GB2293181A - Knitting wrap yarn on flat knitting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

In a method of introducing a walewise extending wrap yarn (16) into a fabric (14) knitted on a flat or v-bed knitting machine (10, 12) a knitting element (B) is provided in one needle bed (10) at a position where a walewise extending stripe is required, and the wrap yarn (16) is retained on the knitting element as the remaining stitches in the one needle bed (10) are transferred to the needles in the opposed bed (12) so that as the needles in both beds knit fabric, the wrap yarn is knitted into a wale of fabric. <IMAGE>

Description

Title - Improvements in or relating to a flat or V-bed Knittina Machine The present invention relates to improvements in a flat or V-bed knitting machine, more especially to a knitting arrangement for knitting a fabric having a particular fancy effect.

A flat or V-bed knitting machine consists of two needle beds mounted at right angles to each other and at an angle of 450 to the horizontal. Tricks are provided in each needle bed, each trick receiving a needle, the tricks being off-set with the needles in the front needle bed alternating with those in the back. The needles used are latch needles.

Knitting movement is imparted to the needles by cams or locks which are carried on a cam plate attached to a travelling cam carriage. The cam carriage consists of a separate cam system for each needle bed and a yarn carrier selection unit. One traverse of the cam carriage along the needle beds, with all cams in action, produces or more one courses of 1 x 1 rib. Two or more yarn carriers are normally provided, operating on slides fitted to the front and rear needle beds respectively, At the start of knitting, the fabric loops of the previous knitted course are resting in the needle hooks positioned inside the verge at the top of the needle trick. As the cam carriage is advanced along the needle beds the butts of those needles within the knitting width engage the lower needle raising cams.

Those needles outside the knitting width remain in a low (non knit) position, and pass below the cam system. Both back and front needles are raised simultaneously to the clearing position, to place fabric loops on respective needle stems. Brushes prevent the latches from closing as the fabric loops slide off the open latches. The brushes also serve as latch openers to open the latches of any needles which have become closed for one reason or another. The upper raising cams lift the needles to their highest position before they are lowered by the stitch cam.

As the needles start to descend yarn is fed into the needle hooks by the yarn carrier. The fabric loops slide up the needle stems in readiness to close the latches as the needles descend.

Further movement of the needles down the stitch cams takes the needles to their lowest position where knocking over of the fabric loops takes place. During normal knitting both back and front needles cast-off their loops simultaneously.

Flat or V-bed knitting machines are versatile in that they are capable of knitting garments which incorporate designs or fancy effects. Fancy effects may be introduced using solid colour, pleating or textured effects. The simplest form of solid colour work is horizontal striping which involves the use of several yarn carriers working across the full knitting width.

Although, by suitable needle selection, it has been possible to introduce a vertical or walewise-extending stripe into a fabric knitted on a fully automated electronic machine, the number of stripes which can be introduced for a given width of fabric is limited. It has been possible to increase the number of stripes by hand insertion of a vertical yarn, but this process is necessarily labour intensive and thus expensive.

An object of the present invention s to enable a plurality of stripes into a given width of fabric, automatically and thus without the need for manual insertion of stripe yarns.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a method of introducing a walewise extending wrap yarn into a fabric knitted on a flat or V-bed knitting machine which comprises providing a knitting element in a trick in one needle bed at a position where a walewise extending stripe is required, and retaining the wrap yarn on the knitting element as the remaining stitches in said one needle bed are transferred to needles in the opposed bed so that as the latched needles in both beds knit fabric, the wrap yarn is knitted into a wale of the fabric.

The knitting element may for example be a latchless needle or a closed knitting element.

Conveniently, the knitting element or elements is/are provided in either the front needle bed or the rear needle bed dependent upon the type of machine involved.

The wrap yarn is preferably stored on a creel mounted beneath the knitting machine. In this way the yarn can be introduced to the knitting element from beneath the front needle bed.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figures 1 are sectional views across the two needle beds of a to 7 V-bed knitting machine showing one latched and one latchless needle, and illustrate the sequence involved in introducing a walewise stripe in to a knitted fabric in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, Figures 8 correspond to the views of Figures 1 to 7 but to 14 illustrate a second embodiment of the invention which utilises a closed knitting element instead of a latchless needle as the knitting element, and Figure 15 is a loop structure diagram illustrating a fabric embodying a walewise extending stripe in accordance with the invention.

The front and rear beds of a flat or V-bed knitting machine are shown as 10 and 12 respectively. Fabric is knitted on the two needle beds in known manner and a length of fabric 14 is shown being taken down between the two needle beds again, in known manner. The needles in both beds are latched needles such as that shown as "A" in the rear bed 12. However, at positions where a walewise extending stripe is required, knitting elements in the form of latchless needles, such as that shown as "B" are provided in the front needle bed 10.

The yarn to be introduced into the knitted fabric is known as a wrap yarn and is shown as 16. As may be seen, the wrap yarn 16 is fed to the needles of the front bed along the underside of the front needle bed 10. The yarn 16 is taken over the latchless needle "B" from the opposite side of needle "B" to the transfer pelerine 18 and thence to the main knitted fabric held on the needles in the rear needle bed 12. The pelerine 18 is a known stitch transfer device and is used to transfer stitches between the front and rear needle beds.

Referring now to Figure 2, the latchless needle "B" has ascended to a transfer stitch position taking the wrap yarn 16 with it.

Needle "A" ascends to the transfer position passing between the needle "B" and the pelerine 18 and through a loop formed in the wrap yarn 16 by the raised needle "B". Thus, the wrap yarn is over the hook of needle "A" being retained against a shoulder 20.

Figure 3 shows needle "B" in a descending condition, the wrap yarn 16 having been introduced into the hook of needle "A" during the former needles descent.

Figure 4 shows needle "A" descending with the wrap yarn caught over its hook, whilst downstream, the wrap yarn is wrapped around the hook of needle "B".

In Figure 5, both needles are in the rest position with the wrap yarn over the hooks of both needles "A" and "B".

In Figure 6, needle "A" is ascending to receive weft yarn 22 from a conventional overhead feeder 24, Figure 7 showing needle "A" having again descended to knock over both the wrapped yarn 16 and the weft yarn 22 thus reverting to the position shown in Figure 1 and enabling the knitting sequence to be continued.

Once the fabric has been knitted, the ends of the yarn 16 are sewn in or otherwise finished so that they do not remain visually unattractive.

Clearly, the wrap yarn can be the same type of yarn of that of the knitted fabric but interesting designs can be achieved where the wrap yarn is different from the principal yarn, for example in colour or dimension.

A typical fabric which can be produced by means of the invention is a tartan made on a single bed. If desired, this fabric could be combined cables and stitch construction can also be used using the wrap vertical stripe.

In Figures 8 to 14 similar reference numerals have been used to designate the same parts as those illustrated in Figures 1 to 7.

In the embodiment Figures 8 to 14 however the knitting element "B" is completely closed in that it includes a closed loop through which the wrap yarn 16 passes.

In Figure 8 the wrap yarn 16 is introduced from underneath the needle bed 10 and is taken through the closed knitting element from the opposite side of the element to the transfer pelerine (i.e. anti-clockwise as viewed) and then knitted in to the main knitted fabric on the opposed needle bed 12.

Figure 9 shows the closed element "B" ascending to a transfer stitch position taking the wrap yarn 16 with it. The needle "A" on the opposed bed ascends to the transfer position thus going through the wrap yarn 16 and positioning the wrap yarn over needle "A".

Figure 10 illustrates element "B" descending with the wrap yarn, and Figure 11 the needle "A" descending with the new wrap yarn 16 over its hook.

Both needle "A" and element "B" are now in a rest position, see Figure 12, with the wrap yarn from the closed element "B" over the hook of needle "A", (not knitted in).

Needle "A" now ascends to take the normal introduction of the weft knitted yarn from the conventional overhead feeder, a step illustrated in Figure 13.

Finally, Figure 14 shows needle "A" descending to knock over the loops of both the wrapped yarn and the conventional weft knitted yarn and thus the repeat process begins again.

The only limitation of this type of knitted structure is the number of closed elements which can be introduced to the needle bed and each closed element uses its own yarn which can give infinite variety of colours.

A typical fabric would be a tartan which made on a single bed fabric would be unique to the body blank knitwear trade although cables and stitch construction could also be introduced in a conventional way also using the wrap vertical stripe.

A normal half-gauge knitted rib and welt can be made with this fabric which previously has not been possible.

Figure 15 illustrates a reverse knit single bed fabric produced by the method of the invention and shows the wrap yarn 16 knitted into the ground structure.

Claims (4)

1 A method of introducing a walewise extending wrap yarn into a fabric knitted on a flat or V-bed knitting machine which comprises providing a knitting element in a trick in one needle bed at a position where a walewise extending stripe is required, and retaining the wrap yarn on the knitting element as the remaining stitches in said one needle bed are transferred to needles in the opposed bed so that as the latched needles in both beds knit fabric, the wrap yarn is knitted into a wale of the fabric.

2 A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the knitting element comprises a latchless needle (Figures 1 to 7).

3 A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the knitting element comprises a closed knitting element (Figures 8-14).

4 A knitted fabric whenever produced by the method of claim

1 (Figure 15).