24 and 26 are responsive to the operation of a control system which is wholly carried by the carriage 12 and includes a control switch 27 opk switch a photoelectric reader 28 capable of detecting an entire design indicated on a program card 30 during one pass of the card through it a silicon memory 32 capable of storing all of the patterning instructions read by the card and sequencing control means including an up down column counter 34 which regulates the admission and recall of signals to and from the memory a row counter 36 and multiplexer 38 which regulate the recall of signals from the memory and a pulse generator 39 the memory associated control components 34 36 and 38 may be on separate silicon chips as shown or incorporated into a single chip with the memory batteries 40 and 42 may be utilized as the power supply for the control system and mounted on the carriage as shown to eliminate the necessity of providing power lines between a remote stationary power source and the movable carriage the opk switch 27 is a three position switch which an operator may move from a first position o in which the control system is turned off to a second position p in which the system is conditioned for reading the program card 30 into the memory 32 from the second to a third position k in which the system is conditioned for knitting a programmed design and from a third position back to.