Knit Joinery: Incorporating Multifunctional Materials with Single-Bed Machine Knitting

Domestic manual knitting machines are widely used among hobbyists and for small-scale production. However, they are often seen as less capable or niche, and their potential for integration with other materials and machinery has remained relatively unexplored in the HCI community. Knit Joinery proposes an approach that uses knitting as a joinery method to interact with other digital fabrication tools, including laser cutters, 3D printers and CNC knife cutters, becoming part of a makerspace ecosystem. The goal of this paper is to broaden the use of manual knitting machines and position them as a fabrication tool rather than devices solely for producing soft materials. We present examples demonstrating how a manual knitting machine can integrate with laser cutting and 3D printing machines, soft-circuit fabrication, and creative reuse.