The revitalisation of a craft economy: the case of scottish knitting In the 1980s, Vivienne Weir knitted for money at home, her skills – little remunerated – realising in luxurious yarns the fashionable imaginings of a local designer. In 2018 Kate Davies knits at home, her skills the foundation of a successful eponymous knitwear design and yarn production business. What separates these women is more than time – in contemporary Scotland, knitting is a valid and valued entrepreneurial pursuit, and so-called home knitters form part of a vast network of crafters whose turn from home craft to design-focused entrepreneurship represents a significant contribution to the £1billion per annum that the fashion and textile industries generate for Scotland. Through analysis of the business activities of both women, collected through personal testimony interviews, this paper examines the revitalisation of knitting in Scotland as a viable and lucrative entrepreneurial activity. It compares and contrasts the historical case study of Vivienne who was not afforded the opportunity to realise her potential and make a business from her skills, with the contemporary story of Kate who has translated her skills in hand-knitting and passion for design into a profitable enterprise. It argues that the revitalisation of the craft economy of knitting in Scotland has been galvanized by the rise of a new generation of knitters determined to rewrite the Scottish aesthetic lexicon in knitwear design, a new appreciation for the heritage and tradition of skilled knitting, and a new-found understanding of the economic, social, and cultural value of knit craft. In an age of increasing automation in fashion and textiles, and concerns around the social and environmental impacts of massmanufacturing, this paper demonstrates the importance of a dynamic craft economy in knitting to the Scottish fashion and textile industries.

Knit fabrics are created on diverse machines with diverse knit loops and conditions to make different patterns and fabric types1). Dimensional modifications of knit fabrics can also be achieved by numerous methods such as different knit-loop structures, different types of yarns, or different finishing processes including heat setting, steaming, chemical treatment et cetera. This research develops and explores sophisticated three-dimensional knit fabrics by combining the several different knit stitches including rib and purl. This study focuses on 3D knit models created on modern electronic weft (flat V-bed) knitting machines which have capability of individual needle selection. Several samples of the 3D knitted fabrics are also examined in this research. This research furthermore suggests new types of knitted fashion garment made by using the interesting physical effects.

The knitting method of the sleeves for improving movement adaptability were studied in this paper. The purpose of this study is proposing a knitting method that is suitable for the bodies of women in their 20's and can enhance wearing satisfaction. To see the effect of the bind-off length at the axilla, a movement adaptability test was undertaken for 4 samples that have bind-off at bodices. In addition to that, the analysis of their sliding distance with respect to the human motions were executed. The results of this study were listed below. Its result was that the samples with small bind-off lengths represent better wearing satisfaction than the samples which have large bind-off lengths. The comparison of the sliding distances at the hem, waist and sleeves with respect to the tester's motions also shows that the sample having small bind-off makes better result than the sample with large bind-off. It was observed that the optimal length of bind-off was 2cm for the improvement of the sleeve functionality.

The purpose of this study is proposing a knitting method that is suitable for the bodies of women in their 20's and can enhance aesthetic aspect and wearing satisfaction. For this study, four kinds of seamless knit one-pieces were implemented by different knitting method of waist dart each other. The inspection of the exterior and the sensory test of movement adaptability were included in this study. The results of this study were listed below. Exterior evaluation of the four samples results that the sample with outside narrowing and widening get low grade. Thus, we can see that the method having only outside narrowing and widening for waist shaping can cause problems. In addition to that, the sample with inside narrowing and widening get highest grade for almost all test items. The dressing evaluation results that the knitting method of waist dart affect only on the exterior but not on the movement adaptability of the seamless knit one-piece.