A professional who tends knitting machine that increases and decreases stitches at designated places to knit shaped garment parts onto ribbed cuffs or waist bands. Responsibilities include:

• Creels machine and threads yarn through guides, stop-motion devices, and yarn carriers, using hook.
• Positions transfer bar containing several ribbed parts over needle bed of machine, pushes stitches from transfer points onto machine needles and removes transfer bar.
• Pulls one ribbed part up to needle eyes and attaches outer edge of rib to hooked bar of takeup roll. Starts machine that automatically increases stitches to knit garment part.
• Turns handle or presses pedal, when machine automatically stops, to activate narrowing fingers that cause needles to decrease stitches to shape portions, such as shoulders and neck.
• Replaces defective needles, using pliers.
• Notifies knitting-machine fixer of machine malfunction.