Education

There is much to learn for us. Neither one of us comes with a knitting background, though we have family members who are avid knitters. The high-speed computerized knitting machine we purchased to aid in garment production does most of the work for us, at a speed and consistency unparalleled to hand knitting. As operators, the development of the design happens at the computer, similar to creating a design for a 3D printer, but our medium is yarn. The machine is capable of knitting with a huge variety of yarn, limited only by the structural rules of knitting and the width of the needle bed. Our machine boasts 699 needles on each of the two needles beds that face each other. A scarf can be knit in about 40 minutes.

More on the machine later, but first we needed to be trained to properly use the software. Stoll, the manufacturer of this state-of-the-art knitting machine uses a program called M1Plus. This training is currently offered at Manufacturing Solution Center (MSC) in Conover, NC. MSC is a leader in supporting textile manufacturing in the U.S. and provides incredible staff, resources and support to those in the textile industry. We learned so much from Paul, Neil, Jason and Tony! Our training lasted a week, and even though we learned the basics of programming designs, we barely scratched the surface of the program’s abilities. We are excited to explore more complex designs, shapes and patterns once we become proficient. On to programming!