Today at CH Cashmere's blog we have a special treat for you: a behind-the scenes look at our knitwear factory, where we produce our cozy and quality sweaters, coats, dresses and more. We have been receiving emails asking about our factory, as well as how our knitwears are produced. CH Cashmere is so proud of our team and ourt products, we want to share with you how we make them with love and care.
CH Cashmere's Knitwear Factory is located in a beautiful countryside in Shanghai, China. We have a spacious and modern facility, equipped with the latest technology and machinery. Workers at CH Cashmere are highly skileed and passionate about their craft. They work in harmony and collaboration, creating quality pieces that reflect CH Cashmere's vision and values.
Once we have received the order, the first thing to do is Yarn Importing. The yarn factory delivers bobbins of yarn to the factory, and we need to inspect the yarn before we store it in the warehouse. We have to confirm that the yarn meets the quality standards that we agreed with the yarn supplier, such as its moist level, the yarn count, yarn twist, colour, damages and irregularities. If the yarn passes the inspection, we store it in a clean and dry warehouse, off the ground and with clear labels.
The second step depends, some yarns need to be waxed and some cannot be waxed. In the case when yarns need to be waxed, we would apply a thin layer of wax to the surface of yarns that are intended for knitting applications by a winding machine. The purpose of waxing is to lower the friction coefficient of the yarns, which improves their smoothness and reduces the wear and tear caused by the knitting needles. Waxing can be performed by both automatic and manual winding machines. Here with CH Cashmere, most of the waxing is done by machines, it is widely used in the knitting industry.
However, not all knitting processes require the process of waxing. Sometimes when using branded yarn, yarn companies are very likely to ban the waxing from the knitting process, as it could ruin the original texture of the yarn.
Thirdly, in order to have the yarn ready for the flat bed knitting machines, the yarn needs to be winded into cones and distributed to the operators. Each operator should receive enough cones to produce one dozen knitted garments with the same yarn. However, the yarn cones may sometimes vary depending on the buyer’s request. In such cases, the operator must pay attention to the placement of the cones and the connection with the correct yarn feeder.
Next, we would have our technicians to work on programming for our knitting machines. Knitting machine programming is a specialised skill that requires a professional software developer to create a file that can be used by knitting machines, such as Shima Seiki and Stoll. These machines are capable of producing complex shapes and patterns by following the instructions in the file. The file contains information such as the number of needles, the stitch type, the yarn tension, the colour change, and the shape of the fabric. The software developer needs to have a good understanding of the knitting machine's capabilities and limitations, as well as the design specifications and requirements. The software developer also needs to test and debug the file before sending it to the knitting machine, to ensure that the final product matches the desired outcome.
Once the program has been done, we would use it on our flat-bed knitting machine. A Flat knitting machine is a type of knitting machine that produces flat fabrics by forming loops of yarn on a row of needles. Unlike circular knitting machines, which create seamless tubes of fabric, flat knitting machines create open fabrics that can be cut and sewn together. Flat knitting machines can be either hand-operated or computer controlled, and can vary in size and complexity, CH Cashmere usually have our machines to be controlled by computer. They are used to make garments such as sweaters, cardigans, scarves, hats, and socks.
After the knitting process, it is important to inspect the quality of the fabric and check for any defects or errors. Every piece of fabric undergoes a careful inspection by our skilled workers. They look for any defects or errors that might affect the appearance or performance of the final product. CH Cashmere is proud to use manual inspections, which ensure a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
The seventh step would be linking. Linking is a process in which each garment is knitted together on specially engineered linking machines. This technique ensures that the seams are smooth and durable, and that the final product has a high-quality finish.
Linking is often used for knitwear such as sweaters, cardigans, and socks, as well as for other garments that require flexibility and comfort. Linking machines can also create different types of stitches, such as chain stitch, lock stitch, or overlock stitch, to suit the needs of the fabric and the customer.
After linking is done, another inspection would take place -- Light check inspection. The Light check inspection is an important step in the quality control of knitted garments. The already knitted garments are pulled over a special light that stretches the garment and makes it easier to detect any possible knitting defects. Light checking is especially useful for complex patterns, such as lace, cables, or colourwork, where mistakes are more likely to occur and harder to notice.
Next, we will move on to the mending stage. Mending is a crucial step to ensure the quality and appearance of the final products. It is the process of repairing defective garments that have fabric defects such as holes, cut marks, or needle drops. These defects can occur during the fabric production or the stitching process, and they can affect the functionality and aesthetics of the garments. Mending is done to hide the defects and make the garments look as perfect as possible. It is usually done by hand using a needle and thread or knitting needles. The mending workers need to have high skills and experience to match the colour, texture, and pattern of the fabric and to avoid making repair visible.
Moving on to washing, the washing process is one of the most important steps that determine the quality and appearance of the knitted garment. It involves placing dozens of knitted garments into an industrial washing machine and setting the appropriate parameters such as temperature, time, machine RPM, water level and load weight. The washing process can also be enhanced by adding different chemicals into the washing machine along with the detergent. These chemicals can improve certain characteristics of the knitted garment such as softness, stiffness, smoothness, bulkiness, colour, wrinkle resistance and static electricity.
Once the washing is done, garments need to go through the drying process. The drying conditions, such as temperature and time, must be carefully controlled to achieve the desired properties of the garment, such as colour, shrinkage, softness, and durability.
It is now the twelveth step: Ironing. The ironing process is very important for completing the final look and measurements of the garment. Ironing can affect the appearance, dimensions and quality of the fabric, which can be precisely controlled by time, temperature, steam amount, iron distance from the garment surface.
The final stage of knitwear production is finishing and packing. The garments are carefully cleaned of any lint that may have accumulated during the manufacturing process, using a sticky paper that workers apply by hand. Then, they are neatly folded and wrapped with paper tissues, carton board and poly bag to protect them from dust and damage. Finally, they are placed in a carton box that is properly labeled and stored in the warehouse, ready to be shipped to customers.
The tracking number will be sent to our customer once the order has dispatched from our warehouse for tracking its delivery status. Most orders should be delivered in 7~10 working days, depending on the delivery option and destination.
These are the 14 workshop processing in our factory on a day to day basis for producing knitwears. CH Cashmere's knitwear factory is not just a place of work, but a place of creativity and joy. We have a friendly and supportive atmosphere, where everyone feels valued and appreciated. We celebrate our achievements and learn from our challenges.
We hope you enjoyed this glimpse into our knitwear factory, and that you feel more connected to our company and products. We are so grateful for your support and loyalty, and we can't wait to show you our new collections. Stay tuned for more updates, and don't forget to follow us on social media (ins: @chcashmere_official). Thank you for reading!
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