A study of 2-periodic weft-knitted textiles using the theory of knots and links

Miriam Kuzbary; Shashank G. Markande; Elisabetta A. Matsumoto; Stanley Pritchard

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arXiv · 2510.08384

A study of 2-periodic weft-knitted textiles using the theory of knots and links

Miriam Kuzbary·Shashank G. Markande·Elisabetta A. Matsumoto·Stanley Pritchard

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Abstract

In this study, we use a correspondence between two-periodic weft-knitted textiles and links in the thickened torus to study the former using link invariants. We establish a criterion to identify the set of links whose elements are realized through techniques of weft-knitting leading to new, unconventional types of weft-knitting stitch patterns. A crucial topological underpinning of these links is shown to be their correspondence with ribbon knots and links in Euclidean three-space and equivalently in the three-sphere. Using the mechanics of weft-knitting, we propose a protocol for constructing and enumerating links in the thickened torus that can be knitted as a motif of a weft-knitted textile, and we call such links \emph{swatches}. Based on our analysis of link invariants of swatches, we propose conjectures on hyperbolic structure of the link complements of swatches and their multivariable Alexander polynomials.

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BibTeX RIS

Miriam Kuzbary, Shashank G. Markande, Elisabetta A. Matsumoto, Stanley Pritchard. 2025-10-09. A study of 2-periodic weft-knitted textiles using the theory of knots and links. https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.08384

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