As looms and knitting machines continue to improve, boosting consumer expectations of quality, the rapid identification and elimination of production faults become increasingly important. Barre defects, characterized by bars or streaks that are fillingwise in woven fabrics and coursewise in knit fabrics, occur frequently. A review of weaving and knitting techniques shows that the primary causes of barre--uneven knitting tension, defective yarn, and improper needle action-nned to be remedied by vigilant quality controls before production runs, since the faults only appear in finished artcles. 2 refs.