Slub knit is most often used in men’s garments. It has a heavyweight that adds durability and texture to the garment. Slub yarn = “alternating thin and thick areas” (Knitting Glossary). The thin areas create a different color pattern from the thicker or “slubby”, areas. It creates a unique effect that makes this fabric very popular among men’s clothing designers. In general, ribbing incorporates more slubs than flat knitting because of its construction: increases and decreases make looser stitches which allow for bigger slubs to be incorporated. Since less yarn is used in ribbing compared to stockinette stitch, the overall price of a garment made with ribbing is less. However, because ribbing is not as elastic as stockinette stitch, ribbed clothes are less likely to be chosen by women.
Slub yarns are often used in men’s socks and sweatshirt material. They are especially popular in the United Kingdom, where they are considered fashionable for everyday clothing items worn on weekends or during casual events. The slubs add a rough texture that gives these clothes their sense of style.
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What is a slub in fabric?
A slub is a thicker, chunkier strand of yarn that creates a rougher-looking fabric. It’s added to the material for a casual look and feel. The first example of this would probably be terry cloth bathrobes that have been worn over time, becoming soft and fuzzy. That’s because the individual cotton strands slowly separate as they are rubbed against each other repeatedly, creating those big loops you see in old terry cloth robes. Slubs can also be intentional! Manufacturers or fashion designers use small hooks or needles to help make larger “pills” on the fabric’s surface. Pills are those little clumps of material that fluff up when you rub them together with your fingers – like on a fuzzy sweater. The longer these pills sit and sit, the more fluffed up they get until it becomes a big clump of material covered in fuzz!
Slubbing can also be used to add texture to certain fabrics. Slub knit looks like they have been pulled apart and then loosely stitched again. One manufacturing technique often used with slubs involves drawing different colored threads together before they’re woven into fabric. It will leave the surface of the finished garment looking like pools of color scattered about instead of solid areas of color all blended together. That’s due to those chunks of yarn not being in the same place in relation to the other colors.
Slubs are used for several reasons, but generally speaking, slubbing adds an element of rarity to a piece of clothing. It makes it more unique and exciting than any other fabric out there. That’s why you see it most often on things like sweatshirts and sweatpants since they will get worn frequently and become soft and fuzzy over time. Slubby garments also tend to be very comfortable thanks to their chunky texture that feels good against your skin (and is why terry cloth robes feel so nice). Slubs can be made from different types of material,, including cotton, wool, polyester, acrylic, silk/satin, etc…
What is the difference between cotton and cotton slub?
There are two types of stitches: the regular and the Slub. A regular stitch knit is like a thin cord, whereas a slub stitch forms a thick line with wrapped stitches that prevents it from being too stiff. Slub-knit fabrics have less elasticity than regular ones, so they stretch less, and the recovery is not as good.
Slub fabric can be made of any fiber type, but most often, it is a cotton/synthetic blend or 100% synthetic microfiber because this material has some characteristics similar to wool, such as bulkiness and napped finish for easy care. The fabric does not stretch as much as regular cotton, but it has a more natural feel and drape.
Slub-knit items are easy to maintain. It can be washed with colors or dry cleaned. Dry cleaning may be slightly more effective in removing sweat stains, but machine washable fabrics break down faster over time. However, if you’re careful not to overload the washing machine or dryer, you won’t have any problem with durability. Besides, cotton is one of the most durable natural fibers.
Slub-knit fabrics are easy to take care of because they do not need ironing and look great without it.
Slub fabric is slightly thicker than regular knit. For this reason, it can be used as a substitute for sweatshirt fleece (sweatshirt knits). It’s also softer and more lightweight than sweatshirt fleece.
The nice thing about slub-knit fabric is that you can buy it in almost any color or print. You may prefer heathered colors rather than solid ones, but make sure that the material isn’t too thin and see how much stretch there will be after washing (otherwise, it won’t recover).
Is slub fabric for summer?
Not really. Slub is a medium-to-heavy cotton fabric with a distinct, uneven surface made by uncontrolled distortion during manufacture. It gives it a casual look and can make it feel stiffer than most cotton. Slub is also prone to pilling and fading more quickly than other fabrics. So don’t go wearing it in the tropics! Summertime calls for light, breathable fabrics such as voile (a lightweight, plain weave fabric that’s especially breezy), linen (another lightweight, woven fabric with an open weave), and seersucker (a puckered cotton fabric usually striped or checkered).
Conclusion
Slub fabric is not a smooth material but instead features small strands of fibers running through it. Slub fabric tends to be made with finer material, and the purpose of slubs is to create a textile softer or lighter. When choosing Slub for summer clothing, it is best to choose thicker fabrics because thinner fabrics tend to be too transparent in sunlight.
When using Slub for clothing, remember that thicker clothes last longer than thin, lightweight ones. Thin slub fabrics can soak up enough water from rain to pull on your clothes when they are wet after washing by themselves without any pretreatment beforehand. If you want to know more about fabric thickness, make sure to read our article on What is Gsm in Fabric?
