Fig. 1. Knitted materials have elastic responses that can be programmed by the pattern of Ks and Ps.
a A schematic of the knitting process where a knitting machine converts a code of Ks and Ps into a textile such as the Issey Miyake67 sweater shown in (b). The knitting machine manipulates a bed of latch needles that pull new loops of yarn through existing loops to build the knitted fabric. Here, the second bed of the knitting machine (the ribber) has been removed for clarity. An entangled region of the stitch is identified by the red circle in the inset of (a). c Knitted fabrics with a mix of both Ks and Ps are markedly more extensible (under the same applied stress) than ones with only a single type of stitch. d–g Close up images (left), line diagrams (center), and simulation results (right) of four fabrics: (d) stockinette, (e) garter, (f) rib, and (g) seed.