01Material
It all starts with the alpaca wool.
Material and shade are selected and prepared for processing. From these wool strands, each KNITSCHI piece will later be created.
Knitting machine & handcraft
Alpaca knitwear from Chemnitz.
Hat and 2-in-1 solution start with the same yarn and the same knitting technique. Only during finishing do they become two different products.
The common beginning
Six steps that connect both products.
I select the yarn color, wind the skein into a ball, and process the yarn on the knitting machine. Until the finished cuff, hat and 2-in-1 solution go through the same path.
After that follow the manual steps that turn the knitted piece into a finished KNITSCHI item: shaping, connecting stitches, sewing, marking, and inspecting.
01–06 · Shared Path
From the yarn to the prepared cuff.
02Hand preparation
The wool strand becomes an even ball.
The strand is stretched and wound by hand. This allows the yarn to be processed evenly and without interruption on the knitting machine.
03Knitting machine
Stitch by stitch, the knitwear is created.
The prepared yarn is processed on the knitting machine. It produces the even rib pattern and the long basic shape, from which a hat or a 2-in-1 solution will later be made.
04Knitting result
Not yet a product – but already the shared form.
After knitting, a long cuff lies before you. It already shows color and stitch pattern, but still needs several careful work steps before it can be worn.
05Details by hand
Care label and marking are inserted neatly.
Even small details are part of handcraft. The care label is carefully inserted and the knitted piece is prepared for further processing.
06Common starting base
Turned inside out, the cuff is ready for its own path.
Up to this point, both products are created the same way. Now the further processing decides: For the hat, the shape is built up and sewn, for the 2-in-1 solution, the open stitches are connected.
From here, the paths diverge
One shared cuff. Two different products.
The first six steps are completed. Now choose the product path you want to continue.
Path AThe path of the hat
The cuff becomes a double-layered hat.
The cuff is shaped, built up in double layers, and carefully sewn. In the end, I check the stitch pattern, seams, and execution.
07Hat · Shaping
The cuff is sewn and built up in double layers.
Through careful joining and sewing, the typical hat shape is created. The double-layered knit gives it shape and a protected wearing feel.
08Hat · Completion
The finished KNITSCHI hat is inspected.
After shaping and finishing touches, the stitch pattern, seams, and workmanship are checked. Only then is the hat fully completed.
Path BThe path of the 2-in-1 solution
Stitch by stitch to the loop and headband.
Here the knitted piece remains open at first. Only the careful joining of the stitches transforms it into the versatile 2-in-1 solution.
072 in 1 · Preparation
The open knitted piece is waiting to be joined.
The knitting already has its final stitch pattern and the correct length, but it is still open and therefore not yet a finished loop.
082 in 1 · Handwork
Open stitches are assigned precisely to each other.
The stitches are marked individually and then connected stitch by stitch. This keeps the connection clean and elastic.
092 in 1 · Finishing
One product, two ways to wear it.
After connecting and quality control, the piece can be worn as a loop. Folded over and pulled up, the same product becomes a wide headband.
KNITSCHI from Chemnitz
Technology gives it shape. Handcraft gives it the final touch.
Both products combine even knitting on the machine with careful finishing and personal quality control. Why knitting technology has such a long tradition specifically in Chemnitz is shown by the documented journey through the city's textile history.