Sew good! Spanish designer Gerard Rubio is back on the scene with his revolutionary digital knitting machine, rebranded as Kniterate. The machine, which was inspired by 3D printing, operates with user-friendly software to create knitted garments from scratch, letting users design and edit templates as they go along or simply by uploading an image of a garment they’d like to recreate.
Rubio’s inspiration for the knitting machine is to make it easier for people of all shapes and sizes to create their own designs. The innovative product is aimed at those, who, although may not have the time to knit a sweater the conventional way, would like to create bespoke pieces for their wardrobe. Of course, for the business-minded, the machine is also an opportunity to provide new revenue streams for independent designers, or even for existing clothing brands. Kniterate also cuts down on the incredible amount of waste seen in the large-scale retail world since the machine creates garments made to shape.
Related: OpenKnit: An Open-Source “Clothing Printer” That Lets You Make Your Own Garments
At its core, Kniterate is basically a modern twist on traditional knitting methods. Equipped with hundreds of computer-controlled needles, individual loop patterns are created that result in knitwear, whose shape, color, and size are all created beforehand through an easy-to-use software program. According to Rubio, Kniterate’s software is still in development, but is the company’s primary focus at the moment. The team has even created a prototype web-based app, which will hopefully allow anyone with access to design their own patterns to knit.
Kniterate recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for funding; within one hour, the project had already reached its campaign goal of $100,000.
Images via Kniterate
