Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Knit Technician Intern

🎯 Role Definition

As a Knit Technician Intern, you are a crucial member of our product development engine, providing essential support to the Knitwear Design and Technical teams. This role is a dynamic blend of creativity and technical precision, where you will gain invaluable, hands-on experience in the complete knitwear development lifecycle. You will be responsible for assisting in the creation of knit structures, operating specialized machinery, managing sample libraries, and ensuring the technical specifications for our products are meticulously documented. This internship is designed to foster your growth and provide a comprehensive understanding of how innovative knitwear is brought to life in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Recent Graduate (Textile Science, Fashion Design, Apparel Engineering)
Student currently enrolled in a relevant Bachelor's or Associate's degree program
Apparel Production or Design Assistant with a passion for knitwear

Advancement To:

Associate Knit Technician or Knitwear Developer
Assistant Technical Designer (Knitwear Focus)
Knitwear Programmer / Machine Specialist

Lateral Moves:

Materials or Trim Coordinator
Textile Designer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Operate and maintain industrial flat knitting machinery (e.g., Stoll, Shima Seiki) to produce a high volume of developmental knit swatches and prototypes.
Assist in the programming of knitting machines using specialized software like Stoll M1+ or Shima Seiki APEX, translating design concepts into machine-readable patterns.
Collaborate directly with Knitwear Designers to develop and engineer new, innovative knit stitches, structures, and fabrications that align with seasonal creative direction.
Create and meticulously maintain detailed technical packages (tech packs) for knit garments, including stitch diagrams, construction details, and finishing instructions.
Conduct thorough quality control inspections on all incoming knit-down swatches, proto samples, and bulk production submits to ensure they meet brand standards.
Manage and organize the physical and digital yarn library, tracking inventory levels and preparing yarn cones for sampling.
Execute the development of knitwear from initial concept through to pre-production samples, ensuring technical feasibility and design integrity are maintained.
Prepare and send out detailed lab dip, yarn dye, and knit-down requests to domestic and international mills and vendors.
Participate actively in proto review and fit sessions, taking detailed notes on construction, fit, and finishing to communicate clear updates to factory partners.
Develop and maintain comprehensive spec sheets for all knit garments, accurately measuring samples at each stage of the development process.
Troubleshoot technical issues with knit samples, proposing viable solutions to construction, tension, or machinery challenges in collaboration with senior technicians.
Research and present findings on new knitting techniques, emerging yarn technologies, and innovative machinery to help drive future product development.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis related to yarn consumption, sample costs, and development timelines.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap by helping to digitize and streamline the management of the knit swatch library.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements, such as tracking sample approval rates and vendor performance metrics.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team, providing subject matter expertise on knitwear development processes.
Maintain the seasonal development tracking chart, ensuring all key dates and milestones for the knitwear category are met.
Assist in the creation of presentation boards and materials for key internal meetings, including seasonal kick-offs and line reviews.
Manage the shipping and receiving of all knitwear samples, yarns, and lab dips, ensuring timely delivery to and from vendors.
Support the sourcing team by organizing and cataloging new yarn and trim developments from various supplier presentations.
Help maintain an organized and efficient work environment within the knit development studio and sample room.
Create digital knit simulations and renderings using software like CLO3D or similar programs to visualize concepts before physical sampling.
Document the entire swatch development process, archiving key information, machine settings, and yarn details for future reference.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proficiency or foundational knowledge of industrial knitting machine software (Stoll M1+ or Shima Seiki APEX is a strong plus).
Solid understanding of various knit structures, including jersey, rib, jacquard, intarsia, and fully-fashioned techniques.
Competency with the Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator for technical sketches and Photoshop for texture mapping).
Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel for data management and tracking.
Foundational knowledge of yarn properties, including fiber content, yarn count, and performance characteristics.
Ability to create clear and accurate technical sketches and construction diagrams by hand or digitally.
Experience with PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) systems is highly desirable.
Basic understanding of garment construction, patternmaking, and grading principles specific to knitwear.

Soft Skills

Exceptional attention to detail and a high standard for accuracy and quality.
Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment.
Excellent problem-solving abilities with a proactive, hands-on approach.
Clear and effective verbal and written communication skills.
A collaborative, team-player mindset with a strong desire to learn and contribute.
Ability to adapt to changing priorities and feedback with a positive attitude.
Self-motivated and able to work independently when required.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Currently pursuing or recently completed a Bachelor’s or Associate's degree.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) or Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in a relevant discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Textile Science / Textile Design
Fashion Design (with a Knitwear concentration)
Apparel Engineering or Manufacturing
Industrial Design

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

0 - 1 years of experience, including relevant academic projects, coursework, or prior internships.

Preferred:

Previous internship experience within a corporate fashion, apparel, or textile company.
Demonstrable hands-on experience with industrial or domestic knitting machines through a portfolio of academic or personal project work.
A portfolio showcasing knit swatch developments, technical sketches, or relevant design projects.