## 2 Materials and Methods
### Methods  
The type of knitting technology is selected according to the desired product format--knitted fabric, cut panel, or seamless garment. Based on this, the number of rows and active needles is defined for each design, as presented in Table 2. The Karl Mayer Stoll CMS 503 ki flat knitting machine used in this study supports a maximum of 620 needles and enables high-precision control within automated production workflows.  
The knit setup parameters for the five macrostructures are summarised in Table 3.  
For each design variation, a single knitted sample was produced and analysed. All dimensional measurements and shrinkage evaluations were conducted on these individual specimens. This approach was chosen because this study focuses on structural comparison under uniform production and washing conditions, rather than statistical variation between multiple samples.  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline
**Knit Macrostructure** & **Sample 1** & **Sample 2** & **Sample 3** & **Sample 4** & **Sample 5** \\ \hline Number of needles & 172 & 170 & 74 & 120 & 140 \\ \hline Number of rows & 274 & 218 & 132 & 377 & 187 \\ \hline \end{tabular}  
A view of the machine setup is shown in Figure 2.  
\end{table}
Table 2: Numbers of needles and rows for each of the designed knit macrostructures.  
Figure 2: View of the used Stoll’s flat knitting machine CMS 503 ki.  
Due to the high elasticity of knitted fabrics, dimensional changes in shape and size typically occur during the first washing or wetting cycle [39]. In this study, such changes are expected as a result of the high hygroscopicity and swelling behaviour of the cotton yarns used [40]. These changes affect not only the yarn dimensions but also the interactions between individual elements of the knit structure and the contact points of the loops. In addition, the loop geometry is altered, primarily due to changes in the ratio between course height and wale density [41; 42].  
All knitted samples were washed together in a single cycle using a standard domestic washing machine at 40 \({}^{\circ}\)C with a liquid detergent. A standard wash, rinse, and spin programme was used, with a spin speed of 900 rpm. No fabric softeners or optical brighteners were applied. Performing a single wash ensured that all samples were subjected to identical conditions, thus supporting the repeatability and comparability of shrinkage measurements. After washing, the samples were left to dry under controlled atmospheric conditions: temperature 22 \({}^{\circ}\)C and humidity 60% [43].  
To evaluate the dimensional changes, the length and width of the finished samples were measured before and after washing, and the shrinkage (Sh, %) was calculated using the following formula [44]:  
\[Sh=\frac{X_{bw}-X_{aw}}{X_{bw}}100,\ \% \tag{1}\]  
where Xbw is the parameter (length or width) before washing, cm, and Xaw is the parameter (length or width) after washing, cm.  
The shrinkage of each sample was also calculated in terms of area (Sharea, %) using Equation (2):  
\[Sh_{area}=100\left(1-\frac{L_{aw}\cdot W_{aw}}{L_{bw}\cdot L_{bw}}\right),\ \% \tag{2}\]  
where Lbw is the length before washing, cm; Wbw is the width before washing, cm; Law is the length after washing, cm; and Waw is the width after washing, cm.