There have been a number of technological advancements in the knitting space in recent years, with a rise in the use of robotics, 3D and artificial intelligence (AI). The knitwear market size was valued at US$111.59bn in 2023 and is expected to reach US$165.92bn by 2030, at a CAGR of 5.83% throughout the forecast period.

The growth has coincided with the use of new solutions that are enabling retooling and efficiency that were not possible before, such as Open AI’s early integration, which focused on making advanced AI models accessible and usable for a wide range of applications. It is hoped that AI in future will be able to help the industry adjust patterns and predict the physics of fabrics, for example, and take time out of the work.

However, at the moment, it has its limitations. For example, research hub Knitwear Lab told WTiN: “AI in knitwear is not ready yet. It needs more data to learn what the physical properties are. Virtual knitting, right now, only makes sense when connected to physical processes.”

Even though the technology is still developing, Lyske Gais, lead on virtual knitting believes 3D modelling should be adopted as a design tool. That way we learn how to translate the physical to the virtual and make the software better.