knitting, production of fabric by employing a continuous yarn or set of yarns to form a series of interlocking loops. Knit fabrics can generally be stretched to a greater degree than woven types. The two basic types of knits are the weft, or filling knits—including plain, rib, purl, pattern, and double knits—and the warp knits—including tricot, raschel, and Milanese.
In knitting, a wale is a column of loops running lengthwise, corresponding to the warp of woven fabric; a course is a crosswise row of loops, corresponding to the filling.