranging from 3 to 15 gauge.

Stoll and Shima Seiki machines: these modern, computerised flat knitting machines, composed of several systems, are the two biggest and-best-known brands worldwide. These machines allow for a diverse range of designs and patterns.

Fully-fashioned/contoured: this is the most commonly used processing technique in the knitting industry. It produces textiles that are contoured and can be further processed without any cutting. Edges can be worked by increasing or decreasing the number of stitches, which avoids waste from offcuts.

Knit and wear/whole garment: the knitted garment (e.g. a jersey) is knitted completely in a single piece, and comes off the machine (almost) ready to wear. This ultra-modern manufacturing technique requires intensive development and programming. It is ideal for high production volumes.

Cut and Sew/knit fabrics: this is a very common production technique. The garment pieces are cut out from the knit fabric and sewn together, as with other textiles. This technique is particularly suitable for low-volume production.

3D knitting: the knitted item (e.g. shoe upper, office furniture, garment) is knitted completely in a single piece – similar to the knit and wear technique – and comes off the machine (almost) finished. The difference is that three dimensional protrusions, forms and structures can also be knitted in a single step, without the need for further sewing/processing. This technology is used for technical applications and in the fashion industry.