What is "warp knitting"

Warp knitting \Warp knitting\ A kind of knitting in which a number of threads are interchained each with one or more contiguous threads on either side.

Warp \Warp\, n. [AS. wearp; akin to Icel. varp a casting, throwing, Sw. varp the draught of a net, Dan. varp a towline, OHG. warf warp, G. werft. See Warp, v.]

1. (Weaving) The threads which are extended lengthwise in the loom, and crossed by the woof.

2. (Naut.) A rope used in hauling or moving a vessel, usually with one end attached to an anchor, a post, or other fixed object; a towing line; a warping hawser.

3. (Agric.) A slimy substance deposited on land by tides, etc., by which a rich alluvial soil is formed.
   --Lyell.

4. A premature casting of young; -- said of cattle, sheep, etc. [Prov. Eng.]

5. Four; esp., four herrings; a cast. See Cast, n., 17. [Prov. Eng.]
   --Wright.

6. [From Warp, v.] The state of being warped or twisted; as, the warp of a board.

   Warp beam, the roller on which the warp is wound in a loom.

   Warp fabric, fabric produced by warp knitting.

   Warp frame, or Warp-net frame, a machine for making warp lace having a number of needles and employing a thread for each needle.

   Warp knitting, a kind of knitting in which a number of threads are interchained each with one or more contiguous threads on either side; -- also called warp weaving.

   Warp lace, or Warp net, lace having a warp crossed by weft threads.

Warp knitting is a family of knitting methods in which the yarn zigzags along the length of the fabric, i.e., following adjacent columns ("wales") of knitting, rather than a single row ("course"). For comparison, knitting across the width of the fabric is called weft knitting.

Since warp knitting requires that the number of separate strands of yarn ("ends") equals the number of stitches in a row, warp knitting is almost always done by machine, not by hand.