Machine Knitting Is Now as Easy as 3-D Printing
No Skills Required: Kniterate’s software allows anyone to create pro-knit garments with the click of a button
Kniterate’s founders think it’s time that machine knitting became as easy as 3-D printing. They have developed Photoshop-like software for designing knitting patterns, plus a knitting machine that reads the patterns from an SD card. The company plans to sell its US $2500 system to schools and maker spaces, aiming it at people who might want to create, say, a scarf with a special design for a friend, but aren’t committed enough to knitting to buy a more traditional hobbyist knitting machine (which generally costs under $1000) and to master the techniques for turning out garments.
Read more: Kniterate Updates the Knitting Machine to Be an Easy-to-Use 3-D Printer for Fabric
Tekla S. Perry is a senior editor at IEEE Spectrum. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., she's been covering the people, companies, and technology that make Silicon Valley a special place for more than 40 years. An IEEE member, she holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University.