This article just gives a brief insight to how the demand for knitted items through the ages has necessitated the growth and development of the commercial knitting factories that have grown up all over the world.

Knitting factories play an important role in worldwide garment production as well as in the production of tools for knitting. .

How it all started ………. The mechanization of what had been solely hand made knitted product came about with the arrival of the Renaissance and the advances in metalworking . this change led to the first mass production of knitting needles, and then the formation of all-male knitting guilds. Soon after, however, came the invention of knitting machines, which led to knitting mills and the guild hand-knitter wasn't so important anymore. Supplanted by other forms of fine needlework that could not yet be reproduced by machine, fine hand-knitting was rendered obsolete. By the Victorian era, hand-knitting had become one of the domestic arts, practiced mainly by the poor, the rural, and predominately a female past-time

If we think at the 21st century, knitting has transformed into a largely recreational activity, rediscovered by a new generation. However, it is mainly a recreational activity because now no one has to knit in order to make his own clothes, as there are so many places where anyone can afford mass produced clothes.

China has the lead ………… You can find knitting factories all over the world. However, China is a major supplier of knitted fabrics and that is where we find many knitting factories there. To give you just some idea of the vastness of some of these operations, here's just a little background into a couple of them:

Foshan Huilin knitting factory located in China(mainland) is a factory that specializes in the production of weft-knitted fabrics. It covers an area of 6,000 square meters and was founded in 1991. This knitting factory produces many types of knitted fabrics , such as cotton fabrics polyester fabrics, acrylic fabrics, rayon fabrics, TC and CVC fabrics. After 15 years development and growth this knitting factory is equipped with 8 large double knitting tubular machines, 25 imported large single knitting tubular machines, 18 rib tubular knitting machines, 6 terry tubular knitting machines and 3 tube opening machines.

Hence, this knitting factory's monthly output of various knitted fabrics reaches up to 1,000 metric tons. The products coming from this knitting factory is sold in more than 50 countries and regions all over the world. professionalism , The owners of this knitting factory have expanded their operations, establishing two subsidiary companies Rising Textile Co., Ltd. and Taifeng Knitting Co., Ltd. To expand their production facilities still further.

Established in 1995, Ningbo Tianyu Knitting Factory is located in Ningbo ,a city near Shanghai.They are among the major domestic knitting manufacturers, supplying knit fabrics and garments. Weft knitting equipment has been purchased from Taiwan . Warp knitting facilities, dyeing and finishing machines are imported from Germany. This knitting factory produces knitted fabric products that include weft knitting and warp knitting. This knitting factory provides customers with knitted garments including T-shirts, polo shirts, kid's wear, men's wear and women's wear. Their main weft knitted products are spandex cotton jersey fabrics, cotton jersey fabrics, interlock fabrics, ribs, terry fabrics and fleece fabrics. They also supply warp knitted products , such as printed suede, polyester tricots, loop piles, swimwear fabrics and meshes.

These factories are massive, employing 1000's of workers producing huge quantities of fabric and garments to satisfy the global demand. It is interesting to note that many items not necessarily considered as "being knitted" in the conventionally sense are indeed knitted as illustrated above.