The UY 118 GKS KN needle (needle system UY 118 GKS) has a medium ball point for working knit fabrics, without damaging the loops. The KN version is a slim needle designed to protect fine knit loops from splitting, but without blade 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 Gemsy (classes GEM-5100-01P, GEM-5100-01T, GEM-5100-01W, GEM-5100-02F), Kingtex (classes FT-6760-0-52M, FT-6760-0-60M, FT-6760-0-64M, FT-6760-1-52M) and Kansai (classes NFS66-04GLM, NFS66-04GMH, NFS66-04GMH-B, NFS66-04GS).
The available needle sizes are used, among others, for fine, light jersey and tricot fabrics. 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.
