Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Knitter Intern

🎯 Role Definition

Are you passionate about the intricate world of knitwear? Do you dream in yarn, stitches, and structures? This role requires a creative and highly motivated Knitter Intern to join our dynamic design team. This is a unique, hands-on opportunity to immerse yourself in the complete knitwear development process, from initial concept to final sample. As a Knitter Intern, you will work directly with our senior designers and technicians, contributing to the creation of beautiful, innovative, and high-quality knit garments. You will gain invaluable experience with industrial knitting machinery, yarn sourcing, swatch development, and the technical aspects of bringing a knitwear collection to life. If you have a keen eye for detail, a love for textiles, and a desire to build a career in fashion, we want to hear from you!

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Textile Design Student or Recent Graduate
Fashion Design Student with a Knitwear Focus
Aspiring Knitwear Developer or Technician

Advancement To:

Assistant Knitwear Designer
Knitwear Developer
Textile Technician / Knit Programmer

Lateral Moves:

Product Development Coordinator
Materials & Sourcing Assistant

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Operate and maintain industrial knitting machines (e.g., Shima Seiki, Stoll) to produce developmental swatches and initial garment prototypes under the guidance of senior technicians.
Assist senior designers and technicians in programming knitting machines, helping to translate creative design concepts into machine-readable patterns and structures.
Develop a wide variety of innovative knit swatches by experimenting with different yarns, gauges, tensions, and stitch structures to build our seasonal material library.
Manage and organize the physical yarn library, including cataloging new arrivals, winding cones, tracking inventory levels, and preparing yarns for sample knitting.
Conduct thorough research on emerging knitwear trends, innovative yarn materials, sustainable fibers, and new stitch techniques to present findings and inspiration to the design team.
Support the creation and maintenance of detailed knitwear technical packages (tech packs), ensuring all specifications for yarn, gauge, stitch, and construction are entered accurately.
Prepare and dispatch sample requests and comprehensive development packages to domestic and international vendors and factory partners.
Diligently track the progress of all knitwear samples, from the initial knit-down through to pre-production samples, maintaining clear and organized communication logs.
Participate actively in design meetings and sample fittings, taking detailed notes and providing constructive feedback on knitwear prototypes regarding fit, hand-feel, drape, and quality.
Create detailed knit-downs, tension squares, and small mockups to visualize how specific patterns, colors, and textures will appear on a finished garment.
Perform rigorous quality control checks on all incoming knit swatches and garment samples to ensure they meet brand standards and align with the original design intent.
Collaborate with the color and materials team to manage lab dips and yarn dye approvals, ensuring color consistency across the entire knitwear collection.
Maintain the digital swatch and knit development library, which includes photographing new swatches and uploading high-quality images with detailed technical information.
Assist in the daily operations of the knitwear studio and design space, ensuring a clean, organized, and efficient environment for the entire team.
Prepare professional presentation boards, digital presentations, and physical materials for seasonal collection reviews and key internal milestone meetings.
Utilize Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to create technical flat sketches, generate stitch layouts, and render digital color-ups for knitwear designs.
Act as a key liaison between the design, technical design, and production teams to ensure a smooth, communicative, and efficient product development lifecycle for all knit products.
Support the product costing process by providing accurate yarn consumption data, weight calculations, and information on machine time for new developments.
Execute hand-knitting, crocheting, embroidery, and other craft-based techniques for special projects, embellishments, and high-detail sample creation.
Document all stages of the knit development process, creating a comprehensive and accessible record for future season reference and production hand-offs.
Aid in sourcing new and exciting yarns and trims from suppliers, organizing and archiving all relevant technical specifications and contact information for the team.
Create and diligently update Bills of Materials (BOMs) for all knitwear styles, ensuring every component from yarn to trim is accurately listed and costed.

Secondary Functions

Assist with ad-hoc swatch requests and exploratory knit structure development for special projects.
Contribute to the maintenance and organization of the physical and digital yarn and swatch library, ensuring it remains a current and inspirational resource.
Collaborate with the design and product development teams to translate creative concepts into tangible, high-quality knit samples.
Participate in seasonal development meetings and team brainstorming sessions for new knitwear collections and concepts.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Foundational knowledge of industrial knitting machines (Shima Seiki, Stoll) and their basic operation.
Familiarity with knit programming software (e.g., Shima Seiki APEX, Stoll M1+) is a significant plus.
Strong understanding of different yarn types, properties, fibers, and gauges.
Solid knowledge of knit structures (jersey, rib, jacquard, intarsia), full-fashion garment construction, and finishing techniques.
High proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, specifically Illustrator for technical flats and Photoshop for renderings.
Competency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel for creating and managing tracking charts and BOMs.
Demonstrable hand-knitting and/or crocheting skills.
Ability to create and interpret technical sketches, spec sheets, and pattern graphs.
An understanding of the product development lifecycle from concept to production.
Experience with PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) software is a bonus.

Soft Skills

Exceptional attention to detail and a meticulous approach to work.
A strong creative vision combined with practical problem-solving abilities.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills for collaborating with internal teams and external vendors.
Superb organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously.
A proactive, hands-on approach and a genuine eagerness to learn and take on new challenges.
A collaborative team player with a positive, can-do attitude.
Ability to take direction and feedback constructively and apply it to your work.
Adaptability and flexibility to thrive in a fast-paced creative environment.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Currently pursuing or recently completed an Associate's or Bachelor's degree.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Textile Design
Fashion Design (with a knitwear concentration)
Knitwear Design
Fiber Science & Apparel Design

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

0-1 years of experience through academic projects, previous internships, or personal projects.

Preferred:

Prior internship experience within a fashion brand, textile mill, or design studio is highly advantageous.
A strong portfolio showcasing a passion for knitwear, swatch development, and design projects is required.