Textiles: knitting – Independent-needle machines – Straight
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-30
2004-04-06
Worrell, Danny (Department: 3765)
Textiles: knitting
Independent-needle machines
Straight
Reexamination Certificate
active
06715324
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a knitting method of knitting a stripe pattern into a tubular fabric by using a flat knitting machine, wherein a yarn switching is performed in the course of knitting of the tubular fabric to minimize stitch level difference produced at the yarn switching point, so as to prevent disfigurement of the knitted fabric, and to the stripe patterned fabric.
BACKGROUND ART
A tubular fabric can be knitted by using a flat knitting machine in such a manner that a front knitted fabric and a back knitted fabric are suspended in layers from their respective needle beds and their loop courses are cyclically knitted, with a yarn fed to the front fabric and the back fabric in an alternate order, so as to be joined together at each widthwise end thereof.
An example of a general method of knitting a tubular fabric of a plain knitted structure by using the flat knitting machine is shown in FIG.
5
. “F” at the left side of the diagram indicates a front needle bed, “B” indicates a back needle bed, “A-O” indicate needles of the front needle bed, and “a-o” indicate needles of the back needle bed.
FIG. 6
is a loop diagram showing in development a part of the knitted fabric part around the yarn switching point. In
FIG. 6
, the broken line X—X shows a boundary between a front fabric
103
and a back fabric
105
, which corresponds to a left end portion of the knitting width of the fabric, when viewed from on the needle bed.
FIG. 6
illustrates that the loop course of the front fabric
103
and the loop course of the back fabric
105
which are formed in one knitting cycle of the tubular fabric are aligned on the same line.
First, in the step
1
, a yarn feeder is shifted rightwards to feed the yarn to the needles a-o of the back needle bed so as to make the course knitting of the back fabric
105
. In the next step
2
, the yarn feeder is shifted leftwards to feed the yarn to the needles O-A of the front needle bed so as to make the course knitting of the front fabric
103
. Subsequently, the course knitting in the step
1
and the course knitting in the step
2
are repeated in an adequate number of times to knit the loop courses of a first knitted fabric part
107
. Thereafter, the yarn is switched to another yarn of different color and then the same knitting as the knitting mentioned above is made to knit a second knitted fabric part
109
. This knitting way that whenever a required number of cycles of courses are knitted, the yarns are alternately switched to each other can produce a stripe patterned tubular fabric
101
in which the first color and the second color are alternately mixed. It should be noted that the stripe patterned fabric defined herein includes a two-tone knitted fabric in which the yarn switching is performed only once. In general, the yarn feeder is initially positioned at either lengthwise end of the needle bed of the flat knitting machine. In this example, the initial position of the yarn feeder is set at the left side of the same and the wale at the left end of the back fabric
105
(at the needle “a” of the back needle bed) is set to be a starting point of the knitting cycle. The yarn switching is performed in this condition in the illustrated example.
As seen from
FIG. 6
, when a next loop course is formed after the loop course of the tubular fabric
101
is formed in one cycle knitting, the last loop in the loop course formed in the one cycle knitting is drawn toward a firstly formed loop in the next loop course formed in one cycle knitting. As a result of this, color transition difference is produced at the yarn switching point
102
in the actual knitted fabric, as shown in FIG.
7
.
In addition, since cross-over yarns
120
,
121
are produced at the yarn switching point at which the cycle knitting begins, it is necessary that after knitting, the cross-over yarns
120
,
121
are cut and their edge yarns are drawn into the inside of the tubular fabric
101
. Further, a tail end process, such as a darning, is required to prevent the stitches from loosening from the edge yarn thus drawn in.
Thus, when the tubular fabric
101
mixing the stripe pattern therein is knitted in the conventional knitting method, the stitch level difference resulting from the yarn switching is produced distinctively at the boundary between the front fabric
103
and the back fabric
105
, thus disfiguring the appearance of the knitted fabric.
Also, since the knitting involving the yarn switching produces the cross-over yarns at the yarn switching point, it involves troublesome tail end process as mentioned above.
In the light of these problems, the applicant of this application previously proposed the method disclosed in Japanese Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publication No. Hei 10 (1998)-60758. However, the proposed method is a tubular fabric knitting method wherein the yarn switching point is set at an obscure point of a knitted product, rather than at an end of the knitted product with respect to the knitting width thereof. For example, when a necktie is knitted, the yarn switching point is set at a hidden place on the back side of the necktie. Hence, the previously proposed method is not intended for minimizing the occurrence of the stitch level difference itself. In view of this, the previously proposed method cannot be useful for the seamless knitting of tubular knitwear, such as a sweater and a skirt, having no place for the yarn switching point to be hidden on the back side, unlike a necktie.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a tubular fabric with a stripe pattern that provides a minimized color transition difference resulting from the yarn switching produced at the yarn switching point, to prevent disfigurement of the knitted fabric. It is another object of the present invention to provide a tubular fabric with a stripe pattern that can relieve the tail end process of an edge yarn portion including cross-over yarns produced by the yarn switching.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method of knitting a stripe pattern in a tubular fabric by using a flat knitting machine comprising at least a pair of front and back needle beds, wherein a front fabric and a back fabric are suspended in layers from the needle beds and their loop courses are cyclically knitted in an alternate order so as to be joined together at each widthwise end thereof, so as to form the tubular fabric; wherein whenever a predetermined courses are knitted, a yarn switching is performed to form the stripe pattern comprising at least a first knitted fabric part and a second knitted fabric part; and wherein a loop of at least either of the first knitted fabric part and the second knitted fabric part is missed and/or tucked at a yarn switching point in the boundary between the first knitted fabric part and the second knitted fabric part, to minimize a stitch level difference produced at that point.
Preferably, at least one loop of adjacent loops in each of the first knitted fabric part and the second knitted fabric part is missed at the yarn switching point.
Further preferably, two loops of the adjacent loops in each of the first knitted fabric part and the second knitted fabric part are missed at the yarn switching point.
Still further preferably, one of the two loops is missed in the knitting of the last but one course of the first knitted fabric part; then the other of the two loops is missed in the last course of the same; then one of the two loops is missed in the knitting of the first course of the second knitted fabric part knitted subsequently; and then the other of the two loops is missed in the sequent knitting of the course of the same.
It is preferable that the method includes the unused yarn edge disposal knitting step that loops to dispose unused yarn edges are formed in the first and second knitted fabric parts at portions thereof in proximity of casting-on and casting-off by using empty needles and then the loops thus formed are laid over given loops in the tubular fabric.
It is further preferable that the loops
Rothwell Figg Ernst & Manbeck
Shima Seiki Mfg. Ltd.
Worrell Danny
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