the fabric in conjunction with the relatively slow rotational operating speeds at which the sueding roll 28 is operated according to the present invention the accumulation of fibrous fly dust and like debris and waste on the abrasive periphery of the sueding roll 28 develops much more slowly so that the sandpaper sleeve or other abrasive material generally has a much more extended life than is typical with conventional sueding machines for example it has been found in preliminary testing that a sandpaper sleeve operated on the sueding roll 28 in a conventional warp knitting machine 12 can be expected to operate serviceably through at least three complete doffs of fabric rolls 22 from the knitting machine 12 of course it will be understood that the sandpaper sleeve 58 or other abrasive material on the sueding roll 28 will gradually wear over the course of its life it has been found that selectively increasing the peripheral surface speed of the sueding roll 28 an incremental amount following the completion of each doffing operation is effective to compensate for such wearing so that substantially uniform sueding results are achieved over the entire life of the periphery of the sueding roll as an alternative it may be desirable to incrementally increase the even to gradually increase its speed continuously over.