Author name: Haydn Davis

{besps}ss/Takashimaya{/besps} Luxury Japanese department store Takashimaya has declared its in-store, order-made knitwear demonstration a great success after its customers flocked to experience the Shima Seiki WholeGarment technology for themselves. Haydn Davis reports from Tokyo.With a couple of days still to run on the demonstration, which has seen an SWG 091N accessory machine and the SDS-ONE Apex 3D apparel design system located in-store for customers to experience for themselves, Takashimaya has racked up more than YEN 6 million (US$66,000) in sales of order-made knitwear in around just 10 days.

{besps}ss/stoll{/besps}The latest knitwear collection from Stoll ? the German-based builder of v-bed knitting machines ? is an elegant merger of sports inspired casual clothing with classic tailored lines for the winter season.The new retro influenced collection from Stoll features neat, tailored outlines combined with functional details such as draw cords and quilted effects from the sportswear sector. In particular Stoll has applied felting techniques to the fabric surface to give knitted fabrics with a woven look. Fabric surfaces have also been partially treated with a ?needle-punch? technique to achieve an interesting but subtle contrast between felted and non-felted areas. Along with the special visual effects, the treated fabrics have a high shape stability and very good heat insulation.

Reutlingen – Providing a range of software
tools aimed at providing more effective and economic pattern design and
knitting processes, Stoll-Software Solutions has released the latest version of
its popular M1plus design software for flat knitting applications.

Some of the main attractions of the latest M1plus
5.1 system are that designers now have a new function for the automatic
creation of Argyle diamonds with and without fancy-stitch. There are also the
possibilities of producing a knit-in with patented split knot and an improved
representation during the positioning of copied selections or pattern elements.

Equipped also with a Stoll Knit & Wear
method ”stamp out”, this latest version of M1plus has a function that
protects the region outside of a selection and a Shape Editor which retains the
step definitions when converting input format Steps>Stitches and vice versa.

For further ease of use, modules can be
arranged in the module toolbar as needed while the undoing of modifications
before expansion of regions is possible.

New modules available include one for
closing stitches with kick-back for single jersey and modules for Fair Isle and Doubling, In addition there are new
Knit&Wear starts for pullover, cardigan, body, slipover, waistcoat and
trousers along with short sleeve slipover with armhole ribbing. Improved
modules for collars of cardigan area also available.

The software is also equipped with a DVD of
ready-to-use pattern samples.