​Types of Knit Fabric Stretch

Mechanical stretch

Mechanical stretch comes from actual structure of the knit. Knits fabrics are created by interlocking loos of thread. When the fabric is pulled, the space in the middle of each loop allows the fabric to stretch.

Yarn stretch

In addition to mechanical stretch, additional stretch may come from the actual yarns in the fabric, when fabric has stretchy fibres added to it such as spandex or elastane.

Horizontal stretch

Usually knit fabrics stretch easily from selvage to selvage, this is called horizontal stretch.

Vertical stretch

The stretch of a fabric parallel to the selvage is called vertical stretch. Some knit fabrics have not vertical stretch at all.