Sweater linking and finishing job-work unit

On a flat knitting machine, a sweater comes off in separate pieces: front, back, sleeves and collar. Linking is the step that joins these pieces loop by loop on a linking machine, so the seam stretches like the rest of the knit. This workshop would take linking work from knitwear makers, then mend dropped stitches, trim loose ends, fix buttons and steam-press each sweater before sending it back for packing.

Ludhiana is India's largest hosiery and woollen knitwear hub, and readymade garments are its One District One Product. Sweater orders pile up in the months before winter, and many units send linking and finishing out to small workshops rather than keep a large team all year. The city's deep pool of knitting workers makes trained linkers easier to find.

You need a few linking machines, mending tables with good light, a steam press and careful workers, since every loop is placed on the machine by hand. The hard part is that the work is seasonal and many small workshops already do it, so rates are tight. Holes or mismatched shades mean pieces come back, and some makers pay late.

Win work by visiting sweater units in the city's industrial areas, finishing a trial batch quickly, and agreeing a rate per piece before the season starts.