#Knitting & Hosiery

2024-11-01

Year-end sprint with the STOLL and KM.ON training program

For the fall/winter 2024 season, the KARL MAYER GROUP has once again prepared a comprehensive training package for its flat knitting customers. The offer includes an online training course on CREATE DESIGN and a new e-learning course on the basics of flat knitting, primarily for designers. There is also an in-house training course on CREATE PLUS for M1plus® switchers. Susanne Eisenlohr, Head of the STOLL Academy in Reutlingen, is delighted with the positive response.

The course dates for the flat knitting industry for November and December 2024

“CREATE PLUS offers new possibilities compared to the previous software and is a real benefit for flat knitting companies. We provide former M1plus® users with the knowledge they need to fully exploit the potential,” says Susanne Eisenlohr.

CREATE DESIGN - turning knitting ideas into digital reality

The online course on CREATE DESIGN from KM.ON and STOLL lasts two days. It requires an installed CREATE DESIGN license and is aimed at designers with basic knowledge of flat knit structures, stitch-forming techniques and yarns. Participants will learn how design-to-market workflows can be significantly shortened through the virtual development of flat knitted products. They will gain knowledge of the basic functions of the software, how to create different knitting structures, how to work with digital yarns and how to export virtual knitted fabrics for further use in external 3D clothing programs.

The next date for the hands-on course is December 5-6, 2024. Registration can be made via an informal email to create@kmon.net. The training courses are limited to a maximum of 10 participants and have been very popular since their launch in early 2023.

“The participants particularly appreciate the intensive learning in small groups and the opportunity to engage in direct dialog with me as their coach,” says trainer Goran Sidjimovski.

CREATE PLUS for switchers - handling and pattern creation

The CREATE PLUS training course covers the new features and changes in the new patterning software compared to the previous version M1plus®. It lasts five days and requires experience in using M1plus®. The course focuses on how CREATE PLUS works and on pattern creation with knitting elements. Participants will learn about various knitting techniques - structure, jacquard, intarsia, Stoll-multi gauge® and 1x1 technique - using the software's extensive application options. They will also learn more about the possibilities of creating fully fashion patterns as line shapes and working with the different types of knitting elements, which are the basis of CREATE PLUS. The date for the next classroom course:

- from November 4 to 8 in German

- from November 8 to 22 in English

If you would like to register, please email the STOLL Academy directly at training@stoll.com

Basic e-learning course in flat knitting - available at any time and free of charge

Starting this fall, a new, no-fee e-learning course will provide basic knowledge about flat knitting. The training course was developed by KM.ON together with STOLL, lasts just over three hours and comprises six chapters in which participants learn about basic and more advanced flat knitting techniques and how they can be used in products.

The target group is technology beginners from the creative sector: fashion and textile students as well as designers that want to learn how flat knitting works and how it can be used in product development. This course is also a foundation course if you are interested to continue with the CREATE DESIGN course for digital knitwear development. Participation is very easy via the KARL MAYER GROUP's Learning Management System (LMS). It only requires a registration code, which can be obtained by sending an e-mail to create@kmon.net.

The new training dates for the first half of 2025 will also be available here from the end of November 2024.

Driving WARP KNIT Inspiration

KARL MAYER sees performance fabrics and next-level textile solutions in particular as potential growth drivers for its customers, as a motor for business development and as real game changers for the entire textile industry. Innovation does not happen by chance. It is the result of close exchange with customers & brands, textile expertise and competence in textile machine engineering. This is why KARL MAYER is investing in progress and collaborative development and opening its TEXTILE INNOVATION CEN-TER (TIC) – a place to be for the entire textile world.

KARL MAYER (China) celebrates its 30th anniversary

On February 6, KARL MAYER (China) celebrated the new year and its 30th anniversary. Employees and the management team at the Changzhou location, as well as representatives from management in Germany, Italy, and Hong Kong, were invited to the festivities. A special highlight was the visit by Lutz Wolf, CEO of KARL MAYER.

KARL MAYER at JEC: Multiaxial reinforced CFRP pultrusion profiles are picking up speed in the mobility sector

KARL MAYER Technical Textiles will be showcasing exciting new application potentials for multiaxial non-crimp fabrics in combination with the pultrusion process at the upcoming JEC in Hall 5, Booth C 46. The advancement of the tried-and-tested pultrusion process enables the cost-efficient production of complex CFRP multi-chamber profiles, which are used in the CETROVO high-speed metro. The world's first carbon-intensive lightweight rail vehicle of this type is designed for speeds of up to 140 km/h.

Shima Seiki showcases WHOLEGARMENT® and 3D knitting solutions for technical textiles at Techtextil 2026

Leading textile technology solutions provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. of Wakayama, Japan, along with its Italian subsidiary SHIMA SEIKI ITALIA S.p.A., will be participating in the Techtextil 2026 exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany next month. On display will be WHOLEGARMENT® and other advanced three-dimensional knitting applications across a wide range of industries besides fashion apparel that are not typically associated with knitting, such as technical textiles using industrial materials and advanced three-dimensional knitting.

Huixing acquires insolvent Mayer & Cie.

Insolvency proceedings for the circular knitting and braiding machine manufacturer Mayer & Cie. were opened on December 1, 2025. Immediately following the opening of proceedings, the complete cessation of business operations was initiated. Most employees were subsequently given notice effective the end of February 2026. The production of the remaining orders in the circular knitting segment is expected to be completed by the end of the month. As early as December 2025, Mayer & Cie.’s braiding machine division was sold to an Italian investor.

Italian textile machinery innovation takes center stage in Frankfurt for Techtextil 2026

The Italian textile machinery industry is gearing up for a key event on the international trade fair calendar: Techtextil 2026, taking place from April 21–24 in Frankfurt, Germany. A prestigious representation of Italian companies will participate in the German exhibition—a global benchmark for technical and innovative textiles—to present cutting-edge technologies dedicated to an ever-expanding market.

Between innovation pressure and production readiness: Techtextil 2026 showcases market-ready defence textiles

EU defence spending reached a record level of around €381 billion in 2025. The importance of textile innovation in this context is underscored by the European Defence Fund’s 2026 Work Programme, which identifies “smart and multifunctional textiles” as a dedicated priority area. Techtextil translates this demand into industrial practice. From 21 to 24 April 2026, more than 10 per cent of over 1,500 exhibitors in Frankfurt am Main will present material innovations for protective textiles.

Yarn Expo Spring 2026 concludes, connecting buyers with innovative selection of sustainable yarns and fibres

Yarn Expo Spring 2026 wrapped up successfully on 13 March, as a record-high of over 600 exhibitors from 12 countries and regions welcomed more than 25,000 visitors from 113 countries and regions. Held across 27,000 sqm in Hall 8.2 of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the fair highlighted the textile industry’s accelerating shift toward a lower-impact, more functional future. Exhibitors presented eco-friendly organic, regenerated and recycled yarns and fibres, alongside innovative options such as sweat-resistant and high-performance materials. A comprehensive fringe programme further enriched the event, offering practical market insights and new networking opportunities.

ANDRITZ at Techtextil 2026: Sustainability and advanced technologies

International technology Group ANDRITZ will be presenting its innovative nonwovens production and textile solutions at Techtextil in Frankfurt, Germany, from April 21 to 24, 2026 (Hall 12, B95). ANDRITZ will focus on technologies for durable and technical nonwovens, sustainable fiber processes, textile recycling, and life-cycle services.