E-textiles project in Waterford keeps tradition of pattern sharing and re-mixing alive

Crafters, knitting and crochet enthusiasts from Waterford city and county have delved into the world of electronic textiles (e-textiles), wearable conductors and electronic components resulting in the development of unique electronic knitting and crochet craft patterns.

The ‘Yarning Connections’ pattern booklet is now accessible online by clicking the pattern image on and serves as a free resource and an introduction for those keen on exploring e-textiles.

Led by Walton Institute at South East Technological University (SETU) the ‘Yarning Connections’ project, funded under Science Foundation Ireland’s Discover programme, brought together traditional yarn crafters, knitting and crochet community groups from Waterford and the surrounding area.

The 37 participants who are based in and around Waterford city and county teamed up with technical experts from Walton Institute’s e-textiles lab, crochet partner, Jacqui Kelleher, and knitting partner, Caroline O’Toole, to actively engage in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) exploration of e-textiles.

READ ALSO: Permission granted for new amusement and gaming facility at former Waterford cinema

Through peer-to-peer knowledge sharing workshops and collaborative idea generation, a core workshop group of yarn crafters delved into the integration of various conductive yarns, experimenting with soft switches and textile circuits. Additional volunteers tested the patterns and provided invaluable feedback before their release.

E-textiles is a growing industry and the global e-textiles market size reached USD 0.74 billion in 2023 and is projected to hit USD 1.63 billion by 2032, industry sources believe. Demand is increasing all the time for such wearable technology across healthcare, aerospace and the sports and fitness sectors in particular.

However, to date, there is a lack of e-textile instructional information for needleworkers to understand the STEM side of e-textiles. Yarning Connections aimed to address that gap, moving e-textiles forward and bringing skilled makers to the arena.

Project lead, Aileen Drohan, said Yarning Connections was a huge success. “It was a fantastic, collaborative exploration of the integration of simple electronic circuits in knitting and crochet with conductive yarn across a series of workshops. The insights gained from these workshops were instrumental in co-creating the electronic knitting and crochet patterns.

“The entire project was funded under the SFI Discover Programme, which aims to support and develop the STEM education and public engagement sector in Ireland by investing in, developing and extending activity and ability in this area, and exploring and encouraging novel means of engaging the public."

Ms Drohan added: “Yarning Connections brought together a vibrant, enthusiastic group of yarn crafters, knitting and crochet enthusiasts who really enjoyed their time with us and engaged openly and freely with the technical experts from Walton Institute.

“We now have a new and sustainable network of skilled e-textile crafters who are keeping the old traditional craft methods alive, while also gaining practical skills in the practice of e-textiles as potentially complementary disciplines.”

Dr Frances Cleary, head of the Mobile Ecosystem and Pervasive Sensing division at Walton Institute, says she was delighted with the outcomes.

“This project provided a pathway for traditional yarn crafting communities who typically don’t engage in STEM-related activities to embrace and understand e-textiles. Releasing new electronic patterns under a Creative Commons licence makes it free to share and modify, keeping the tradition of pattern sharing and re-mixing alive for centuries to come.”

Download the patterns today for free here and begin your e-textiles journey. If you craft something using these patterns use the hashtag #YarningConnections when you post your creations.