The needle of system 134 has a medium ball point for working knit fabrics, without damaging the stitches. The KN version is a slim needle designed to protect fine knit loops from splitting, but without shank reinforcement and therefore more sensitive to deflection. It is used in industrial overlock, coverstitch and safety-stitch machines for elastic knit fabrics. Suitable machine classes are found, among others, at Pfaff (classes 1243, 2081-748/…, 2083, 2083-748/…), Juki (classes DDL-5550N, DDL-5550N-7, DDL-5550NA, DDL-5550NA-7) and Singer (classes 107-W1, 107-W10, 107-W100, 107-W102).
Thinner needle sizes are used, among others, for fine, light jersey and tricot fabrics, and the thicker versions for heavy, dense knit fabrics and technical knits. As sewing thread, a matching thickness is usually recommended depending on the needle size chosen, e.g. from Amann Serafil or Rasant; for very stretchy seams, a texturised thread also works well. The ball point glides between the loops instead of piercing them, keeping the seam clean and undamaged.
