Our supporters on Kickstarter trust us to provide them with the first generation of Kniterate knitting machines and that, we believe, deserves a special price.

In each country we need to guarantee we can deliver, and provide customer services and maintenance of the knitting machines in a cost effective way. We also need to be sure we cover the resulting fixed costs of operating there.

We are not able to offer customized discounts through Kickstarter.

The estimated delivery of the first batch of Kniterate is April 2018 (next year).

Kniterate brings the best of both worlds by providing a compact version which a hobbyist can have at home or share at a local makerspace, but also the capabilities of an industrial knitting machine to scale up your production.

Kniterate has many of the features of an industrial knitting machine, the most important being automated knitting and transfer of stitches. This allows it to do automatic shaping (it can increase or decrease stitches, cast-on, bind-off, etc.). Key differentiators are its size and price, which allow it to be in many more workshops.

If you are a business with an industrial knitting machine for production it will always come in handy to have a smaller knitting machine for prototyping. If you don't, and you struggle dealing with long lead times and shipping expenses, Kniterate can really help you speed up your work and reduce your costs.

You will be able to design in your browser and it will do shaping automatically for you. Kniterate is a hybrid between industrial and domestic knitting machines. For a price and size comparable to an advanced domestic knitting machine but with most of the functionalities of an industrial one. You can control all the needles in the machine to knit and transfer stitches and create very intricate patterns, with a great range of types of stitches and shapes, all automated.

No. Our plan now is to focus on manufacturing the 7 gauge Kniterate knitting machine and continue developing an exceptional software for it.

Yes, for one year, except easy wear and tear parts like needles.

Yes, after the campaign has ended.

Our campaign ends May 8. Clearing should happen around 1-3 days after that day.

This will be decided at a time closer to the delivery of the knitting machines, but you should expect it to be standard times in the industry.

It's going to be very easy to use, and we will provide you with free online resources to learn how to use it.

If you are in London, please come and visit us. For everyone else, once we have delivered our machines we will start planning workshops worldwide.

Yes, we have been generating some documentation of the machine and we'll put it together to create a manual to guide you through it's usage and maintainence. We will be producing plenty of Youtube tutorials that will range from technical advice to creative applications.

We will provide users with free online resources. There may be hands-on training or workshops but we haven't planned any yet.

We are incorporated in the State of Delaware, USA. Despite having pursued most of our development in China and the UK, we will establish a permanent office in the USA in the next months.

Get in touch with us directly with a proposal.

No, Kniterate is not an open source project.

Yes, please visit our website for more information www.kniterate.com

We believe Kniterate is especially useful if you run your own business, do research or provide a service to your community, because there are clear ways to monetize the purchase. Kniterate is a high ticket purchase, so we ask you to read our Kickstarter campaign page carefully to evaluate the risks and challenges associated with our product.

Kniterate is a self-contained technology and the basic software to run it will be free, but you will need yarn.

Space to put the knitting machine (49” x 25” x 24”/125 x 64 x 60 cm) and a strong desk or support (287 lbs/130 kg). The machine will have a cord plug that works on standard outlets.

Kniterate operates by consuming yarn and electricity.

Needles will occasionally break, and require replacement.Changing them is a quick and easy operation.

The needle bed needs to be lubricated appropriately.

We have managed to make Kniterate a lot quieter. Since it's not as fast as its industrial counterparts, the noise is also lower.

As with every mechanical product there is a chance this will happen. During knitting fiber fly, dust and dirt can collect in the needle bed. You should aim to keep it clean to avoid this. The carrier has a fail-safe stop if it meets resistance.

The knitting machine has yarn tensioners which detect yarn breakage and large knots. There is an emergency stop button.

Yes. You can adjust the sensitivity of the sensor according to the thickness of your yarn.

It is a safe knitting machine with security features built-in, but because of its size, weight and mechanical power we recommend supervision when people, especially kids, are around it. The machine is fully enclosed and it has sensors that stop it when doors open and a fail-stop button. The knitting machine requires a strong base to support it.

Kniterate needs to be on a solid table. If you believe the table could be affected by strong vibrations we recommend that you bolt the machine to the table and the table to the ground.

No, the knitting machine only works with the built in motor. If not running, you can move the carriage manually (there is some resistance) or do it easily from its built-in controller.

Yes you can do that. You can access all the needles of the needle bed and move them freely by hand.

7 gauge, seven needles per inch

There is a needle every 3.63 mm.

204 per needle bed, 408 needles in total

29" / 74 cm. The knitting width of the machine is not necessarily the width of the piece knitted.

The current maximum speed is 295 mm/s. Our goal is to optimize the knitting machine to 400 mm/s or more. Kniterate is not designed for use in large scale production.

Yes, double bed in solid steel, it's one of the key elements to have a highly reliable automated knitting machine.

The knitting machine has 6 yarn carriers which means you can use up to 6 different yarns (different colors and/or materials) per row.

No

Yes, it can increase, decrease, cast on and bind off/cast off.

It can do short-rowing but only on the edges of the piece since that allows the roller to pull it down. Short-rowing in the center of the piece for more than 2 or 3 rows is not recommended. The machine has no sinkers so the garment would come up. For example, a shoe upper is perfectly fine since the short-rowing occurs on the edges to turn the rib of the ankle 90 degrees. A sock is not possible because the heel, where the short-rowing is needed, is at the center of the piece.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes, with limitations. The machine can't knit and tuck within the same traverse movement, it can do one after the other one. That means you can't trap the yarn to avoid long floats so it's ideal to make a great variety of stitches rather color patterns.

Yes

Yes.

Yes. To do that you have to knit every other needle, such that you always have an empty needle in front of a loop in the opposite bed. That empty needle is used to place the loop to do different operations. That means that you need twice the amount of needles for the number of stitches.

Yes, but limited to short floats/strands (we recommend a maximum float length of 5-6 stitches). This is because it can’t both tuck and knit in the same traverse movement, so it can’t anchor long floats between knitted stitches.

It potentially can, we haven't tried yet. It would be tiny, though.

Yes

It is possible but with important constraints on the pattern. The machine can’t both tuck and knit in the same traverse movement, so it can’t anchor long floats between knitted stitches. To have a different image on both sides the pattern is limited to short floats (max recommended floats of 5-6 needles).

The knitting machine will only stop automatically if the yarn breaks, the spool runs out of yarn, a large knot is detected (through sensors in the yarn tensioners) or if the carriage is slowing down because of mechanical resistance. When knitting complex structures or testing yarns for the first time you should supervise the knitting machine.

When the machine is stopped, you can have access to all the needles and move them freely to work with the stitches.

Not in the standard way. The knitting machine has no sinkers so when short rowing in the interior of a piece, the operation required to knit the heel for example, results in issues. Short Rowing on the edges works fine.

Some of the garments we've produced with the machine have been assembled by hand, others with a linker and yet some others with an overlocker. There are many ways to complete this process and it really depends on the finish you want and the speed at which your need to produce. We will have Youtube tutorials to guide you through the assembly process.

The metrics of 3-D printing don’t really apply to kntting. The variables that define resolution are gauge, yarn and tension

Yes, in the onboard screen.

Yes

You can use any of your yarns of the right weight, like in any other knitting machine. We will partner with yarn suppliers and build a store to offer a great selection for the knitting machine.

This really depends on the garment and its size. The best solution is to weigh a similar garment and then find out the cost of the yarn you would like to use. We will offer information of this kind for our templates and the yarn provided in our website.

Yes

The machine is designed to work with most of the yarn cones available in the market. Although, in case you have one that is too big and can interfere with a neighboring one, you could put it on a table behind the machine, or even on the floor.

Each yarn requires its own parameters so if you selected them appropriately the range of options is quite generous. We will work throughout the year to test as many yarns as possible so that we can let you know. We will also elaborate a list of parameters for those yarns we test and select for you to minimize the sampling time.

Around 3-4 ply, sock-sport, 4 Nm, 0.25 tex (250g/1000m)

We haven't tried working with metallic yarns yet. We are expecting a delivery of some next week and we'll run a few tests. We'll take a few pictures of the result and we will share it with all of you. (March 31, 2017)

Yes, please get in touch later this year, as we start organizing for this.

By reducing speed and some features we have been able to bring down the cost of the knitting machine, opening this technology to a broader audience.

Industrial grade solid steel.

Yes, the machines are going to be thoroughly tested. First we are taking four months to optimize the speed and weight of the machine. After that each machine will be quality tested in the factory, which has over 30 years of experience making industrial knitting machines.

Upgrades will be software based and will not require changes in the knitting machine, which is manufactured for years of use and will benefit from software that constantly improves. We will also provide spare parts. We can't guarantee that as newer versions of the knitting machine come out some parts will become obsolete. Mechanical improvements may require that we eventually redesign important aspects of the knitting machine, as is the case with cars.

Not with a needle bed of a different gauge.

This is an industrial grade machine, so it's built to last many years under intense daily use. That's what it's designed for.

There are no critical parts made out of plastic. All the parts that receive intensive mechanical stress are made of steel. Built to last many years.

If taken care properly, the machine can work continuously for a very long period of time with basic maintenance. There are mainly two things that need to be taken care of often: making sure that the needle bed is clean and oiled and making sure that the needles are all in good shape (we will make Youtube videos to guide the user through both things). If operated correctly needles can last thousands of hours operating.

Yes it will come with 50 spare needles

We'll have them in our online store at very competitive prices.

We will have a spare part service stocking all replaceable parts of the machine in our North American and European warehouses.

We are will not be providing a list of components. Repairs will be handled by our technical service.

We have been talking with knitting machine technicians and we are creating a network in all the places we are selling to offer a quick service in case it is needed. We are constantly reaching to more technicians and the network is extending with this Kickstarter. Drop us an email if you'd like to be trained to be one.

We don't recommend you try to repair the knitting machine by yourself as this will void the warranty. We will provide instructions for our users to be able to perform the basic maintance tasks required for the machine.

This will void the warranty.

For the online version, it can work on any operating system since it's browser based.
For the standalone version, it will be compatible with Mac and Windows.

Yes, we've already implemented this feature on our design app, but at a basic level. You can also use your standard design software and our software will process the file.

Not at all, we will focus on usability at every step of the development.

Yes

Yes

Yes, these functions will be added throughout this year. At the moment we are working on having basic templates for different garments so you can quickly start creating them. We are building a software development team that will work on this on a daily basis to constantly keep adding upgrades. We will keep an open communication with our users to implement requested features.

Yes, our basic design app works with templates and is easy to use, so you will have a place from which to start designing. Otherwise, you can always select available designs from other users and jump very easily into knitting.

Yes, you will be able to import images in our design app and they will be processed to the number of feeders you select (up to 6). We will provide some guidelines for an optimum result.

Yes, the basic design app is free and anyone can use it. That way a knitting machine can get all the use it deserves.

Yes, we will be developing a standalone version that you can download and install in your computer to be used offline.

You will have full control over your designs. To share you will need to opt-in. You can also keep the file in your computer, if that makes you more comfortable. Our goal is to create a digital fashion marketplace, so we will try make it exciting to share and to monetize your designs.

K-code files. SD card and USB

Yes, we will work on developing a framework that allows developers to build applications for our knitting machine.

Hacking Kniterate will void any warranty the machine has. We are developing software to make sure the machine receives correct instructions during the entire process and the hardware doesn't get damaged. This is a powerful machine and we can't take responsibility for the control software you may develop.

Initially we will provide free and streamlined design app, which will share some of the features, but not all. Our app will have an easy to use UI that doesn't require you taking a multi-week training course.

For the first stage of the development, this feature won't be implemented and you will have to use external software to convert into an image any file you want to knit.

No, this is not a service we will be providing, but we will provide a platform to reach out to owners of knitting machines.

No

We are aware of the importance of the software and we are going to put lot of energy in developing it to deliver the best possible experience. We started working on it in March of 2016 and we've gone through several iterations and tests. It already has a lot of functionalities but it's also a bit rough on the edges. We would like to add more features and we are eager to listen to your needs and suggestions to include features that might be important for our users and which we may be not prioritizing.

USA, Canada, UK and EU.

Shipping prices vary by location and country. It’s simpler (and cheaper for you) to handle this separately and it allows you to spread the costs. It's also the most equitable way to treat each of our backers.

After the Kickstarter is over and we are ready to start shipping, you will receive an invitation to go to our website and enter your shipping information to pay the appropriate amount. Shipping costs vary by location but will be around $500 if you live in the US.

Unfortunately, international shipping is not as easy or cheap as we would like it to be. Prices vary by country and what taxes and other regulations your government has. If you order a Kniterate through Kickstarter to be delivered outside the USA, we ask that you assume responsibility for all these charges. Once the machine is ready to be shipped, you will be asked to log into our website and pay the appropriate shipping charges.

Import and duty taxes are only included for the USA. We currently do not know what the duties and taxes will be but they will incur additional fees. We will give our Canadian, UK and EU backers a better estimate of this cost before final shipping.

We are going to ship the knitting machines in containers by ocean to the USA and the UK and then use ground shipping from there.

When we can offer units at a fair price and be able to appropriately support those customers for the lifespan of the product. This is an involved task and needs to be properly thought through before we make commitments to any additional region. Be patient with us as we grow and scale in a sustainable fashion.

If you are looking to have Kniterate shipped to Alaska or Hawaii, we will contact you after the campaign ends to process an additional fee for shipping.

Yes, we will deliver the knitting machine to your door. Ready to be used.

The size of the wooden crate is approximately 67" x 28" x 28" (170 x 70 x 70cm) and the weight around 350 lbs (160 kg). This is slightly smaller than an american-style fridge freezer. Measure the width of your doors to see if the knitting machine will fit through. It may only be possible to move it up or down stairs if you have a lift.

This will void the warranty.

The shipping crate will be made of wood, so this is technically possible, but we can't guarantee it.

Yes, we are open to the machine being picked-up by you if we are temporarily holding it in a warehouse. Having said that, the early bird batch may be delivered straight from the container by our logistics partner.