Exciting changes are coming to Genevieve Sweeney, one of which I can finally talk about in detail!

For the last eight years, I have been dreaming of and working towards the goal of purchasing my very own industrial knitting machine, setting up a micro factory in my workshop, and passing on my knitting skills to apprentices. After a long journey (which I will detail below), the machine has arrived, and my plans are being put into action. Pre-launches, limited edition designs and the evolution of my micro factory are all to come over the upcoming months. Keep your eyes peeled and sign up to my newsletter to be the first to know.

I’ve been running my business for ten years now, and have been in the knitwear industry for a lot longer. During this time, I have witnessed a skilled industry disappearing due to the lack of demand, rising costs and a lack of skilled workers. One of the reasons for launching my own business was that I knew if someone didn’t shine a light on British manufacturing, the long history of the British knitwear industry could completely disappear. Throughout the (almost ten!) years I have run Genevieve Sweeney, I have championed heritage factories using time-honoured knitting techniques, helping to keep the industry afloat.

The logical next step has always been to bring an element of knitting in house, crafting my designs myself as well as getting a new generation excited about knitting again. I’m excited to pass on my skills to others, whether young apprentices or those looking to upskill and launch a new career.

Although I have had this plan in the back of my mind for some time now, it has taken me eight years to find the right space and to gather the funds. It was impossible to find local grants or government support where I am based. At one point I even considered uprooting my family and the base of my business to move to a different county where grants for machinery and support in upskilling were available. This issue is echoed all across the UK, with manufacturing having a serious lack of government support. I have so much respect and admiration for all the factories who have had to put everything on the line to fly the flag for British made artisan goods, helping their crafts to continue for generations to come. Over the decades I have seen countless factories close down and knitters retire without being able to pass on their skills. Knitwear factories are small businesses with limited resources, money and time. There is so much paperwork involved in organising apprenticeships, and there’s also the risk of the apprentice leaving as soon as they’ve been trained. For many factories, it’s just not worth it.

However much I’m looking forward to taking on apprentices, there are other elements that all came together when it came to finally ordering my very own industrial knitting machine. I have always wanted to offer a more bespoke service with made-to-measure knitwear and custom colourways. Having a micro factory will eventually allow me to offer these services. I’ll also be able to knit limited edition small batches, to prototype and sample in-house, and to offer pre-orders to help to reduce waste. Both time and cost will be saved when I adapt to this new way of working.

Now that the machine has arrived, the hard work begins. I will be learning how to program and run the machine, as well as finding my first apprentice who I can connect with masters of the craft, teaching them to link, hand intarsia knit and more. The aim is to grow our micro factory into a hub of creativity and craft to further develop my designs. Next on my list is to implement a washing facility – which is more high tech that you would think!

Keep your eye on this journal and our newsletter over the coming months. I’ll be sharing more about our new machine and how it works, taking you behind the scenes of our manufacturing processes, and introducing new limited edition designs that will be available for pre-orders.