11. Open Source Hardware - From Fibers to Fabric¶
I. Introduction (Open Source Circular Knitting Machine)¶
This week marked a transition from working with raw fibers to understanding the mechanical systems that give textiles their structure, introduced through a lecture by Sara Diaz from Studio Hilo on how open-source technologies invite new ways of processing and producing textiles.
From mechanically aligning and twisting fibers into yarn, to interlacing, looping, compressing, or embedding them into stable surfaces. Our focus was on knitting specifically, exploring how open-source approaches can reinterpret its loop-based structure. Through this lens, we were interested in understanding how accessible, open-source knitting systems can translate traditional textile techniques, and accordingly chose to reverse-engineer the Macro Yarn Machine by Jasmine Martinez.
The Macro Yarn Machine is a circular knitting machine designed to produce seamless tubular fabric by knitting in a continuous round motion instead of flat panels. It uses multiple needles arranged in a circular formation, allowing it to produce seamless, stretchy, and uniform knitted fabrics quickly.
Key Features
Shape: Needles are placed around a circular bed → makes a tube-shaped fabric.
Speed: Much faster than hand-knitting.
Fabric Type: Creates jersey, rib, interlock, and other knitted structures.
Use: T-shirts, socks, sleeves, sweaters, sportswear, and seamless clothing.
Variety: Small hobby machines (Addi, Sentro) → large industrial machines used in textile factories.
Historical Background¶
Historically, the circular knitting machine emerged in 1816 when engineer Marc Isambard Brunel patented the Tricoteur, a device that revolutionized the industry by creating seamless tubes of fabric at speeds impossible for hand-knitters. For nearly two centuries, the technology evolved toward industrial efficiency prioritizing speed, fine gauges and mass production.
Research and References:¶
A. Macro Yarn Machine by Jasmine Martinez¶
The Macro Yarn Machine is an open-source textile fabrication tool designed for macro yarns production. The machine is able to knit around a core material and use multiple yarns in one row. The machine involves a driving movement via spur gear on which the whole machine is assembled on, while the cylinder group is fixed on the table. As the gear assembly rotates around the cylinder group, which contains the needle guides, this combination of dynamic movements allow the controlled vertical movement of the needles in a circular knitting cycle.
The project is deeply rooted in open-source hardware culture and would not have been possible without existing community knowledge, particularly Circular Knitic by Varvara Guljajeva and Canet Solà, and the HILO Spinning Machine, developed through close collaboration with Sara Diaz Rodriguez. Designed as a large-scale, readable knitting system, the Macro Yarn Machine exposes the mechanics of circular knitting while encouraging replication, adaptation, and further development within the open-source textile community.
B. Circular Knitic by Varvara and Mar¶
Circular Knitic is an open-source, digitally fabricated circular knitting machine designed to integrate textile manufacturing into contemporary maker culture. Built using accessible tools such as 3D printing, laser cutting, and Arduino, it enables knitting to be approached as a form of soft digital fabrication. Developed as an open hardware project, Circular Knitic is fully replicable and invites community-driven experimentation, reintroducing textile fabrication into Fab Labs and makerspaces traditionally focused on hard-surface production.
Our Objective¶
Our objective was to deconstruct the mechanical logic of knitting by understanding how synchronized movements, guide profiles, and needle geometry organize linear strands into three-dimensional fabric. The project applied product design and reverse engineering methods within a collaborative team, working from an open-source digital design back to physical reality. It required adapting to real constraints, time, files, materials, and available equipment, while engaging in rapid problem-solving, collective decision making, and resource management. This process built technical awareness and enabled us to adapt a global open-source machine design to local conditions.
II. Team Introduction¶
This project was developed collaboratively within Makerspace Amman team, working closely alongside Doaa Al Hinty and Haneen Khaleel and of course our instructor Claudia Simonelli.
III. Fabrication Process and Workflow¶
IV. Final Result¶
Result and Conclusions¶
Materials BOM¶
| Qty | Description | Price | Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Material one | 22.00 $ | http://amazon.com/test | order now |
| 1 | Material two | 22.00 $ | http://amazon.com/test | find alternative |
| 1 | Material three | 22.00 $ | http://amazon.com/test |
Tools¶
Fabrication files¶
Reference Stl. Files:
Edited Components: