KNITTED FABRIC DEFECTS Defect

Barre Birdseye

Explanation
Occurs in circular knit. Caused by mixing yarn on feed into machine. Fabric will appear to have horizontal streaks Caused by unintentional tucking from malfunctioning needle. Usually two small distorted stitches, side by side

Severity
Major Major or Minor depending on severity Major

Broken Color Usually caused by color yarn out of place on frame. Pattern

Drop Stitches Results from malfunctioning needle or jack. Will appear as holes, or Major missing stitches. End out Hole Occurs in warp knit. Results from knitting machine continuing to run with missing end. Caused by broken needle. Major Major Major

Missing Yarn Occurs in circular knit. Caused by one end of yarn missing from feed and machine continuing to run. Mixed Yarn

Occurs in Warp knit. Results from wrong fiber yarn ( or wrong size Major or Minor yarn) placed on warp. Fabric could appear as thick end or different color if fibers have different affinity for dye. Caused by bent needle forming distorted stitches. Usually vertical line. Results when all or some of the needles on circular knitting fail to function and the fabric either falls off the machine or design is completely disrupted or destroyed. Usually caused by broken needle. Will appear as vertical line. (most machines have a stopping device to stop machine when a needle breaks) Usually caused by a thick or heavy place in yarn, or by lint getting onto yarn feeds Major Major

Needle Line Press-off

Runner

Major

Slub

Major or Minor

Straying End Warp knit. Caused when an end of yarn breaks and the loose end Major strays and is knit irregularly into another area

WOVEN FABRIC DEFECTS

Defect
Bull Mark

Explanation

Severity

When a slub or extra piece of yarn is woven into the fabric. This is Major often removed by a "burling tool". This will usually leave an open place in the fabric. Caused by excessive loom tension gradually applied by some abnormal restriction. When the restriction is removed, the excess slack is woven into the fabric. Ends are usually broken. Major

Drawbacks

Dropped Pick Caused by the filling Insertion mechanism on a shuttleless loom not Major holding the filling yarn, causing the filling to be woven without tension. End Out FLY Caused by yarn breaking and loom continuing to run. The defect will appear as a thin line. Major

Usually caused by the spinning process, small fibers spun into the Minor, but in severe yarn of another stock. Often caused by lack of precaution to cases Major prevent contamination. Caused by the harness straps breaking on a conventional loom. There will be definite pattern change in the weave. Caused by an extra piece of filling being jerked part way into the fabric by the shuttle. The defect will appear at the selvedge. Major Major or Minor depending how close the patterns are cut to the selvedge Minor, but in severe cases Major

Harness Breakdown Jerk-in

Knots Mixed Ends (Yarn)

Caused by tying spools of yarn together

Yarn of a different fiber blend used on the warp frame, resulting in Major a streak in the fabric. Major

Mixed Filling Caused by bobbin of lightweight yarn or different fiber blend used in filling. Will appear as a distinct shade change. Open Reed

Results from a bent reed wire causing warp ends to be held apart, Major exposing the filling yarn. Will be conspicuous on fabrics that use different colored yarns on warp and shuttle Usually caused by an extra piece of the yarn that is woven into the Major or Minor fabric. It can also be caused by fly waste being spun in yarn in the spinning process Caused by a number of ruptured warp or filling yarns or on package dyed yarn. Dirty, oily looking spots on the warp or filling yarns or on package dyed yarn. Major Major

Slub

Smash Soiled Filling/End Stop Mark Thin Place

When the loom is stopped, the yarn elongates under tension, when Major or Minor loom starts again, the slack is woven into the fabric Often caused by the filling yarn breaking and the loom continuing to Major run until the operator notices the problem