#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.

Footwear innovation enabled by warp knitting technology– insights from New Balance

The future of the athletic shoe is increasingly being shaped on warp knitting machines. For KARL MAYER, the footwear industry is one of the most important growth markets – and one of the sectors where innovative textiles can realize their full potential. In his keynote address at the opening of KARL MAYER’s TEXTILE INNOVATION CENTER in Obertshausen in April, Vishnu Prakash Muthusamy, Senior Textile and Materials Engineer at New Balance, explained the opportunities that warp knitting technology opens up for performance, sustainability, and faster development processes, and why textile manufacturers are transitioning from suppliers to development partners.

STOLL: Agreement signed for the divestiture of selected assets

In early 2025, KARL MAYER announced its strategic decision to focus on its core business areas of WARP KNITTING, WARP PREPARATION, and TECHNICAL TEXTILES. As part of this move, the flat knitting machine business under the STOLL brand was discontinued and the production site in Reutlingen was closed in October 2025.

KARL MAYER presents a textile TEXTRONIC® innovation at ITM 2026

With highly efficient machines and continuous textile innovations, KARL MAYER underscores its role as a reliable partner for discerning top-tier customers. Just in time for ITM 2026 in Istanbul, the industry leader is introducing a true innovation: an eyelash lace with its characteristic fringed look – combined with a previously unattainable 4-way stretch. While the established fabric could until now only be produced as rigid version or with one-dimensional stretch, the new elasticity in both dimensions expands the possibilities for cross-band panel fabrics.

ITM 2026: Mayer & Cie. Global presents itself successfully at international industry trade fair

Mayer & Cie. Global has used ITM 2026 in Istanbul for its first major international appearance since the restart. Together with the Turkish representative Mayer Mümessillik, the company presented its premium circular knitting machines "Made in Germany", explained its future positioning within the group of companies and held talks with customers and representatives from numerous markets. The response to the restart was positive. The clear orientation of the company, the reliable worldwide network of representatives and the resumption of service and spare parts supply were welcomed by customers.

TM WEFT, 270" – More width, more design freedom for the fashion world

KARL MAYER is expanding its successful TM WEFT series with an innovative model that opens up new possibilities, particularly in the fashion & apparel sectors. With a working width of 270", this new machine with weft-insertion not only offers significantly higher output than its narrower counterparts but is also specifically tailored to the demands of dynamic clothing market – particularly in China and Türkiye. A well-thought-out upgrade also ensures even greater design versatility.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

Cotton made in Africa partners receive top marks in independent verifications

Cotton made in Africa® (CmiA) and CmiA Organic are two internationally recognised standards that aim to promote sustainable development in the African cotton sector south of the Sahara. To ensure the standards’ credibility among brands, retailers, and consumers, independent verifiers evaluate compliance on the ground. The verification results for 2025, now published in the Aggregated Verification & Implementation Report, were very strong: The verifiers awarded consistently very good remarks regarding management, people, prosperity, and the environment.

Bangladesh: Italian textile machinery mission stops in Dhaka and Chittagong

Technological upgrading and the transition toward higher value-added production are driving the new Italian industrial mission to Bangladesh. This year, the mission will split between the country’s two main manufacturing hubs, where Italian manufacturers will meet the leaders of the local textile supply chain in two strategic stages: July 7th in Dhaka and July 9th in Chittagong.

Yarn Expo Shenzhen 2026 closes doors, advancing sustainable and innovative sourcing in South China

Yarn Expo Shenzhen 2026 served as a strategically positioned mid-year sourcing platform for the Greater Bay Area, highlighting Shenzhen’s role in connecting regional demand, supply and innovation exchange across the textile value chain. During the three-day fair, over 20,000 visits were drawn from 74 countries and regions[1], as exhibitors and buyers engaged with new developments in greener, performance-led, and value-added yarn and fibre solutions. Held in conjunction with Intertextile Shenzhen Apparel Fabrics and PH Value, the fair underscored the benefits of closer synergy and new materials across yarn, fabric and apparel platforms for the South China market.