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Yarn input tension (YIT) during knitting has a profound impact on fabric quality. Modern high-speed circular knitting machines are mostly equipped with positive feed system, where a predetermined length of yarn is supplied to knitting zone. Several contributing factors affect YIT and keeping YIT in precise setting is a complex phenomenon. A plethora of studies addressed yarn tensile analysis for different knitting systems. However, a comprehensive description of generated YIT for a positive storage feed based circular weft knitting machine is still missing. This study aimed to navigate YIT mathematically through a model development by analyzing yarn tensile forces for different zones of yarn path in dynamic knitting operation. The model revealed several YIT contributing variables. After evaluating the governing equation, the impact of different variables, and their interdependence have also been discussed. The predicted YIT supported the actual YIT with a mean percentage error of around 10%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Camouflage in textiles is a pattern orchestrated using different materials and designs, primarily used for armed forces clothing for not to be detected by enemies in variable environments. Wearer comfort is the central perspective while developing textiles; however, no significant literature exists on the comfort assessment of knitted camouflage fabrics. Hence this research experimentally investigates the effect of the fabric structure and the material type on the comfort and mechanical performance properties of the engineered knitted camouflage fabrics. Fabrication of camouflage patterns, i.e. snow, desert, forest camouflage, and plain rib (control sample), was done using different combinations of Polyester, Cotton, and Tencel through jacquard knitting. Characterization of comfort and mechanical properties were performed to predict the influence of input parameters, for finding the best knitting structures and materials and exploring the scientific reason behind behaviours of jacquard knitted camouflage fabrics. Comfort and performance attributes were influenced by changing material and knitting parameters i.e. mean air permeability was 5% higher, and thermal resistance was 21% lower for forest camouflage as compared to desert and snow camouflage due to yarn movements in jacquard patterns. Similarly, the mechanical properties also showed to be affected by changing experimental parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an unarmed country, Iceland could not provide military assistance to Ukraine after Russia"s invasion. Public and private support for Ukraine was nonetheless abundant. This intervention explores the contributions made by the Icelandic public to the Ukrainian war effort. This support appeared in the form of knitting, displaying a very gendered logic of care. This started as a individualized effort but was quickly institutionalised and supported by the authorities, which also provided humanitarian, economic, and military support to Ukraine. While the intent of individuals appears to have been to provide personal assistance to those suffering the consequences of war, the act contributes to the militarisation of Icelandic society and the normalisation of war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable products have significant applications in medical assistance, posture correction, and humancomputer interaction. In this study, we present a knitting method for a one-piece knitted embedded hang-needle sensor. This method involves simultaneously knitting conductive yarn into the sensing zone while creating the monitoring garment in a seamless manner. By implementing a tight hanging needle structure in the sensing zone design and adjusting knitting parameters, the effect of pre-stretching on the sensor caused by the base garment is minimized. Furthermore, integrating the sensing area of the hang-needle structure with the monitoring garment eliminates the need for additional sensor integration steps and simplifies the preparation process, resulting in reduced time and material costs. Moreover, the monitoring garment offers a comfortable wearing experience without any foreign body sensation and accurately captures the initial shoulder posture of the wearer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Textiles-oriented flexible strain sensors have been attractive in designing intelligent clothing materials to sense the human body postural changes. However, their efficacy towards sensing performance can be tailored through fabrication architectures variation. In this study knitted strain sensors have been engineered using novel double face fabric designs. Filament polyester, and conductive polyamide coated with silver colloidal particles were used to architect sensors. The sensors provide real-time electrical resistance variation as a sensing feature w.r.t mechanical changes happening in them. Two-dimensional strain testing and comfortability evaluations were carried out to ensure sensing performance and comfortable wearing longevity of sensors. Decreasing linking yarn accumulation per unit area increased the strain sensitivity i.e. changing knit stitches with tuck and miss the sensing capability increased 28% and 95%, respectively. Comfortability of sensors had a parabolic trend, decreasing yarn accumulation enhanced comfort up to tuck-linking courses. While increasing the percentage of conductive polyamide in the linking course improved strain sensitivity by 50%. The research presents such double-face intelligent strain sensors as a suitable solution to the long-term wearability of sensors with comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the creation of 3D printing knit-based structures. Furthermore, the study investigated the relationship between the mechanical performance of these structures and the changes in loop stitch design and 3D printing material. Effects on the mechanical properties of the 3D printing loop structure were evaluated with respect to loop stitch, loop head, loop leg and loop foot. This study analysed the mean differences between the values of independent variables, namely, loop stitch and print material and the values of two dependent variables (i.e. tensile strength and elongation at break) using a multivariate analysis of variance. The results revealed that the mechanical properties of the loop structure vary significantly depending on the loop stitch shape and printing material. Tensile strength is mainly affected by material, whereas elongation property is significantly affected by loop stitch shape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractA detailed knowledge of the deformation behavior of pouch motor contracting actuators (PMCA) improves their performance, and researchers are always looking for materials and structures that can increase the actuator’s performance by better controlling these deformations. In this article, a novel PMCA is fabricated using three-dimensional (3D) knitting technology, and its constitutive material is spectra as a non-stretch yarn. However, the final fabric (loop structure) is stretchable in the course direction and non-stretchable in the wale direction (anisotropic structure). The advantage of using this technique is that the contraction in the transverse direction that existed in the previous actuators becomes the expansion improving the actuator performance by about 21% compared to prior counterparts. The available commercial software Abaqus2021 is used for simulation, and its results are verified with the experimental results. A comparative investigation between the presented PMCA and the previous silicone-based counterpart is performed. A meso-macro deformation study is developed experimentally and numerically to justify the improvement of the presented PMCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passing through Metal (2017–18), a performance by queer interdisciplinary artist Oreet Ashery, is the focus of this paper. Featuring the enigmatic intervention of a death metal band into a collective of knitters, the performance follows this basic structure: first, forty knitters, each seated with contact microphones attached to the metal needles; second, a band bursts into the acoustics of the space. Commissioned in 2017 by Lilith Performance Studio in Malmö, Sweden, Ashery's bringing together of death metal and knitting queers Sweden's industrious cottage industry history and disrupts the predominantly white male metal scenes. Taking care not to be disparaging, writer David Keenan describes the paranoid, destructive energy behind such musics as adolescent, whereas knitting is an ostensibly quieter reparative practice. The apparent conflicts between the performative elements in the piece will be explored through the prism of Melanie Klein's and Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's theories on the depressive-reparative position and its oscillatory relationship to the paranoid. With this framing, it is argued that Ashery's body of work frequently characterizes a culture at odds with itself, and through this framework the generative possibilities and pathetic inadequacies of both reparative work and adolescent destruction will be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper entwines the voices of art historian Dr. Fionna Barber and Artist Scholar Prof. Jools Gilson to propose the critical importance of textile art in contemporary debates about the climate emergency. Framed in collaborative counterpoint to previous work on femininity and water (notably Neimanis 2012, 2017), this discussion focuses on three textile-based projects through two meteorological exhibitions; Mapping Climate Change: The Knitting Map & The Tempestry Project at the Berman Museum of Art in Pennsylvannia, US and Strange Attractors at Tate St. Ives, UK, both 2021. The paper proposes The Knitting Map as a way of thinking about textiles and climate, as well as an artwork. It visits Cork City, the Irish bog, and Cornwall, traversing tropes of landscape, weather and national identity as it tangles textiles, analysis, and story. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dart transfer of knitted pattern can be used to simplify the knitting process and improve the fabric appearance. This paper expounds the influence of the dart transfer on fabrics in the transformation of forming knitting patterns. By comparing the pattern, knitting process and fabric appearance before and after dart transfer, it Puts forward that the dart transfer between mutually parallel directions are allowed, but the dart transfer between directions perpendicular to each other are prohibited. It proposes the restriction on angle size of the dart transfer and gives a rotation method to overcome it that is to rotate the pattern to keep the number of stitches constant. The article studies an application example of the dart transfer to prove the practicability of the principle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, there is an increasing focus on sustainable textile manufacturing in terms of reducing the waste generated during the production and pre-consumer stages. Knitting companies are exploring the promising direction of unraveling and upcycling yarn to achieve this goal. To assess the knittability of unraveled yarn vis-a-vis conventional yarn, a comprehensive indicator of yarn-breaking force changes was proposed. The purpose of this study is to present a method to evaluate the strength property of unraveled yarn and to investigate the potential of 74-tex cotton and 72-tex wool yarn for future upcycling in knitting. The results of the investigation revealed that cotton yarn has a higher potential for upcycling both at pre- and post-consumer stages, compared to wool yarn. The knittability of unraveled cotton yarn is almost 99% after knitting and dry relaxation and over 95% after repeated washing and drying cycles. However, it is pertinent to note that repeated ironing impacts the cotton yarn's knittability, and hence, it is recommended to label future upcycling products with a special marking prohibiting ironing. The possibility of unraveling and reusing wool yarn is limited to the post-production and pre-consumer stages when its knittability is near 95%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compression sportswear is specialized clothing chiefly designed for the athletes muscle fatigue reduction. Compression stockings are widely used in sportswear to support muscles and control excessive body vibrations. Compression/interface pressure between the wearer and stocking's surface is considerable in compression sportswear efficacy. However, thermo-physiological comfort is also influential while preparing summer sportswear. The research investigates the effect of fibers type and the inlay yarns number of covering filaments on compression, air permeability, water vapor permeability, and thermal resistance of sportswear compression stockings. Three different fibers, sorbtek (channelized polyester), nylon 6, and micro Nylon (polyamide-6), have been used as main yarns. Also, three distinct levels of covering yarn number of filaments have been utilized. Data have been statistically analyzed using full factorial design of experiment and regression analysis to predict fiber type and the number of covering yarn filaments for achieving desired comfort properties without compromising compression characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T his article deals with the production of hand-knitted fashionable clothing in the British knitwear sector during the socalled designer boom of the 1980s. Drawing on a variety of sources including contemporary newspapers, investigative accounts, television documentaries, and instruction manuals, alongside newlycollected oral testimony from knitwear designers and their knitting outworkers (knitworkers), it explores creativity and the codependencies of manufacture and design in this sector. It challenges the pervading stereotypes that have long haunted the homework sector in British fashion, and argues that in knitwork, knitters have powerful creative agency over the clothes they produce. It demonstrates that far from being mute and obedient producers, knitworkers have made a significant contribution to the history of British knitwear, not only as skilled and talented makers but as influencers of its design heritage too. In this way, this article reconceptualises our understanding of what is meant by creativity in manual production and offers new ways of illuminating the significant creative exchange between maker and designer which until now has been neglected in the literature on both homeworking and the history of knitting more generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Styles of knitwear associated with places, such as Shetland's "fair isle" and Ireland's "aran" knitting, are viewed through the lens of "tradition" by many consumers and makers. The creative process which results in such textile products is widely recognized as a communal one and set within centuries-long (real and imagined) historical contexts. This popular understanding includes a valorization of hand skills, particularly the improvizational fluency of expert hand knitters of the past. Their remembered ability to work and rework inherited forms into innovative objects with minimal or no written instruction is an example of the "improvizational dynamics" which make "copying and reproduction...part and parcel of the creative process". During the twentieth century, Shetland "fair isle" and Irish "aran" knitting experienced commercial success fueled by both hand and machine making practices, part of their industrial heritage which influences production today. With the increasing globalization of the mass market apparel industry, "fair isle" and "aran" knitwear styles have been absorbed into an international design lexicon that is drawn on by a wide range of producers. Contemporary commercial producers of knitwear in Shetland and Ireland distinguish themselves from their international mass market counterparts by emphasizing their enmeshment in a living, longstanding, communal creative web of hand and machine-making practices. This article explores the relationship between creativity and repetition in contemporary Shetland "fair isle" and Irish "aran" knitting, drawing on interviews and observations from two studies, one about "skill" in the knit industry of Shetland and Ireland funded by the Carnegie Trust (2018-19) and one about the value of Shetland hand knitting (2016-17).The article argues that repetition (including that enabled by "traditional" hand knitting patterns and the designs programmed into automated production systems) and the mutually disruptive interplay of hand and machine processes are key to creativity in place-based knitting practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T his Introduction frames a curated collection of articles on creativity in the knitwear sector, interrogating some of the ways in which creativity has been inspired, supported and manifested, from the home knitter to the internationally renowned designer, from the craft knitter to the industrial knitwear manufacturer. The contributions provide a diverse understanding of the creative practices of knitting, ranging from the skills of hand knitters to the machine knitting of the 1930s outerwear revolution, and from the investment in design of some of the leading knitwear companies, to the place of repetition in the creative practices of knitters of fair isle and aran knitwear. The collection also includes an interview with Di Gilpin and Sheila Greenwell of the Scottish knitwear company Di Gilpin whose handknitted garments grace the catwalks of top fashion houses, in which they explain how creativity informs both the design and making process. Contributors are drawn from the fields of history, textile studies, fashion and the business sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feminist scholars are drawing attention to how conventional forms of data representation fail to make visible the experiences of women and marginalized communities. While the problem of reinscribing the in_visibility of already under-visualized communities (and crises) is being acknowledged from a data science perspective, little attention is being paid to how craft redresses these issues of visibility. 'Craftivism', or the move towards activist craft, resists both the in_visibility of the form and of the labour that produces it. This essay examines two specific craftivism projects driven by data: Stitching the Curve, a year-long stitched pandemic data project, and the Tempestry Project, which represents climate change data through knitting. Drawing on Andre Brock's critical technocultural discourse analysis as a methodology to understand how these craftivist data visualizations circulate on social media, we argue that in their form and their content, craftivist data visualizations redress what Perez terms the 'gender data gap' through embracing a feminist ethos. These projects offer an essential space for understanding craft's potential for resistance, modelling the inherent subversion of employing the 'feminine' textile as a site for feminist visualization and meaning-making, while also subject to the same challenges as craft itself - dismissal, marginalization and in_visibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seventeenth-century knitted-silk waistcoats have mystified dress historians for years since little is known about how these intricately patterned knitted garments were worn or used. This paper documents the examination and research of a seventeenth-century woman's knitted-silk waistcoat from the Burrell Collection, Glasgow Museums, Scotland. This waistcoat, acquired by the museum in 1937, is knit in silk yarns and illustrates the impressive craftsmanship of seventeenth-century knitting techniques. In documenting the close study of this seventeenth-century waistcoat, this research report shows that this garment was significantly altered for sale prior to the acquisition into the Burrell Collection and serves to contribute to knowledge of early modern knitting techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper explores the language of knit as a key influence on its status as an artform and craft. The basic nature of the language used in knitting is so commonplace, so entrenched in our language at large, that it leads to distinct associations with everydayness that knit can struggle to overcome, often leading knit to be considered “only” a simple craft. We find that the skills needed for knitting are disassociated with the value of knitting as skill and cultural presence. From dismissive language aimed at the knitter to cultural significance throughout history from metaphor to online neologisms this paper explores the relationship knitting has had with both creating and being shaped by language. Historical linguistics associates a range of “higher” crafts with imported Romance language words, whereas the “lower” craft status of knit is echoed by its use in in the English language (and elsewhere) where simple, domestic words are used. The historical and cultural reckoning of knit, and the language that perpetuated these attitudes today, has influenced perception consciously and subconsciously. With new terminology heralding knit as an evolving, person-centred community that is driving the subject forward. Knit, in its own terms, has many a yarn to tell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical compression stockings failed or didn't reach expected positive functions in practical uses, one of the reasons is related to the inaccurate or inappropriate of pressure distributions. Three-dimensional (3D) scanning and analysis were carried out to extract human anthropometric data. Knitting parameters were engineering designed and theoretical pressure profiles were predicted by mathematical models, according to integrative considerations of Standard, leg morphology and machine parameter setting. The predicted pressure distributions for Class I, II & III MCSs generally in predefined ranges. The actual measured pressure values were greater than predicted at all tested regions for Series 1 of MCSs. The MCSs combined structure A and B at calf region make the effect of homogenizing pressure around calf cross-section. It's feasible and valuable to develop MCSs based on knitting parameters, 3D body scanning individually and pre-defined pressure distribution ergonomically to match directly patient-specific medical requirements and healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that one in three women have suffered as victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) (WHO 2021). These staggering statistics demand recalibrating the definition of 'women's work' to include dealing with IPV in all its forms. The term is commonly used in reference to the unpaid labour that a woman performs within the home - housekeeping, child rearing and domestic arts such as sewing, knitting, crochet and other craft activities. 'Women's work' is making professional, financial and interpersonal sacrifices due to household responsibilities; suffering at the hands of another physically, through weaponized incompetence or gaslighting; remaining silent because the odds are not in one's favour; and in many cases, fending for one's life. As a result of abuse, women lose access to their family, home, financial stability and professional advancement. This article utilizes Sincavage's six-hour performance, Inescapable Presence, as a complex example of 'women's work'. Centered on the interaction maneuvering within and around a massive garment made from crocheted contributions by women from around the world. In 2022, Sincavage performed the piece Inescapable Presence for Art in Odd Places, a public art festival, in New York City centred on 14th Street between Avenue C and the Hudson River. This roaming performance was broken into three chapters: a cry for help; creating visibility; and the burden of negotiating the aftermath. The premise of the performance is to explore the manifestation of trauma within the survivor's body and how that directs relationships within a community, including an undercurrent of sadness now embedded within one's foundation despite surviving and leaving abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knitting and knitting groups have been gaining popularity throughout the world over the last two decades. They have been used as a setting for data collection for various projects to study the benefits of knitting, and the many uses of knitting have been well documented throughout history. But the hospitable side of knitting is an area that has been under-researched, even though there is increased scholarly attention on hospitable practices with a view to improving well-being and the social fabric of communities. This conceptual article will attempt to fill this gap, taking a critical look at the hospitableness of knitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knitted stockings were one of the most important early modern textile innovations. Especially fine stockings made of silk were a popular fashion product and one of the key novelties among European elites. The popularity of knitted stockings is seen in the fact that by the end of the fifteenth century, there were thousands of professional knitters in Europe. Despite the prominence of knitted stockings in this period, there is little surviving documentation about actual knitted stockings and their early histories of making. What exactly made knitted stockings so luxurious and appealing for early modern men and women? This article combines visual and textual evidence, close reading of surviving objects, and scientific analysis with historical reconstruction, in order to find new ways of accessing the visual and material properties of early modern knitted stockings and their material and cultural meanings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate a variation on Pascal's triangle and approximations to Sierpinski's triangle, by considering the coefficients in the trinomial expansion (1 + x + x 2) n . These trinomial coefficients have many properties similar to those of the binomial coefficients. We illustrate the triangle of numbers with a knitted shawl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hue Shift afghan consists of 100 squares knit with 10 colours in a manner determined by a diagram. How many ways can you knit a Hue Shift afghan? What makes an afghan a Hue Shift is defined. Then the number of different afghans is determined up to symmetry considering colour order, stripe order, and direction of knitting for each square. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the derivatives of interlock knitted structures by changing stitch type, location, and their percentage (%) on different performance properties. In the current study, 11 different interlock knit structures were developed by using multiple combinations of knit, tuck, and miss stitches and different types of testing, i.e., physical, mechanical, thermo-physiological comfort, tactile comfort, and dimensional properties, were performed and investigated. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine the statistical significance of structure on the properties. Based on the results, it was concluded that stitch type, percentage, and location have a prominent influence on the abovementioned properties of knit fabrics, which is also elaborated by interaction plots. The present research used a multi-response optimization technique, i.e., principal component analysis (PCA), to identify the best structure for industrial applications like uniforms, based on the optimization of abovementioned properties. Based on the results, it was suggested that a sample with an interlock cross relief structure was found to be the best in all aspects among all samples, followed by interlock pique and double tuck, which were ranked as 2nd and 3rd, respectively. This paper highlights the possible application of different interlock knitted structures according to end use for manufacturers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensorial evaluation plays an important role in the identification of materials in addition to technical specifications for the wearer. The current study focuses on the development of different hybrid knitted structures with different percentages of knit stitches and tuck. Hundred percent cotton was used to develop unique structures on the 4-cam track single jersey knitting machine. A total of 15 hybrid weft knitted structures are developed with different combinations of knit and tuck stitch percentages. The effects of different amount of knit and tuck stitches on physical parameters, e.g. area density, stitch density, and thickness, were characterized. Sensorial comfort, e.g. resilience, softness, smoothness, drape, and wrinkle recovery rate, were evaluated with the standard test method. After testing and data analysis, it was concluded that percentages of stitch types have a significant effect on the physical parameters and sensorial comfort properties of the fabrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key challenge within the (violent) extremism research field is building a comprehensive understanding of the process toward (violent) extremism. The lack of overarching models and the fact that explanatory models of (violent) extremism are often isolated/stand-alone, fuels disagreement on how to understand the phenomenon. The goal of this article is to build such an integrated theoretical model that addresses two knowledge gaps within the existing literature: 'why' and 'how' does an individual become sympathetic to and/or involved in (violent) extremism? Based on a scoping review of 1856 records, we selected ten models of (violent) extremism. These models were then analysed using the 'theory knitting approach', searching to identify the overlapping and non-overlapping aspects between the different models. By incorporating the common analysed features and unique contributions of the models, we developed an integrated theoretical model of (violent) extremism as a non-linear and dynamic process model combining an insider and outsider perspective on (violent) extremism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted to assess the dyeing efficiency of pashmina and pashmina blendedz knitted fabrics. The pashmina, wool and nylon fibers were blended into five different proportions. Each blend was spun into 48 Nm. The yarn thus prepared was processed into interlock knitted fabric on a circular knitting machine. The knitted fabric was divided into two portions. One part of knitted fabrics was subjected to acid dyeing before nylon dissolution, while another part was subjected to dyeing after nylon dissolution. Both the fabric types were evaluated for dyeing efficiency in terms of color values, and fastness properties, besides their mechanical properties. The results indicated that the removal of nylon from the blended fabric resulted in considerable reduction in tensile strength and areal density, however, the elongation properties were not much altered. After nylon dissolution, the color values and fastness properties showed slight reduction, depending upon the blend composition. The SEM images confirmed that the HCl treatment is efficient to remove the nylon from the blended fabric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weft knit fabrics are popular for traditional wear because of their elastic and light structures, gentle smoothness, low production costs, and high productivity. However, due to asymmetrical loop formation, spirality causes serious dimensional problems in single jersey fabrics (SJF). This study investigates the effects of various parameters on spirality, including yarn count, yarn tension, tightness factor, stitch length, fabric weight per unit area, machine speed, needle gauge, and number of feeders. All the sample fabrics were knitted with Z-twisted, combed, 100% cotton yarns and went through a scouring, bleaching, and whitening process before being dried in the same conditions. Fabric spirality was found to increase as stitch length, number of feeders, yarn count, and twists per unit length in constituent yarn increased whereas the tightness factor and needle gauge, on the other hand, had opposite effects on spirality. The test results were analyzed statistically, and a significant impact was discovered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent times, due to increased environmental awareness, the usage of sustainable, eco-friendly textile products has gained momentum. In this respect, the Soya bean protein fiber (SPF) based fabric structure is considered a potential product. Single Jersey and Single Pique knitted structures were developed by changing the yarn count and loop length using Soya bean fiber for next-to-skin applications. Multidimensional moisture management properties were measured using MTT tester to understand the influence of process parameters (fabric structure yarn count and loop length). Further to this, physical properties and wetness comfort properties of the SPF knitted fabrics were also studied. It was found that the OMMC properties of most of the SPF knitted samples were highly rated. The influence of knit structure, yarn count, and loop length on moisture properties was studied through ANOVA. Similarly, the correlation between the physical parameters and moisture properties was also investigated. The Single Pique structure with finer yarn count and higher loop length configuration showed higher moisture management properties. The fabric thickness was correlated with all the moisture management properties. However, the fabric tightness factor was correlated with all the moisture management properties except MWR and AOTI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facemasks significantly reduce the dispersion of respiratory droplets that potentially carry the virus (COVID-19) when a person speaks, coughs or sneezes. Double jersey knitted fabrics made of cotton, Tencel and Viscose were made and designed. This paper aims to examine the effectiveness of single-layer and double-layer knitted masks by the microbial barrier permeability method. This method was used in a targeted manner because Bacillus Bacteria with a size of 0.5 µm in diameter is used to determine the permeability of the microbial barrier, which includes aerosol particles and approaches the size of the virus of 0.1 µm in diameter. The permeability results of the microbial barrier are presented concerning the number of layers and the raw material composition. Porosity (%) was also deter-mined based on microscopic images. The results of the microbial barrier effectiveness test showed an ineffective microbial barrier for 1 layer of the knitted fabric. However, stacking the mesh in 2 layers in-creased the microbial barrier efficiency by 70%. Functional design, combining layers of fabric and insertion of a previously developed antibacterial tencel nonwoven filter enables complete imper-meability to microorganisms, i.e. an effective microbial barrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: ; ; ; ; Eri silk; knitting; single jersey; thermal comfort properties ZH EN Eri silk knitting single jersey thermal comfort properties 9052 9063 12 11/21/22 20221220 NES 221220 Introduction The physical and thermal comfort performance of knitted fabrics can be improved by suitable selection of fiber, spinning method, linear density of the yarn, twist in the yarn, yarn-porosity, stitch length, and fabric structure (Anand and Yanmaz [2]; Parmar [14]). Tight fabric structural forms show higher bursting strength to the extent of 5.35% to 9.26% than slack fabric structural forms in all the three Eri silk knit structures, which is graphically represented in Figure 6. Eri/wool blended fabric possessed high thermal insulation, strength, low fabric shrinkage, and good surface characteristic than pure wool fabric (DeSubir and Ashis [5]). An average of 7% higher fabric abrasive loss is observed with the Eri silk slack structural fabric than the tight structural fabrics, which is graphically depicted in Figure 7. [Extracted from the article]

100% linen short-staple yarns, spun using the wet spinning technique were used for this study. As the raw linen yarns are stiff, they cannot be directly used for knitting without any blend. This study was focused on the softening of 100% linen yarns using cationic and nonionic softeners in four different methods each. Out of the 8 different samples treated, yarn treated with the material: Liquor Ratio of 1:10 and concentration of cationic softener 2% OWL at a temperature of 50 degrees C for 30 mins showed good results like increase in softness, elongation, improved flexural rigidity, hairiness, friction, and unevenness with minimum loss in strength. This leads to a good result in the softening of 100% linen yarn. Knitting trials were also carried out, the untreated linen yarns show poor knittability and the knitted fabrics produced using softener treated yarns showed excellent knittability without any defects in the fabrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper explores the effect of yarn-bombing on the cultural value of knitting. While it has been suggested that such acts of craftivism may help to broaden the public view of knitting, beyond its oft perceived limitations of the domestic and the feminine, I argue the opposite. For yarn-bombing to be the effective tool of political activism it is so often intended to be, it is necessary for knitting to maintain strong associations with women and the home. In such a way, yarn-bombing only serves to further constrain knitting within this firmly established narrative and such a narrative causes knitting to continually be undervalued as a way of making. Using discourse analysis as a method, this paper will consider two yarn-bombs and how, through their reliance on such associations, they continue to “enable, constrain, and constitute” (Storey 2018, 133) the public perception of knitting today. Exposing this narrative, to begin to challenge it, is key to changing the public’s perception of knitting and encouraging its wider use in innovate manufacturing solutions of the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This article investigates textiles as translation and tribute through the work of artist Ellen Lesperance. Focusing on her body of work about the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp, exploring themes of activism, feminism and knitting. Drawing from photographs and archival footage, Lesperance faithfully recreates the patterns, symbols and colors of knitwear worn by women in the camp through intricate, gridded paintings. The knitwear was worn by the protesters to display messages of intent and affiliation to a political cause. Clothing is often used as a communication of protest, but these distinctive jumpers were each handmade incorporating hours of labor, love, and wear by the women in the camp. Lesperance’s detailed knitting patterns can be seen as figurative paintings honoring the female activists who made and wore the original pieces. This article examines how textiles can express ideology and lived experience and draws on my current research into how we can use the past to inform design for the future. It explores archival research, reinterpretation, and recreation as a method to invoke the original. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Manchester’s relationship to industrial textile production is often framed in the far past, however, this nostalgic framing ignores the active presence and growth of South Asian knitwear businesses in Manchester since the 70 s, and their role in maintaining the historic architecture and industrial heritage of the city. Crusader Works in Manchester was home to a long-standing community of South Asian textile businesses, who had been present since the 1980s, as well as Rogue Artists’ Studios, of which I was a member. When the building was sold to developers Capital & Centric in November 2015, both communities were faced with eviction. I worked with two knitting factories (Unique Knitwear and Imperial Knitwear), developing a series of projects that sought to mark the long-standing presence of the textile workers. The historical narrative has been increasingly articulated by the developers Capital & Centric, through frequent press releases, authored local news articles, relentless social media, and even a BBC documentary “Manctopia” (2020) all whilst omitting any reference (present or historical) to the South Asian knitwear community. This article reexamines the artworks as a means to pull together the threads of recent history at Crusader Mill in order to form a cohesive counter-narrative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This article examines authenticity as it is understood and used within networks of makers in Shetland and Ireland, in places associated with fair isle and aran knitting. Drawing on 15 anonymised interviews and observations from a 2018–2019 study, the articles considers authenticity in relation to four themes: place, handwork, materials and deception. Those engaged in knitting related to small islands are inevitably confronted with demands for and ideas about authenticity, and negotiate formulations of what is real and good in their situated context. Participating in localized knitting cutures requires positioning oneself in relation to existing ideas about authenticity—both the ideas that inform the global market for knitwear and those held dear by one’s immediate neighbors. While “romantic” and “enlightenment” models of authenticity are important to maker-customer communication, within local networks of makers “relational” authenticity is key. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: Intimate geopolitics; the geographies of making; knitting; bodies; geopolítica íntima; geografías de la confección; tejidocuerpos; géopolitiques intimes; géographie de la fabrication; tricotentités EN Intimate geopolitics the geographies of making knitting bodies ZH geopolítica íntima geografías de la confección tejidocuerpos géopolitiques intimes géographie de la fabrication tricotentités 1024 1040 17 09/09/22 20220901 NES 220901 Casting on: knitting and its geopolitical potential Geopolitics is the study of the spatial ways power relations unfold; intimate geopolitics is the way 'that geopolitical struggle is entangled in and comprised through our day-to-day intimate interactions with one another' (Smith, [34], p. 282). Whilst I was at the charity, the refugee appeal was a cause that captivated the hearts of those knitting and donating to the charity and became something that was referenced in the notes left with their knitting, for example, in the note pictured in Figure 3. The charity began by fulfilling the wants of knitters to send things to children in Afghanistan and continues to work in supporting knitters and their want to affect change using knitting. [Extracted from the article]

From medieval romances to twenty-first century popular novels, weaving, sewing, embroidery, and knitting have been a framework for female voices otherwise marginalized by the culture depicted in the text or by the genre itself. The habitus connecting women and textiles is strong enough that, even as textile production has become almost wholly industrialized, the association remains powerful in contemporary popular culture. This article offers a comparative look at the textiles produced by women in Laura Esquivel's novel Como agua para chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate, Mexico, 1989) and Völsungasaga (The Saga of the Volsungs, Iceland, late 13th century). Although separated by almost a millennium, in these literary texts, Tita and Brunhild each use their skill at textile production to express the things they cannot say out loud. The close readings performed here are part of a larger work examining the varied means by which women in patriarchal societies enact agency through their reproductive labour, particularly women's communication of narrative through production of both texts and textiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In her 2008 novel The Knitting Circle, American writer Ann Hood identifies knitting as a form of prayer, with every stitch connecting her to her deceased daughter. In 2016, a Rotterdam-based knitting icon, Loes Veenstra, passed away. For many years, Veenstra knitted hundreds of jumpers that were not intended to be worn. She knitted solely to fight her smoking addiction. In 2010, hundreds of Peruvian women knitted together in a square in Ayacucho to commemorate their missing relatives, whose fate had remained unknown since the civil war in the 1980s and 1990s. The scarf they created served as a symbolic grave because these women knew that their relatives would probably never get a real one. The written and spoken testimonies of these women as well as the knitted objects reveal the significance of knitting as a remedy. This creative endeavour practiced in daily life becomes a remedy when it is the only activity that women want or are able to undertake while experiencing grief, trauma or addiction. Knitting is a cure for women who have no other recourse to action within their social or cultural circumstances. These case studies illustrate how being creative (as a woman) in daily life can be beneficial in difficult times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, to improve the weavability of nanofibers, a self-developed electrospun nanofiber yarn-wrapping device and a hollow spindle yarn-wrapping device were created, and a layer of yarn or filament was applied to form a wrapped yarn. This type of wrapped yarn can overcome the shortcomings of the poor mechanical properties and poor wear resistance of electrospun nanofibers inherent in traditional weaving/knitting processes. The breaking strength of the wrapped yarn is found to be higher than that of the core yarn. According to the wrapping effect, the hollow spindle wrapping can be divided into three cases, namely hn < dw, hn = dw, and hn > dw, which respectively correspond to the three phenomena of over-wrapped, well-wrapped, and core-exposed yarn. When the wrapped structure is broken, the core yarn and the outer yarn are simultaneously stretched under the action of external tension. The tensile deformation of the core yarn is first broken, and the outer yarn then begins to experience individual stress, resulting in stretching and untwisting until it breaks. The research conclusions have guiding significance for the expansion of the application of nanofibers in traditional textiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mosaic knitting is a method of two-colour knitting that has become popular in recent decades. Our analysis begins with the mathematical rules that govern stitch patterns in mosaic knitting. Through this characterization, we find the total number of mosaic patterns possible in a given size of fabric and bound the number of patterns that are practical to knit. We proceed to a classification of the symmetry types that are compatible with mosaic designs, including theorems that enumerate which one- and two-colour frieze and wallpaper groups are and are not attainable in mosaic knitting. Our discussion includes practical information for knitwear designers and a multitude of sample patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a design-to-fabrication workflow to customize multimaterial CNC knitted textiles to form nonstandardized and nondeveloped curved surfaces for façade cladding skins. These are bespoke membrane panels knitted with heterogenous elasticity and shaped out-of-plane by bendable rods to form pre-tensioned 3D freeform surfaces without needing conventional cut-and-join processes. This research culminates in the Knit Patterned Flow pavilion. The workflow is implemented across 35 uniquely shaped scalloped panels assembled as a modular paneling system to create a visually continuous spatial envelope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Subversion is at the heart of my knitting practice but how can the stereotypical image of the knitter, the kindly white-haired, white-skinned grandmother who knits out of love, be successfully subverted to change public perceptions of knitting? What will it take to challenge and ultimately change the stereotype? This article examines contemporary media representations of knitting and knitters from the UK, USA and Australia, revealing how deep-rooted the stereotype is. The media representations explore issues around activism, mental health, race, gender, age and sexuality as portrayed through acts of knitting. From the environmental activists known as Knitting Nannas, to artist Jameisha Prescod’s, self-portrait, Untangling, of her knitting to manage her mental health during England’s national lockdown, and gold medalist diver and campaigner for LGBT + rights, Tom Daley, knitting poolside during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics in an attempt to relax and steady his nerves. It explores how the stereotypical view of knitters and knitting affects the way that it is received and valued, and challenges the supposedly “warm and friendly” nature of knitting, presenting the lack of diversity and representation that currently exists in the knitting community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract There is a body of research that identifies the social benefits that exist from participating in knitting and crochet as a leisure pursuit in collaboration with others. In this article, we draw on the concept of knitting hierarchies to interrogate the concept of craft groups as being welcoming, inclusive spaces. Drawing on a survey conducted with 243 Australian women we explore the dynamics and hierarchies that exist by contrasting experiences of community and belonging with those of gossip, judgment, and exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maglev driving method is a novel needle driving technology for weft knitting machine, which uses the non-contact hybrid magnetic driving method to replace the traditional cam type knitting needle driving method. This method can alleviate the problems of noise, heating and broken knitting needle during the operation of knitting machine. This paper designs a hybrid magnetic levitation needle drive structure. Based on the structure and driving mode, the equivalent magnetic circuit model and the axial mechanical model of the needle are established. The state equation is used to analyze the axial displacement response of the needle under setting voltage. Moreover, the closed-loop controller of the needle drive is optimized to make the needle have stable axial displacement response. A hybrid maglev needle driving experimental device is also designed. The relationship between the axial displacement and the coil driving voltage is calculated by using the analytical method and the numerical finite element method. The results show that the hybrid maglev knitting needle axial drive structure and drive control method can meet the requirements of needle drive height. This study provides a reference for the design of new hybrid magnetic suspension knitting machine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Knitting has long established meanings in everyday life. As popular and academic interest in yarncraft has surged, these meanings are being re-made. Recent times have also seen a proliferation of ways to make and share meanings, and recognition of the interaction of modes and materials, and affective and aesthetic engagements involved. This article draws on interdisciplinary approaches to meaning-making to present three strands, each offering a different way of looking at the relationship between knitting and meaning-making in contemporary everyday lives. The first explores the deep-rooted connections between knitting and meaning-making activities conventionally understood as literacy. The second strand draws on Ingold’s taxonomy of lines to explore knitting as correspondence between maker and the material world. The third draws on Saito’s work on everyday aesthetics to examine how long-established meanings of knitting, in particular its associations with the “ordinary,” are entwined with newer meanings across the private and public faces of contemporary knitting practice. Entwined together, these strands demonstrate that knitting is a powerful metaphor for exploring everyday meaning-making. In addition, and significant to the recognition of previously undervalued voices and experiences, this also (re)opens ways of understanding the value of knitting as a meaning-making practice in its own right. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract “Lesbian” and “knitting” are two words which are not often placed together, and yet lesbian knitting has a rich history and an even richer present. This article is an exploration of knitting as a form of lesbian self-sufficiency and self-representation over the past 50 years. It is split into two sections: the first examines the symbol-laden knitwear created by lesbians in the 1980s, as well as knitting within lesbian communities and subcultures such as the landdyke movement and the recent online phenomenon of cottagecore. The second section is an analysis of the personal practice of lesbian knitting and how the craft can take on specific meanings when done by lesbian hands. This section focuses particular attention on how knitting is related to butch lesbian identity and considers where it fits within a lineage of butch lesbian meaning-making. This article aims to begin a dialogue about lesbian knitting practices and lesbian knitting history that does not currently exist, and hopes to prompt further discussion on the topic in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide yarn diversity in terms of structure and properties has increased in recent years. Especially composite yarns produced by multiple components have become very preferable in both weaving and knitting sectors. Among these yarns, core and dual core-spun yarn are more prominent in some areas due to their particular performance. In this study, the structure and properties of plain, elastane cored, and elastane + filament cored composite yarns, which were spun by using cotton as sheath fibers, are comparatively investigated. With a constant Ne 16/1 linear density, a carded yarn production line with modified ring-spinning system was used to produce the composite samples using 5.56% elastane ratio for both and 13.79% polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) ratio for dual core. It was observed that the strength of the composite yarns decreased, while the elongation values at the time of breaking tended to increase. There was some deterioration in transition from plain yarn to dual core composite yarn in terms of unevenness and yarn defects, while some improvement was observed in terms of yarn hairiness. In order to dwell on the causes of this situation, the surface and cross-sectional images of the yarns were also studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I explore the terrain of craft knowing as an area of expansion for feminist relational theory toward materials, instruments, and design work. I argue that an un(der)-developed attention to craft marginalizes forms of deep knowledge and relational practice. A lens critically oriented to craft affirms the importance of paying attention to how bodies and materials become-together, especially in sites that are usually overlooked, undervalued, and marginalized. If crafting is inherently relational, then craft training is training to negotiate those relations, and attending to craft is a way of understanding such relations and appreciating the knowledges they express. By attending to craft, one moves into a space of being with others where what we might have been trained to perceive as 'problems' are just lived realities, and our bodily, practiced responses to them show up as indications of our tendencies and desires. That attention can, I suggest, be leveraged toward greater solidarity practices, including those of accessibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]