SUITABILITY AND END USE PERFORMANCE PROPERTIES OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF KNITTING YARN SOLD IN KATIN KWORI MARKET, KANO, NIGERIA

Abstract

Different types of knitting yarn purchased from Katin Kwori market, Kano, Nigeria was studied for its suitability and end use performance. The target is the schools cardigan, where complaints of sub-standard were more and other users, especially the Nigeria security forces. Three different yarns were purchased from Katin Kwari, Kano, Nigeria. This includes:‘Yeye’ as sample A, ‘OML Baby Wool’ as sample B, and ‘MH Beby Wool’ as sample C. The samples were knitted with plain pattern and were subjected to four chemical tests of perspiration, light fastness, wash fastness and rubbing tests. The samples were also subjected to mechanical tests of tensile strength and elongation. The result shows that sample ‘A’ produces the best result in both mechanical and chemical tests carried out, while samples ‘B’ and ‘C’ results are fair. Though sample ‘A’ market price is a little bit higher than the other samples, it will produce a good cardigan either for school children, security personnel and other household use, which will stand the test of time.