A method for producing a textile sheet heating element includes forming a knitted material and, in one and the same work step, inserting heat conductors as warp threads. Contact conductors that touch the heat conductors are inserted spaced from one another as weft threads or weft thread groups. A warp knitting machine or Raschel machine is used to produce the sheet heating element. The production speed of the knitting or Raschel machine is varied as a function of stitch formation. The warp knitting machine or Raschel machine has a magazine weft insertion system with feeding chains to feed in weft threads and a weft carriage to insert weft threads. Both the feeding chain and the weft carriage are paused for preset periods as a function of stitch formation.