It often happens that a conversation with a specialist leaves us feeling embarrassed. The expert explains, and we nod, pretending to understand everything.
For example, with a car mechanic, we might hear: “We need to replace the gasket under the head, and to do that, we must…” and then a flood of technical terms follows that don’t mean much to us.
With a builder, you might hear: “We’ll double-layer this wall and add mineral wool. Do you prefer the joints to be plastered or…?”
With an IT specialist – it’s best not to ask!
The same happens with knitting. Technical terms can leave us confused, so below I’ll explain some concepts about fabric thickness in a simple way. This is to make conversations with us more comfortable and understandable for clients.
What is needle gauge?
When ordering a sweater, hoodie, or T-shirt, the manufacturer might say: “fabric from gauge 3,” “needle gauge 7,” or “21 gg fabric.” Sounds mysterious, right? Let me explain!
Knit fabrics are made on knitting machines that have needles. The thickness of the needles affects the finished fabric – the thicker the needle, the thicker the fabric. Thin needles create a finer, denser material because they are placed closer together. Thick needles have more space between them.
The needle gauge number indicates how many needles fit in one inch (2.54 cm). If the needles are thick, fewer can fit, and if they’re thin, more can fit.
In the images below, you can see the needles from a machine with gauge 3 and one with gauge 7.
- A machine with gauge 3 has 3 needles per inch – the fabric is thick.
- A machine with gauge 7 has 7 needles per inch – the fabric is medium.
- A machine with gauge 12, 14, or 16 has up to 16 needles per inch – the fabric is very thin.
In short: a low needle gauge number = thick fabric, and a high needle gauge number = thin fabric.
Does fabric thickness affect jacquard patterns?
Yes, it does! The thicker the fabric, the larger the stitches, and as a result, the patterns are less detailed.
For example:
- A stitch in a thick knit made on a machine with gauge 3 could be several millimeters wide and high. The front of a sweater made from this fabric will have about 70-80 stitches in width and a similar number in height, totaling around 5,000 stitches in the entire section.
- The front of a sweater made from thin fabric (e.g., with gauge 12) will have tiny stitches – about 300 in width and 300 in height. That gives about 90,000 stitches in the whole section.
What does this mean? On thin fabric, we can create detailed, complex patterns. On thick fabric, only simple geometric patterns work well.
Summary: If you want a detailed pattern, choose thin fabric. For simple patterns, go for thick fabric.
How does fabric thickness affect structural stitches (cables, aran, lace)?
The thicker the fabric, the more noticeable the cables and other structural patterns will be.
- Thick fabrics – the stitches are large, so the cables and other patterns are bold and raised.
- Thin fabrics – the stitches are small, so the patterns will be subtler and less visible.
If you want the structural patterns (like cables) to stand out well, choose a thicker fabric.
Summary:
- Low needle gauge number = thick fabric, high needle gauge number = thin fabric.
- Detailed jacquard patterns work better on thin fabric, while only simple ones are suitable for thick fabric.
- Cables and other structural stitches are more visible on thick fabrics.