Circular Knitic demonstrates a different line of our works, which lays in open source design and digital fabrication. To be more precise, Circular Knitic is an another example of our aims to integrate textile manufacturing into the contemporary makers’ culture. We call it soft digital fabrication.
We have been working with knitting and knitting machines since 2012. That time we already had a vision about a ‘reprap’ knitting machine. And finally we have achieved it or at least got the idea rolling: Circular Knitic is completely open source machine that is produced by using digital fabrication tools, and thus, allows to be replicated by everyone, who has access to a 3d printing and laser cutting. Also we really hope that the community will pick up our work and develop further. We are very excited to see how this project will evolve.
Circular Knitic is an open hardware project. By using digital fabrication and makers’ tools, like 3D printing, laser cutting, makerbeam, and Arduino, we have designed an automated and replicable circular knitting machine.
Fab Labs and makerspaces are a lot about hard-surface object production. At the same time, the 1^st digital fabrication tool, which is an electronic knitting machine back to 1976, has been forgotten and discontinued. Hence, with this project, Circular Knitic, and our earlier one called Knitic, we aim to integrate textile fabrication to the makers’ culture.
For the DOERS exhibition curated by David Cuartielles in Etopia Center for Art & Technology We produced 5 Circular Knitic machines, which were knitting for the time of the show (8 months). Hence, slowly the ceiling of art centre were covered with knitted tube garments. Each machine was knitting in different colour invading the exhibition space.
The piece was commissioned by Ayuntamiento Zaragoza.
Circular Knitic on Github and manual of parts.

Exhibited:

Group exhibition Fait Machine curated by Noëlig Le Roux & Margherita Balzerani, MIAM museum, Sete, France (17 Feb – 12 Nov’23)

Solo show Digital Stitches, Narva Art Residency, Estonia  (21th – 22th Sept Oct’18)

Solo show “Kootud eksperimendid” / “Knitted Experiments”, Draakoni Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia (11th Oct – 24th Oct’17)

Circular Knitic made to finalists of YouFab Award (2015)

Solo show KnitFab at Super Surface Space Moscow (28th Sept – 16th Oct’15)
V&A Museum during London Design Festival (26th-27th Sept’15)

FabAwards 3rd prize (2015)

Award of 3D Printing Contest of Instructables (2015)

DOERS exhibition curated by David Cuartielles in Etopia Center for Art & Technology, Zaragoza, Spain (Dec’14 – July’15)