What Exactly Goes on in a Tricot Factory!

February 28, 2010

Tricot is a special type of knit fabric that is very unique in its structure. You must have noticed a few special types of warm fabrics where one side is smooth and the other side is ribbed. This is tricot wool.

Tricot is basically a method of knitting a fibre. Tricot fabric is usually very lightweight and is produced from synthetic fibres like nylon. However, tricot fabric made from natural fibres like cotton, silk and wool is also available.

How is Tricot produced?

Tricot is made using something called a warp-knit machine. Many warp-knit machines can be found in a tricot factory. These machines consist of a patented technology and they create tricot fabric in a very typical manner. On a knitting machine, long threads are stretched, parallel to one another and then adjacent threads loop around each other. This gives tricot fabric its characteristic appearance of ribs running vertically in the front and horizontally at the back of the fabric.

The difference between Tricot fabric and Tricot Crochet:

In earlier times, when warp-knitting machines hadn’t been invented, tricot crochet was a method of knitting thick wool and creating crocheted fabric. The tricot crochet is today, popularly known as the Afghani stitch so as not to confuse it with the now-popular Tricot fabric. There is definitely a huge difference between the two as one is machine-produced and the other is hand-made.

Which fibres is tricot normally made of?

Usually, tricot is made from synthetic fibres like polyester, nylon, tri-acetate or acetate. For stability, nylon is blended with the base fibre, and spandex is blended with it for stretch. Cotton, wool and silk are rare tricot fibres, of a higher quality.

What are the advantages of tricot?

Tricot has a very long life, and it is mostly a non-elastic fabric. It is also useful for support and comfort. Moreover, it keeps the skin warm in cold weather.

What are the main uses of tricot?

?Linings: Tricot is a moderately durable fabric. Its non-elasticity makes it perfect for luggage lining, as the container will not sag or get out of shape as it ages.

?Women’s Undergarments: Tricot is a soft, extremely comfortable fabric. The fibres holding it together are such that it gives a great amount of support. It is used to produce panties in particular. The cloth can be made in many patterns as well as dyed in many hues. This makes it flexible enough to adapt to the fashion of the hour.

?Home Crafts: Tricot is a material that can be worked with easily. Beginners use it to make doll clothing and other such craft projects. It is a cheaper alternative to other types of fabric used for these purposes.

Some types of eveningwear, bridal fashions and blouses are also made of tricot.

How to take care of your tricot goods?

The great thing about tricot is its resilience and convenience. It can be machine washed regularly and it won’t alter shape. It can also be put into the tumble dryer on normal settings. The only thing you should be careful of is using a low heat setting while ironing tricot garments.

Tricot is one of the marvels of technology. An all-round durable and useful fabric that is also fascinating to read about.