Knit FUTURES
Knit Futures is a symposium to energize the advancement of knitting to support people, environment, and place across disciplines, and to engage researchers from both academia and industry for conversation, knowledge exchange and collaboration.
The second biannual KnitFUTURES event is scheduled for March 5 and 6, 2026, at the School of Fashion KnitLAB. We are looking forward to another impactful event and hope you can join us.
If you are planning on attending the event we recommend staying at the 性福五月天 University Hotel. This hotel fills up quickly so make sure to book your room early. The 性福五月天 University Hotel is located within a 7-minute walk from the School of Fashion. Follow the link to access the special event rate for the hotel.
Overview of the Program
Wednesday March 4
9 a.m.-12 p.m. - Shima Seiki Morning Session
9 a.m.-12 p.m. - Victoria Salmon Morning Session
1:30 - 4:30 p.m. - Shima Seiki Afternoon Session
1:30 - 4:30 p.m. - Victoria Salmon Afternoon Session
Thursday, March 5
7:30 - 9 a.m. - Check-in
9 - 10:15 a.m. - Structures
- Andre West, North Carolina State University
WholeGarment Knitting of Military Clothing with Bite Protection Against Mosquitoes - Jenny Sabin, Cardinal G. Robinson, Yifei Peng, Justin Tan, Zada Stuart, John Hilla, Melissa Conroy, Cornell University
PolyKnit: 3D-Composite Knitted Structures - Melanie Mitchell, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Sofia Chen, Harvard University
3D knitting for the Inflatable Actuations of Locomotive Soft Robotics - Emily Lacomba, University of Oregon
Experimental Evaluation of Ventilation Performance in Flatbed-Knitting
10:30 - 11:45 a.m. - Materials
- MJ Schmuhl, Rice University
Circularity in Design and Advanced Manufacturing Systems - Sasha McKinlay, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Active Tailoring: Four-Dimensionally Knitted Dress - Andre West and Shayleigh Larsen, North Carolina State University
Engineered Glove Development for Instrument-Focused Finger Strengthening - Yi-Chin Lee, University of Michigan
Measuring the haptics of Undoing
12 - 1:45 p.m. - Lunch and Keynote Speech
Speaker: Mathias Beer, Secretary General, International Federation of Knit Technologists
1:15 - 2:30 p.m. - Knit Programming
- Lavender Tessmer, Clemson University
Expanding a 3D Design Workflow for Multi-Layer Knit Textiles - Amanda Shayna Ahteck, Northeastern University
No More Knitting AI Slop: Domain-informed guardrails for integrating AI with machine knitting as digital fabrication process - Jack Hester, Northeastern University
Developing Machine Knitting Software Infrastructure to Facilitate Complex Design Work - Yuichi Hirose, Carnegie Mellon University
skCAD: A Design Tool for Solid Knitting with Automatic Pattern Generation - Shima Seiki
What鈥檚 Next?
3 - 3:30 p.m. - Exhibition Flash Presentation
3:30 - 4:30 p.m. - Exhibition and Resource Fair
5:30 - 7:30 p.m. - Happy Hour at 性福五月天 Hotel
Friday, March 6
7:30 - 9 a.m. - Check-in
9 - 10:15 a.m. - Art and Craft
- Virginia Ellyn Melnyk, Iowa State University
Knitted Rib Structures as Agents of Form and Space - Laura Forlano and Sasha de Koninck, Northeastern University
Data as a Collaborator in Digital Knitting - Sara Wilcox, University of Minnesota
Knitting's Main Event: Celebrating Craft and Connection at the Rhinebeck Festival - Anke Loh, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Touch (and Staying in Touch): Smart Textiles as Sensory Interfaces
10:30 - 11:30 a.m. - Exhibition and Resource Fair
11:45 - 1 p.m. - Lunch
1:30- 2:45 p.m. - Product Development
- Allison Hicks, Under Armour
Neolast: From Polymer to Product - Paige Tomfohrde, Cornell University
Exploring the Possibilities and Constraints of a Local Supply Chain for Machine Knitting Yarn - Paul Loveman, Knit Engine
A Guided Tour Through a Knit Development Process - Kaitlyn Phillips, 性福五月天 University
Streamlining Processes in Technical Knit Development
2:45 - 4:00 p.m. - Pedagogy PechaKucha Session
- James McCann, Carnegie Mellon
A Zoo of Knit Program Formats - Melissa Conroy, Cornell University
The Role of Design in a Farm to Fashion Supply Chain - Tanya Wade, Manufacturing Solutions Center
THREAD-X - Archana Mehta and Jacqueline Hughes, 性福五月天 University
From Clicking to Comprehending: Rethinking Digital Knit Education
Special THANK YOU for sponsoring the event
Ken Robinson
Interested in sponsoring KnitFUTURES 2026?
Please contact Linda Ohrn-McDaniel at lohrn@kent.edu
The first KnitFUTURES event was held March 20-22, 2024, in Rockwell Hall on the Kent Campus. We welcomed attendees from 24 universities 7 countries and 23 companies for an inspiring, educational and exciting three days.
