Ever wonder why t-shirts are so much comfier than button up collared shirts? It's not just because we associate tees with good times, instead of stuffy work environments. The garment industry's reason is, because it's a knit! Tight knit jersey fabric stretches with the body's movement far better than any woven fabric ever could.
Here are some fotos from my tour inside Pacific Coast Knitting, knitwear factory in HP, CA.
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| Giant single fiber spools ready to be threaded through the needle below! |
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| One of hundreds of industrial needles in the knitting machine |
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Giant Spider like knitting machine
Blended fabrics are made by threading each needle with a different spool. For example, if a t-shirt is 80% cotton and 20% lycra, 80% of the needles will be threaded with cotton and the other 20% will be lycra. |
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| Racks and racks of knit fabric bolts. |
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| After a bolt of fabric is made, it is run over a light box to see if there are any holes or imperfectios. |
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| Inside the design and sample making room |
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| The pattern maker must be a fan of Nina Hagen. |
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| Every finished garment sample is washed to check for shrinkage. |
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| The trash can has a knit jersey lining, it sure saves money on trash bags and is for dry trash only :) |
