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Introduction to Digital Machine Knitting

September 16, 2025

Yiyue Luo

Assistant Professor, UW ECE

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About the organizers

Yiyue Luo

Assistant Professor

UW ECE

Sen Zhang

Entrepreneurial Postdoctoral Fellow

UW ECE

Catherine Yu

PhD. Candidate

Cornell University

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Today’s agenda

Morning

Introduction
How does machine knitting work?
How to design machine knitted artifact?

Afternoon

How to make e-textile by machine knitting?
Design and fabricate a sample yourself!

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Textile manufacturing

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Textile manufacturing

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Textile manufacturing

Weaving: Structure First

Method: Interlacing two sets of threads at right angles — warp (vertical) and weft (horizontal).

Tools: Looms (from simple backstrap looms to Jacquard looms).

Result: Flat, stable fabric with repeating grid-like structure (think denim, linen, canvas).

Cultural role: One of the oldest textile techniques (c. 6000–7000 years ago). Often industrialized early because it scales well to large surfaces.

Key idea: weaving is about building the base fabric itself.

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Embroidery: Adding Information

Method: Stitching decorative (or functional) thread onto an existing base fabric.

Tools: Needle + thread; today, computer-controlled embroidery machines.

Result: Patterns, images, or even 3D textures sitting “on top” of cloth.

Cultural role: Found globally as artistic expression and symbolism (royal insignias, ceremonial robes, folk art).

Key idea: embroidery is about overlaying meaning onto fabric — almost like annotation.

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Knitting: Loops and Flexibility

Method: Intermeshing loops of a single yarn, row by row.

Tools: Needles (hand knitting), or latch-hook machines (industrial).

Result: Stretchy, flexible fabric (sweaters, socks, modern technical textiles).

Cultural role: Emerged around the 11th century in the Middle East; machine knitting since 16th century; today central for sportswear, medical, and smart textiles.

Key idea: knitting is about elasticity and adaptability, creating fabrics that can stretch, conform, and recover.

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Knitting

Loop over loop structure --> stretchable, breathable, versatile ��

Weft knitting

Warp knitting

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Knitting

Colorworks

Textures

Shaping

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Digital machine knitting

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Digital machine knitting

Industrial knitting machine,

SWG 091N₂ Shima Seiki

Low-level machine instructions

Automatic Fabrication

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Machine knitting

Colorworks

Textures

Complex 2D/3D geometries

Soft, stretchable, breathable

Shaping

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Digital machine knitting

Computer Science,

Graphics, …

Human-Computer Interaction, �Healthcare, …

Robotics

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Our machine – Shima Seiki

Yarn carrier

Hook

Slider

Needle

Course

Wale

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Operation - tuck

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Operation – knit/purl

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Operation - transfer

racking

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Use of multiple yarns

Our machine:

10 carriers
Fabric is too thick if all knits together
Allow colors, geometry, functionality, etc.

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Direction is very important

Made of continuous yarns
Minimize floating yarns
Only one carriage – start from the left and must end in the left
Yarn carriers- start from the right and must end in the right

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Colorworks

Fair ilse

Plating

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Texture

Guage

Ribs

Garter/seed

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Shaping

Short-rows

Decrease

Tube

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Shaping

Increase/split

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How are these machine knitted?

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How are these machine knitted?

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How to read Knitpaint?

Main structure

Machine setting, e.g., speed, yarn…

Direction

Needle bed

Time

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Resources

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Next: how to design for machine knitting

Catherine Yu

PhD. Candidate

Cornell University