"Developing Mathematical Relationships for evaluation of the Amount of Added Ease to the Basic Pattern for Some Weft Knitting Fabrics and It's Fitting to the Upper Part of Egyptian Women's bodies "

Abstract

Knitted garments recently became a key component in wardrobes of Egyptian women. Many Egyptian women depend on garments made of knitted fabrics in their outer appearance because of its special properties; and one of the most important properties of knitted fabrics is flexibility. That’s why most Egyptian women use knitted fabric garments regardless of being comfortable or not. Flexibility ensures comfort movement and coverage of more than one size for the same piece. This is why a woman of size 50 can wear a knitted fabric dress of size 46 without having a problem. But It is not an exaggeration to say that in some cases the over extension of the knitted garments and tight-fitting could cause Stretch Garment Dermatitis [82, 83]. Through observation and application it was noticed that knitwear blocks that used for knitted fabrics somehow doesn’t fit the figures of the Egyptian women; and the pattern makers are usually confused and unable to choose the suitable blocks for different knitting fabrics taking into consideration its physical and mechanical properties. It was also noticed that Garments made from knitted fabrics are usually used to cover more than one size (known commercially as free size) so that in some cases one-piece covers three consecutive Sizes; and as a result of exposure to extreme stretching for long periods, the knitted fabrics lose appearance and its ability to return to original shape with frequent use. According to the previous introduction, this study seeks to Develop Mathematical Relationships for evaluation of the Amount of Added- or subtracted of fitting Ease to Aldrich Basic fitting blocks for Some Weft Knitting Fabrics and It's Fitting to the Upper Part of Egyptian Women's bodies. To achieve this goal, the research covered the following steps: 1. Studying physical and mechanical properties of some weft knitted fabrics; and for this purpose three knitted structures (single jersey, rib1×1, interlock 1×1) were knitted with two levels of loop lengths, two yarn counts, and two different yarn material ( cotton 100%, cotton/ polyester 50:50) for each structure to produce twenty –four fabrics; eight samples for each structure. 2. The twenty- four weft knitted fabrics were tested physically and mechanically, these tests are: • Course per cm • Wales per cm • Stitch density • Fabric weight g/m2 • Thickness mm • Bursting strength N/cm2 • Air permeability/ Cm3/cm2/sec 3. Aldrich basic fitting block was selected. This method was chosen because it is known internationally and easy to use. 4. To evaluate fitting of Aldrich basic fitting block to the Upper Part of Egyptian Women's bodies the researcher used 12 samples were divided into three groups: Group 1: 2 samples made of single jersey knitted fabrics cotton 100% in size 48 &56.

2 samples made of Single jersey knitted fabrics 50% cotton 50% polyester in size 48 &56.

Group 2 2 samples made of Rib knitted fabrics cotton 100% in size 48 &56.

2 samples made of Rib knitted fabrics 50% cotton 50% polyester in size 48 &56.

Group 3 2 samples made of interlock knitted fabrics cotton 100% in size 48 &56.

2 samples made of interlock knitted fabrics 50% cotton 50% polyester in size 48&56.

5. The samples evaluated before and after alterations through wear trials on the standard mannequins in size 48& 56 according to Egyptian standard measurements for girls and ladies [80] and judged by experienced assessors using fit evaluation scale. The data obtained were statistically analyzed to identify defects in the first phase and the efficiency of the adjustments in the second phase. 6. 24 samples divided into six groups were produced in size 48 from all the tested weft knitted fabrics with the recommended alterations to Aldrich Basic fitting blocks for each knitting structure. The samples were evaluated using fit evaluation scale and results used to: First: studying the effect of knitting variables and some physical and mechanical properties of knitted fabrics on block fitting Second: Identify the Mathematical Relationships between the amount of Added- or subtracted of fitting Ease to Aldrich Basic fitting blocks and its relation to the physical and mechanical properties of the knitted fabrics used.