Browsing by Author "Niinimäki, Niina"

Traditional Finnish hand knitted woolen socks are usually very similar in construction: they all have the same reinforced flap heel. Today, when sharing of knitting instructions and ideas with other enthusiasts is easier than ever, thanks to social media, there are countless alternatives for knitting the heel. Using a reinforced knit doesn’t seem to be so important anymore. In this study four different knit structures usually found in woolen socks heel are compared on abrasion and pilling resistance. Also, the effect of the fiber content and price of the yarn in abrasion and pilling resistance is compared. Three reinforced knits were compared to plain stockinette knit; traditional reinforced knit, Eye of Partridge knit and two-colored pinstripe knit. Three different wool blend yarns were compared to 100 % wool. Two of the wool blends were similar in fiber content (75 % wool, 25 % polyamide), but very different in price. Two similar samples were knitted in all four knit structures with all four yarns. Samples were rubbed with martindale-device until a hole occurred. Weight loss and pilling of the samples were measured every 20 rubs. Reinforced knits were compared to stockinette knit and wool blends to 100 % wool. The two polyamide-wool blends were compared to each other to investigate if the price of the yarn effected on its quality. The study showed that the reinforced knits weight loss percentage was smaller than stockinette knits, but that they were less resistant to pilling. Hole occurred first in the Eye of the Partridge knit and last in the traditional reinforced knit. Polyamide-wool blends were considerably more resistant to weight loss and breaking than 100 % wool but less resistant to pilling. Nettle-wool blend was more resistant to weight loss than 100 % wool, but less resistant to breaking and pilling. Of the two polyamide-wool blends the more expensive yarn lasted 15 % longer before breaking than the cheaper yarn. It also was more resistant to weight loss and pilling, As a conclusion, the fiber content is more important to abrasion and pilling resistance than the knit structure. To achieve a long life-cycle for machine washable polyamide-wool blend socks it is more important to consider other factors than the knit structure of the heel. Those factors could be for example appearance and fit, or any other factor that makes the product more significant to its user.