An ode to double knit

Double knit, double knit, how I love you. Whether it’s Ponte di Roma, interlock, scuba, double pique or double jacquard, I don’t discriminate. I love them all. I look forward to those first colder fall days, as they usher the time of double knits in my wardrobe. Whether they are heavyweight, medium weight, light weight, pure wool or wool blend, rayon-poly-Lycra, or polyester-based, it doesn’t matter to me (although merino wool ones are my favorites). They are all great, as they are all fabulously wearable. I find that their stability, ease of wear, stretch recovery, and wrinkle resistance are unparalleled.

Double knits are inherently stable: they consist of two layers, connected while being knitted, which give the fabric a “backbone," a strong hand. They behave like woven fabrics, in terms of structure and firmness. Hence, it’s possible to make an equally “sharp” looking jacket from double knits, as from an equal weight woven material.

Along the same lines, as they are knits, they have a natural stretch. They give garments an inherent ease: there is always enough give in the material, and they are a pleasure to wear. One will never feel constricted in a form fitting double knit garment, as one might feel in a piece made from a woven fabric. It seems as if the double knit moves with the body, while not limiting the movement.

Double knits have an excellent stretch recovery, due to the connection between the two layers. Such tops, dresses, jackets, or pants will experience very little distortion (bagging) around the knees, elbows, or behind from wear. The garments will keep their form and size even if there is no Lycra in the fabric content.

They travel beautifully, that is, their wrinkle resistance is superb. As a committed ironer, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my double knit dresses, tops, or pants didn’t require ironing, even after 15+ hours in a suitcase. It seems as if I took them out, shook them, and they looked as good as being freshly ironed. Admittedly, hanging them in a steamed bathroom helped, but in my experience, no steam restores woven fabrics to a wrinkle-less state; only an iron or a steamer does.

My wardrobe, particularly for fall and winter periods, is abundantly filled with double knit garments. I simply can’t say no to their stability, ease of wear, stretch recovery, and wrinkle resistance: all the qualities that make my life, or at least, it’s clothing-related portion, simple.