CA1064277A - Warp knitted fabric and methods for making - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT

A warp knitted fabric with surface interest patterning is formed from full sets of warp threads of yarn. The surface interest patterning is continuous throughout the length of the fabric find includes groups of wales, each group being separated from adjacent wales by exaggerated spacing. The invention includes three different methods for obtaining the surface interest patterning on a two-bar single needle bed warp knitting machine.

Description

commerclally. Use of compllcated stitch constructlons to impart patterning drastlcally modlfles tactlle aes-thetlcs and also necessltate6 knlttlng at lower, more expensive rstes. m e fabrlcs of the present inventlon not only retain the tactlle and visual Aesthetlcs of prlor art ~abrics knltted uslng the sBme baslc knlttlng stltches, that 18, wlthout the need to leave out selected ends vla speclal beams or the use of compllcated stltches, but they alfio provlde surface-interest patternlng. Thus, for the first time, baslc warp knlts can be used where their tactile aesthetlcs are desired but where thelr lack of surrace patterning has heretorore prevented use.
Thls lnventlon provldes a warp knltted fabrlc o~ full sets of front and back bar warp threads of yarn knltted in courses accordlng to a stitch pattern ~orming spaced wales of knitted loops and having a continuous p~ttern throughout its length. m e pattern includes at eBst one group of wales separated from ad~acent wales by exaggerated spacing. In additlon the knitted loops vary in shape, siz2, orientation and spacing cour6e-wise in a sequence which repeats ln alternate courses when knitted with basic warp knlttlng ætitches as hereinafter descrlbed.
Almost any yarns useful for known warp knit processlng may be used in making fabric according to this invention. Included are synthetic the~moplastic yarns in either filament or spun staple form, yarns spun from natural ribers, and yarns from mixtures of ~ynthetic and natural ribers.
me fabric, in accordance with the inventlon, i~ prererably made on a tricot or similar warp knittlng 1064Z~7 machlne employlng a slngle needle bar and at least two yarn gulde bars respectlvely known a8 the back guide bar and the front guide bar. The needle bar is provlded with knitting needles whlch may vary in number accordlng to the gauge of the machlne, and each guide bar has a number of yarn guides correspondine to the number of needles Or the needle bar. The gulde bars are able to be shogged under patte m control a distance of one or more needles ln opposlte directions lengthwise of the needle bar, and both guide bars are also swingable transversely of the needle bar to permit their yarn guldes to pass between the needles, the combined shogging and swinging movements permltting the yarns to be ~ed to the needles and to be knit thereby.
The inventlon also lncludes three methods for knltting the rabrics of thls inventlon as descrlbed herein:
1. In a fully threaded two guide bar warp knitting machine by interchanging some Or the threads from one guide bar wlth threads from the other guide bar in a spaced patte m ahead Or the guide bars on the knltting machine. While lt is preferred to achieve patterning erfects by interchanging ~ront and back bar threads ahead Or their guide bars, substantially the same effect~ result when only one end is crossed from one operating guide bar to another.

2. In a fully threaded two guide bar warp knit-ting machine by supplying one of the full sets of threads to one of the euide bars from two partial sets of threads, i.e., a mixed feeding of one guide bar. The partial sets o~ threads are fed at dlfferent rates to the guide bar in a pattern wherein predetermined groups of adJacent threads --10~4277 from one partial set Or threads are separated from each other by at least one thread from the other partial beam set oi threads.

3. In a fully threaded two gulde bar warp knitting machine by feeding a partlal beam set of threads to spaced positions on at least one of the gulde bars, i.e., partial double-ending one guide bar such that spaced doubled ends are knitted together as a slngle end. me partial beam set of threads is ~ed at a dirferent rate ~rom the full beam set of threads.
Figs. lA to lJ are stitch pattern diagrams for different types of basic warp-knitting with front and back bars of each stitch construction shown separately.
Flg. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a portlon of a two bar warp-knit fabric having knltted loops of Jersey stitches formed rrom fully threaded front and back guid~ bars wherein the front guide bar is fed from two partial sets of threads in a pattem.
Figs. 3 and 4 are photographs of fabrics made as described in Example III by interchanging threads from one guide bar to another.
Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are photographs o~ fabrics made as described in Example VII.
Figs. 8, 9, and lO are photographs of fabrics made as described in Examples IX, X, and XI, respectively. `-"Basic warp-knitting", as intended herein, is best defined in terms of stitch patterns, as shown in Figs. lA to lJ, While many other pattern~ constitutlng basic warp-knitting are theoretically posslble, the ones shown represent mo~t of those used commercially. For 10~4Z77 each, a slngle needle-bar le normally employed, being fed fro~n a front-bar and a back-bar o~ knlttlng ya2ns.
Knitting needle positions for each Or two successlve courses are represented in the diagr~s by horizontal lines of dots, the top llne representlng the course formed ~mediately after the course represented by the bottom line. Only one front-bar end and one back-bar end are shown in each lnstance, lt being understood that one end of each 18 knltted on each knltting needle for every course. More particularly, referring to Fig. lA, the stitch construction of the fabric is notationally set out and shows that the threads of the front bar, one of whlch is indicated at 41, have back and forth movement to non-ad~acent needles in successive coursee as indicated by the numbers 2-3,1-0 and that the threads of the back bar, one of which 18 indicated as 42, have similar movements as indlcated by the numbers 1-0,1-2. The Delaware stltches are partlcularly c~aracterized by chain-stitched back-bar threads as indicated by the numbers l-0,0-l (Figs. lG-lJ). mese may be open stitches (as shown) or closed loops.
Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a two bar ~ra2~-knitted fabric prepared by the mixed feed method wherein a single needle bed warp knitting machine is employed and three wa~p sets of threads are supplied.
More particularly, threads lO are supplied from a front beam to the front guide bar leavlng preselected spaced positions open, threads l~ are supplied from a middle beam also to the front guide bar to the preselected open po~ltions rendering the front guide bar fully threaded, .. , ~

. . - , 10~4277 and threads 14 are supplied fror~ a back beam to ~ully thread the back bar. mreads 12 are more highly ten-sloned than threads 10, which is accompllshed by feeding the threads 10 and 12 at dlfferent rates, whlch in turn provides the difference ln tenslon. One method of set-ting forth thls dlfrerence in tenslon i8 by the ratlo R
Or the runner length of threads 12 rrom the mlddle beam to the runner length Or threads lO rrom the iront beam, Runner length ls the length Or each ya2n used ln knltting one rack (480 consecutlve couræes) Or stltches. mu8, a for the mixed feed technlgue Or Flg. 2 the ratlo R 18 le~s than one. The gulde bars are so threaded and shogged that the stltch pattern 18 a Jersey stitch with a 2-3,1-0 rully threaded front bar pattern and a 1-0,1-2 fully threaded back bar pattern knlt in courses 20, 22, 24, and 26 of wale~ 21, 23, 25, 27 and 29 wherein the back or float slde of the ~abrlc 18 shown for clarlty. It wlll be noted that the fabric has a pattern throughout its length Or a group of wales 23, 25, 27 separated from ad-Jacent wales 21 and 29 by exaggerated spaces 16 and 18.
In addltion the knltted loops wlthin the pattern vary course-wise in shape slze and orientation in a sequence which repeats in alternate courses. More particularly, the sequence of the loops of wales 23, 25, 27 in course 20 progressing rrom large to small and being canted toward wale 29 i~ repeated in course 24 whereas the opposite se-quence is found in alternate courses 22 and 26. ~: !
Flgs. 3-lO are enlarged photographs Or portlons o~ rabrlc produced according to the above described dirrerent methods and, as can be seen, all exhlbit the " , ; ;.. ~

10642~7 e~agger~ted wale ~paclng wlth the knitted loops varylng in shape, slze, orlentation and spacing in a se~uence which repeats in ~lternate courses. These Figs. are descrlbed in more detail in the following examples.
Conventional finishing procedures are suitable for greige fabrics of this invention. In the examples, except ior random selection of color of the disperse dyes used, all grelge fabrics are finished identlcally. After heat setting for thirty seconds at 380F (193C) on a pin tenter frame at 10% overfeed and 5% underwldth, they are scoured, washed, dyed, and again washed in a beck.
Scouring ls for thirty minutes at 180F (82C) using an aqueous dispersion of surfactant and emulsified hydrocarbon scouring solvent. Initial washing is for twenty minutes at 160F ( n C) in water containing detergent. Arter five minutes at 120F (49C) in water containing wetting agent, dispersing agent, and a dye assi~t, pH ls ad~usted to 6 with acetic acid, the selected dye i8 added, and temperature i8 raised to 160F (71C) before adding butyl benzoate dye carrier. Dyeing continues at the boil for ninety minutes. Final washing identical to initial wash-ing ends treatment ln the beck. Flnishing is completed by heat setting at 350F (177C) on a pin tenter frame at wet width and 5% overfeed.
The following terms are used in the Examples and are deflned below:
Rack is defined as 480 consecutive courses (knitted rows) of stltches.
Runner len~th is the length of each yarn used 3 in knitting one rack.

~ uallty denotes the length of one rack o~
knitted fabrlc.
Gauge speclfies the number of knlttlng needles per inch (per 2.54 cm) in the needle bar.
Count (W/C) specifies the number of wales (W) and couræes (C) per unit of length measured perpendlcular to the fabric direction of each.
Greige (also, occasionally, "gray") describes untreated fabric just as it comes from the knltting machine.
Before it is sold, the greige fabric is ordinarlly treated by washing, scouring, dyeing, heat-setting, or the like, a M er which it is referred to as "finished" fabric.
Bulk is computed from welght per unit area, W, and from thickness, t, according to Bulk ~ (t/W)x(units con~ersion factor).
When W is given in oz/yd2 and t in inches, Bulk in cc/gm is computed ~rom Bulk = (t/W)x748.5.
In the examples, Yarns A and B are both of 30 denier (33.3 dtex) and are prepared substantially as described in Example I of Knospe, U.S. Patent No. 3,416,302.
Each filament has a trilobal cross-section as taught by Holland in U.S. Patent No. 2,939,201. Yarn A has ten filaments, and Yarn B has eighteen filament6. In each yarn, half of the filaments are composed substantlally of PACM-12 homopolymer and the other half of PACM-12/
PACM-I (90/10 by weight) copolymer. PACM denotes the polymer unit corresponding to bis-(4-aminocyclohexyl) methane; 12 denote6 the polymer unit corresponding to dodecanedioic acid; and I denotes the polymer unlt corres-_ 9 _ - . . ~

10f~4;~77 ponding to lsophthallc acld. The PACM employed containe 70~ by welght of its trans-trans isomer.
Yarn C is provided on partial beams only and is --a commercially available crimped 30 denier (33.3 dtex) round cross-section monofilament of poly-~-caproamide. It is crimped as descrlbed by Rice in U.S. Patent No.
3,256,134.
In Examples I-V the fabrlcs are warp knltted using ~tandard two-bar, fully threaded, trlcot knitting machines. The top and back beams in each case feed normally beamed knitting yarns of the same description.
As specified, three basic warp knitting stitches are employed with the following front bar/back bar knitting patterns:
Jersey stitch 2-3,1-0/1-0,1-2 Delaware stitch 2-3,1-0/1-0,0-1 Modified Jersey 1-0,2-3/2-3,1-0 In each case, the only modification to otherwise standard and well-known knitting is the interchanging (crossing) of corresponding spaced front and back bar threads at a point between the respective beams and guide bars. The arrangement for crossing spaced threads is substantially as discussed in connection with Fig. 3. The distributlon of crossed threads along consecutive euides in either guide bar ls indicated by a series of symbols (0 or X) where tlo" denotes a normally threaded end and "X"
denotes a cross thread, i.e.~ thread originating from the opposite be~m from that which normally feeds the guide bar involved. Thus, OOXOOOXOOOOX represents a repeated distribution along successive positions on either - .

, : . '; : , 10~;4Z77 ponding to lsophthalic acld. The PACM employed contains 70~ by weight Or its trans-trans isomer.
Yarn C ls provided on partlal beams only and ls a commercially available crimped 30 denier (33.3 dtex) round cross-section monofilament of poly-~-caproamide. It is crimped as descrlbed by Rice in U.S. Patent No.
3,256~134.
In Examples I-V the fabrics are warp knitted using standard two-bar, fully threaded, tricot knitting machines. The top and back beams in each case feed normally beamed knitting yarns of the same description.
As specified, three basic warp knitting stitches are employed with the following ~ront bar~back bar knitting patterns:
Jersey stitch 2-3,1-0/1-0,1-2 Delaware stitch 2-3,1-0/1-0,0-1 Modifled Jer~ey 1-0,2-3/2-3,1-0 In each case, the only modification to otherwise standard and well-~nown knitting is the lnterchanging (crossing) of corresponding spaced front and back bar threads at a point between the respective beams and guide bars. The arrangement for crossing spaced threads is substantially a8 dlscussed in connection with Fig. 3. m e distribution of crossed threads along consecutive guides in either gulde bar ls indicated by a serie~ of symbols (0 or X) where "0" denotes a normally threaded end and "X"
denotes a cross thread, l.e., thread originating from the opposite beam from that which normally feeds the guide bar involved. Thus, OOXOOOXOOOOX represents a repeated distribution along successive positions on either 10~4Z77 guide bar where two threads are normally ~hreaded, one is crossed, three are normally threaded, one is crossed, four are normally threaded, and one is crossed. Unlike customary Jersey or Delaware stitch fabrics, the fabrics of the examples exhibit attractive longitudlnal wale-shifted patterning which is readily varied for a multi-plicity of patterned effects by selectlon of the spacing of crossed ends and the type of stitch employed. While, in the examples, the top and back bar ends are identical, it is obvious that further enhancement o~ the pattern occurs if the top and back bar ends differ in color or dyeability.
Example I
A 28-gauge, fully threaded tricot knitting machine is employed to produce three fabrics as identi-~ied in Table I. (Table Ia being the metric converslon for Table I) Yarn A, as prevlously described, is used throughout. Every other end is crossed (OxOx, etc.) ln bands ten or more wales wide separated by much wider por-tions of normally knlt fabrics. Fabrics I-A and I-B use the modified Jersey stitch, and Fabric I-C uses the Jersey stltch.
Fabrics I-A and I-B, differing only ln quallty, runner lengths, and resulting weights, have particularly striking and attractlve patterning within the bands containing the crossed ends. On the loop sides, norm-ally knit wales are characterized by loops which zig-zag alte m ately right and le~t, all loops in a given course canted in the same directlon. In the bands containing crossed ends, however, the same zig-zag of loops along a .. .

given wale occurs but adjacent loops along a glven course are canted in opposite directions. The result ls a very open, mesh-like appearance heretofore unobtainable by bas1c tricot knitting. Moreover, each band has at its juncture with normally knit portions a wale with uncanted loops which frames the band in the fabric. It is apparent that bands of any width, including the full fabric width, can be so prepared.
Fabric I-C also haæ visi~le patterning bands, but they are not so strikingly differentiated from normally knit areas. Use of the Jersey stitch with alternating crossed ends provides more subdued patterns of longitudinal bands.
Example II
A 32-gauge fully threaded tricot knitting machine ls used to produce three fabrics with every thirty-second end crossed. Fabric II-A is prepared using the Jersey stitch, and Fabrics II-B and II-C using the Delaware stltch. Each is further described in Tables I and Ia.
Ya m B, as prevlously defined, was used throughout.
In all three fabrics narrow stripes o~ very tightly associated three-wale groupings are formed, each grouping including a crossed end and extending the full length of the fabric. ~nterwale spacings on each side of each grouping are wider than in the normally knit areas, thus accentuating the longitudinal, visually striped effect. The maximum float size in both Jersey and Delaware stitches is three needles wide, the crossed end having this float size accounting for the presence of three tightly spaced wales in the grouping. Four-needle flo~ts produce four-wale grouplngs, etc. m e number of normally knit wales between crossed ends may be varied to produce a variety of numbers and spacing of wale-grouped fabrlcs.
Example III
Bcept for the spacing of crossed ends, four more ~abrics are prepared as in Example II and as charac-terized in Tables I and Ia. Fabrics II-A, III-B, and III-C use the Delaware stitch; Fabric III-D uses the Jer~ey ætitch. Except for dl~ferenceæ in quality, runner length, a~ weight Fabrics III-A, III-B, and III-C have equiva-lently patterned effects, but Fabric III-D is quite different. In all cases, the full fabric width is divlded into six zones, each zone di~fering in spacing of crossed ends with the following regular repeating patterns; each pattern repeated:
Zone 1 OOX
Zone 2 OOOX
Zone 3 OOOOOX
Zone 4 OOOOOOOX
Zone 5 OOOOOOOOOOX
Zone 6 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOX
Considering the Delaware-stitch ~abrics first, Zone 1 exhibits only a series of groupin~s of tightly assoclated three-wale bands, each band separated from the next by extra-wide interwale spacings, Zone 2 has tight three-wale groupines alternating with single nor-mally knit wales, interwale spacings on each side of each three-wale grouping being extra-wide. Zone 3 is æimilar, having three normally knit and spaced wales between three-wale groupings. Zone 4 contlnues the æame pattern, having 10~;4Z77 flve normally knlt and spaced wales between three-wale groupings.
Zone 5 (as shown ln Fig. 3) shows a new effect of spontaneous additional wale-~hiftlng in the normally knit wales between three-wale groupings. Delaware-stitch fabric~ have an inherent tendency to form random two-wale groupings. As seen ln Fig. 3, when the ends are crossed to form three-wale groupings, the intervening normally knit wales also regularly associate into two-wale groupings continuously and uniformly throughout the length of the fabric. This additional wale-shifting occurs when an even number of normally knit wales is left between three-wale groupings. Although not shown in the Table, two two-wale groupings occur between ad~acent three-wale groupings when every seventh end is crossed. Thus, additional two-wale wale-shifted groupings occur when an even number (~2) of normally knltted wales are formed between crossed ends. The effect using Long Float Delaware stitch (4-needle float) is analogous except that the groupings including crossed ends are composed of four wales and the additional groupings have three wales each.
m us~ when every ~eventh or every eleventh end is crossed using ong Float Delaware stitch, one or two extra three-wale groupings are formed between the always obtained four-wale groupings including crossed ends.
Zone 6, having flfteen normally knit wales between crossed ends, shows a combination of these two eiiects. As in the previous fabrics, three_wale groupings lncluding the crossed ends form. Wlth such wide spacing 3 between crossed ends, however, the fabric does not "know"

10~4277 whether there is an odd or even number of intervenlng wales. It therefore forms extra two-wale groupings on either side o~ the three-wale groupings. The remaining wales are substantially normally knitted and spaced.
All Zones for Jersey-stitch Fabric III-D show similar effects except that no additional wale shifting occurs between three-wale groupings including crossed ends. The three-wale groupings for these Jer~ey fabrics, however, are split into a single wale with relatively large stitch loops and a two-wale group of distorted stitch loops, the remaining wales, i~ any, between ad-Jacent crossed ends being normally knit and spaced. Fig.

4 shows Zone 5 or Fabric III-D.
Example IV
Except for the spacings of crossed ends, these fabrics are prepared as described in Examples II and III.
Fabric ~V-B uses Jersey stitch, the remaining three use Delaware stitch. In all four fabrics, the spacing of crossed ends is in the following irregular repeating pattern across the full fabric width:
OXOOXOXOOXOOOOOO.
A complicated combination of previously obtained longi-tudinally striped effects is obtained.
Jer~ey Fabric IV-B exhibits no exaggerated interwale spacings. Instead lt has groups of seven normally knit and spaced wales separated by groups of nine wales having varying degrees and t~pes of distorted stitches . . . ~
The three Delaware-stitch fabrics all show ~ '!
distlnct interwale spacing between groups of wales. Each -~
. .

: . .
. . . . -:.

~0~427~7 shows a group of five normally knlt and spaced wales separated from a wide, a still wider, and another wide close grouing of wales, in order These multiple group-ings provide a distinct and attractive pattern of unifor~
longitudinal bands.
F~ample V
This example is just like Example IV except ~or a different spacing of crossed ends across the fabric width. The repeat pattern is OOOXOX.
Fabric V-B made using Jersey stitch, and Fabrics V-A and V-C with Delaware stitch. Although there are visually apparent stitch distortions along wales including crossed ends, Fabric V-B shows no spaced group-ings. Fabrics V-A and V-C, however, show dense wale groupings alternating with single wales and separated from th~m by pronounced inte~ale spacings.

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i~ 17a EXAMPLE VI
Prevlous examples I through V have ~hown pattern-ing effects achieved when, at spaced single-needle locatlons, front and back bar ends are interchan~ed at their gulde bArs.
Thls example shows patternlng efrects obtained when, at each oi the spaced slngle-needle locations, only one end i8 cros~ed.
Three fabric~ were knltted, finished~ and dyed to a deep red color. Yarn B, as previously descrlbed, was used in all cases. A commercial 32-gauge 2-bar warp-; knitting machine was employed. Runner lengths and fabric properties are shown in Tableq II and IIa.
For fabrics VI-A and VI-B, both the front guide bar and the back gulde bar were fully threaded inltlally from their corresponding beams. Then selected ends were crossed accordlng to the followlng pattern repeated across the width of the fabric: -1. Cut position 1 back bar end, cross it to position 1 of the front bar, and knit lt together wlth the ;`
front bar end already in thiq gulde bar position as if the two ya m s were a single front bar end.
2. Leave the next 30 positions as initially threaded.
3c Cut position 32 front bar end, cro~s it to position 32 of the back bar, and knit it together with the back bar end already in this guide bar poqitlon as if the two yarns were a single back bar end~
4. Leave the next 30 positions as inltlally threaded.
Fabrlc VI-A was knit using the Jersey stitch (Fig.
lA). As vlewed on the loop face of the finiQhed and dyed fabrlc, a visibly distinct and continuous strlpe was evident ".
.

' 10f~4Z77 throughout the length of the ~abrlc corresponding in posl-tlon with each crossed end. The posltlon l vlslble strlpes were about 3.6 normal ~ale-wldth~ wlde, and the posltlon 32 strlpes about 3.0 normal wale-widths wide. Examlned microscopically, each posltlon l stripe was found to com-prlse a central substantlally normal wale bounded on both sldes by about wale-width spaclngs occupied only by stralght substantlally transverse thread portlons. In additlon, one wale boundlng each outside edge of these spaclngs had dls-torted stltches. The po~ltlon 32 strlpes contained two slde-by-side rows of loop-free distorted stltches, one more open and wlder than the other and both less opaque than areas formed of normal wales.
Fabric VI-B used threadlng identlcal to that Or Fabrlc VI-A, but was knltted uslne the Delaware stltch (Flg. lH). Viewed by eye the positlon l strlpes were seen to extend over about 18 normal wale-wldths. Vlewed mlcro-scopically, however, each was composed of a central sub-stantially normal wale with greater than wale-width spaclngs on both sldes contalnlng loop-free Rubstantially transverse thread portions. Remaining wales on both sides o~ the above-descrlbed portion were substantially normal in appear-ance but had ~lightly enlarged interwale spacings between palrs of wales, dlminlshing ln slze wlth lncreased dl~tance rrom the central wale. m e posltion 32 stripes examined by eye were at least 14 normal wale-wldths wlde. Mlcroscoplcally they were seen to comprise a central palr of tlghtly adJacent wale~ bounded on one slde by a greater than wale-wldth spac-lng and on the other by a sllghtly wldened interwale spacing.
Moving outward from elther slde Or the above portion, larger than normal lnterwale spaclngs, diminlshing ln width, were observed between pairs of otherwise normal wales.
Fabric VI-C used ~he Delaware stitch as in Fabric VI-B, but both supply beams were partial. As inltially threaded, the front guide bar had an end mis~ing at each position 1 of a 62 position repeat, and each back guide bar had an end missing at each position 32. Then, at each position 1 and position 32 the normally threaded end was cut and crossed to be threaded through the empty position of the other guide bar. Viewed by eye, the finished and dyed loop face of this fabric looked almost exactly like Fabric VI-B
except that the visual wale-shifting effect at each position was over slightly less fabric width. The central wale at each position 1, however, was 80 distorted as to hardly be recognized as a wale, and the interwale spacings on each side of it were wider and even less opaque.

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_ 21 -In Examples VII and VIII, a commercial 32 gauge two-bar single needle bed warp knitting machine i9 em-ployed. Three beams of knitting yarn are fed. The back beam fully threads the back guide bar. A partial top beam nearly fills the front guide bar but leaves preselected spaced positions unthreaded. A partial middle beam feeds one end to each of the preselected spaced positions of the front guide bar, thus rendering it also fully threaded.
Surface effect patterns formed in the knitted fabric~
result when the ratio (R) of middle-beam to top-beam runner lengths ls less than about l.00. m e intenslty Or the patterns also increases when, relative to the -top-beam yarns, the mlddle-beam yarns retract more on relaxatlon from knitting tenæions, shrink more during finlshing, or are o~ quite dlfferent ef~ective diameter.
Example VII
Three fabrics are knitted, each having si2 Zones with dlfferent frequencies of middle-beam threads in the front guide bar as follows: -Zone l every fourth thread Zone 2 every fifth thread Zone 3 every sixth thread Zone 4 every seventh thread Zone 5 every eighth thread Zone 6 every ninth thread.
Fabric VII-A uses the Jersey stitch, Fig. lA; Fabric VII-B
the Delaware stitch, Fig. lH; and Fabric VII-C the Long-Float Delaware stitch, Fig. lI. Knitting parameters are shown in Table 2 and fabrlc characterlzations in Table 3.
Flgs. 5, 6, and 7 are enlarged photographs o~ the three 'F~

.': ' , 10~;4Z77 Zone 4 portions of Fabrics VII-A, VII-B, and VII-C, respec-tlvely. In Fabrics VII-A and VII-B, each middle-beam end i8 knitted into three adjac-nt wales, thus creating a distineuishable 3-wale grouping. In Fabric VII-C, each mlddle beam end i6 knltted into four ad~acent wales, thus creating a distingulshable 4-wale grouping.
All of the waleR of the Zones of Fabrlc VII-A
have loops that are distorted in zig-zag ~ashion along each wale line (Fig. 5). The wales in each three-wale grouping are characterized as follows:
(1) they tend to be slightly closer together than wales not included in three-wale groupings;
(2) the outside two wales in each three-wale grouping have relatively normal loops in that they zig-zag very little along wale lines;
(3) the center wale of each three-wale grouping is substantially identical to wales outside the grouplng, and (4) wales occurring between three-wale groupings are identical, uniformly spaced from one another, and have sharply zig-zagged loops along each wale line.
m e distorted stitches clearly differentiate this fabric from prior art Jersey fabrics, but the longitudinally striped effect of the three-wale groupings is rather subdued.
The two ~elaware stitch fabrics (VII-B and VII-C) undergo wale ~hifting more readily with the result that sharply defined striped effect~ are produced by uniform wale groupings. In each case the lndlvidual wales closely resemble each other and are compo~ed of tightened knit loops.

~064Z77 In Zones 1, 3, and 5, Fabrlc VII-B, the three-wale groupings alternate with one, three, and five wales, respectively, uniformly spaced from each other but set off from each three-wale grouping by an extra-wide inter-wale spacing. Each three-wale grouping is additionally split into two-wale and one-wale groupings by a sllght widening of one interwale spacing.
In Zones 2, 4, and 6 of Fabric VII-B a guite different effect obtains. The wales in each three-wale grouping shift closer together and are evenly spaced.
Also, the even number of extra wales between ad~acent three-wale groupings shift to form the appropriate number of closely spaced 2-wale groupings. Thus, Zone 2 has 3x2 wale groupings, Zone 4 (see Fig. 6) has 3x2x2 wale group-ings, and Zone 6 has 3x2x2x2 wale groupings. The inter-wale spacings between ad~acent groupings are all wide;
i.e., at least as wide as the loop chains defining each wale.
Similar effects are obtained for Fabric VII-C.
Zone 1 has only tightly spaced four-wale groupings separated by extra-~ide interwale spacings (about two wale-widths wide). Zone 4 (see Fig. 7), with three extra wales between four-wale groupings, has alternating wale-shifted four-wale and three-wale groupings all separated by extra-wide interwale spacings. In Zones 2, 3, 5, and 6 where the number of extra wales between four-wale groupings is not evenly divisible by three, different wale-shifting occurs. The four-wale groupings of Zones 2 and 5 split into two two-wale groupings with the result 3 th~t 2x2xl separate groupings form in Zone 2 and 2x2xlx2xl ~ -- 24 _ 10~;4Z7-7 separate grouplngs rorm in Zone 5. The ~our-wale grouplng~
of Zones 3 and 6 split into one- and three-wale grouplngs with the result that lx3x2 wale groupings form in Zone 3 and lx3x2xlx2 wale groupings form in Zone 6.
It is apparent that, by varying the frequency with which middle-beam ends are fed to the front guide bar, a great var~ety of wale-shifted patterning effects can be obtained.
ExamPle VIII
Six fabrics are prepared substantially aæ
described in Exa:nple VII. All use front guide bars with every seventh position threaded by middle-beam yarn and the remaining positions threaded with top-be~ yarn.
With reference to Table 2, Fabrics VIII-A, -C, and -E are all knit using Yarn B in the top and back beams and textured Yarn C in the middle beam. Fabrics VIII-B, -D, and -F use the same top and back beams, but the mlddle beam feeds untextured Yarn A. With each of these two setups, again with reference to Table 2, a fabric is knitted using the Delaware stltch (Fabrics VIII-A and VIII-B), another 1B knitted using one modlfied Delaware stltch (Fabrics VIII-C and VIII-D), and a thlrd 15 knitted using a dlrferently modifled Delaware stitch.
The wale-shifted patterns obtained for Fabrics ~III-A and VIII-B are exactly as descrlbed in Example I
for Zone 4 Or Fabrlc VII-B (see Fig. 6).
In Fabrics VIII-C and VIII-D, the wales ~f each seven-wale repeat are wale-shirted lnto 3xlx3 wale group-ing~. The interwale ~pacing between ad~acent three-wale grouplngs 18 very wide (about as wlde as each three-- 25 ~

'' ~ ' ' ' : . ;:.. . :

wale grouplng). The interwale spacings on elther slde of each one-wale grouping are unequal in width, smaller than the others, but ~trlkingly distlnct. Each wale is bowed, all in unison, to one side of the wale line with an elght-course repeat, glvlng the groupings a scalloped appearance which ls very apparent ln Fabrlc VIII-C but less 80 in Fabrlc VIII-D. Fabrics VIII-E and VIII-F have the 3x2x2 wale grouplngs of Fabrlcs VIII-A and VIII-B, the wales belng more tightly shifted together wlthin the grouplngs of Fabrlc VIII-F. These fabrics also exhlbit a sllght scalloplng of the wales as seen in Fabrlcs VIII-C
and VIII-D.

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10~i4277 In Examples IX, X, XI, and XII, a commorclal 32-gauge two-bar slngle needle bed warp knltting machine ls employed. The top beam and the back beam are provlded with the same kind of knitting yarn, each fully threading the respective guide bars. A third partial beam is employed, feeding the same or different knlttlng yarns as shown in Tables 4, 6, and 8. Each end from the mlddle (partial) beam is doubled with an end from the top beam, the two being led through the same guide in the front guide bar and knltted together as a single end. Doubled ends in the front guide bar are at spaced needle posi-tions. In most of the examples, only every seventh end is doubled, the pattern being repeated across the full fabric width. In those fabrics whose numbers are marked with the symbol (#), the fabric has six zones across its width with each zone having a dlfferent spacing of doubled ends according to:
Zone 1 every fourth end doubled Zone 2 every fifth end doubled Zone 3 every sixth end doubled ;~` `
Zone 4 every seventh end doubled Zone 5 every eighth end doubled Zone 6 every ninth end doubled.
The use of spaced doubled ends causes the creation of longitudinal patterning by uniform grouping of wales, the degree of patte m ing depending largely on the ratio (R) of middle bar to top bar runner lengths, l.e., differences in tension on the doubled ends. The lower this ratio, the greater the patterning effect. In addition, differences in retraction, shrinkage on 1064Z7~7 rlnlshing, and ~lzes Or the doubled end~ influence the degree of patterning. Tables of re~ults in the e~amplee list the fabrics prepared in descending order of the magnltudes Or R.
Every ~abrlc exempllfled exhlblts longltudinal strlped patte m lng on lts rloat side, these patterns being rather dirfuse and generally devold o~ clearcut interwale spacings. In the examples, patte m lng as vlewed from the loop sldes o~ the fabrlcs 18 dlscus~ed and compared.
Exam~le IX
Thls example aompares fabrlcs made using the Delaware stltch whlch haB a 2-3,1-0 repeated rront bar stltch and a back bar chaln stltch (mostly l-0,0-l open chaln, but also 0-l,l-0 open chain and 0-l,0-l closed chain as lndicated ln Tables l and 2). Patte m ing ef~ects appear to be lndependent of whlch chain 6tltch 18 used in the back bar. Data relevant to knlttlng of the ~abrlcs are given ln Table 4; fabrlc characterizatlons are ln Table 5.
Llttle or no patternlng 18 evldent on the loop face of Fabrlc IX-A except for enlargement and dls-tortlon Or every seventh wale. Fabrlc IX-B shows llttle or no shlfting of wale spaclngs but nevertheless has a muted longltudinally strlped e~fect in which three-wale groupings wlth relatlvely opaque interwale spacings are separated by ~our normally knlt and spaced wales each bounded by relatively open interwale spacings. In these and all the remaining fabrlcs of this example, the three-wale grouplngs correspond to the 3-needle rloats 10~i4Z77 of each doubled front-bar end.
Fabrlc IX-C lntroduce~ a new patte m lng effect in that, in addltlon to the readlly dlstinguishable three-wale groupings, the four intervening wales undergo wale shifting to form two two-wale groupings of close wales, each two-wale grouping separated from the ad~acent two-wale and three-wale groupings by extra-wlde more open interwale spacings.
Fabric IX-D, using the same yarns as Fabric IX-A, is very simllar in appearance to Fabrlc IX-A. The lack of clear patterning for thls fabric is unexplalned.
Fabrics IX-E through IX-M (comparing only Zone 4 of Fabrlc IX-F) have the same 3x2x2 wale-shifted pattern as descrlbed for Fabrlc IX-C. As R decreases, the wales in each grouping move closer together, the interwale spacings between groupings become wider and ~-and relatlvely more open, and the patterns become sharper and more striking. Fig. 8 is an enlarged photo-graph of the Fabric IX-F (Zone 4) typifying the pattern-lng described.
Fabrlc IX-F lllustrates the patterning changes accompanying different frequencieæ of doubled ends. Zone 1 haa three-wale groupings alternating with single wales set off by widened interwale spacings. In Zone 2, the two wales between the three-wale groupings are shifted close together with extra-wide interwale spacings bstween three- and two-wale groupings. Zone 3 has three normally spaced wales between the three-wale groupings. Zone 4 (discussed above) has four wales between three-wale group-ings which aro wale-~hiftod to form two two-wale grouplng~.

, ,, . :

Zone 5 hae rlve norm~lly spaced wales bstween three-wale grouplngs. Zone 6 has three wale-shirted two-wale group-lngs between three-wale grouplngs. It 18 apparent that, when an even number Or wales devold Or doubled ends are lert between the three-wale grouplngs including doubled ends, the intervening wales shift to provide regular two-wale grouplngs which are stable and unlronm throughout the rabric length.

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~0~4277 EXample X
Tables 6 and 7 characterize ~abrlcs prepared as described in Example X except for use of the Long-Float Delaware knitting stitch. This stitch u6es a 3-4,1-0 knitting pattern for the front bar and a chain stitch for the back bar. Because each doubled end be-comes knitted into four wales, four-wale groupings ana-logous to the three-wale groupings of Example X are formed when R is sufficiently low. Zone 4 of Fabrlc X-A and the whole widths of the remaining fabrlcs of this example have doubled ends at every seventh positlon of the front guide bar. Fig. 9 is typical of the wale shifted patterned effects of these fabrics (Zone 4 of Fabric X-A). The tlghtness wlth which wales are shifted together within the groupings, and the width of interwale spacings between groupings~ increase with decreasing R.
All of these fabrics exhiblt tight four-wale groupings including the doubled ends alte mating with tight three-wale groupings devoid of doubled ends.
Fabric X-A illustrates the effect of varying the frequency of doubled ends. Zone l has repetitive four-wale groupings across its width with extra-wide interwale spacings between the groupings. Zone 2 has four-wale groupings alternating with spaced single wales.
In Zone 3, four-wale groupings alte m ate with tight two-wale groupings. Zone 4, as above described, has 4x3 wale groupings. Zone 5, unexpectedly, has 4xlx2xl groupings, and Zone 6 has 4x2xlx2 groupings. While not included in the examples, when every tenth end is crossed the groupings in repetitive sequence are 4x3x3 indicating the natural , .:. -- .. -: , ~0~;4277 tendency for Long-Float Delsware stltch to torm only three-wale groupings between four-wale grouping~ when the number of wales avallable i8 divislble by three. It is of further interest that the four-wale grouplngs of Zones 2 and 5 are sllghtly separated into two two-wale groupings.

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~0~;4Z77 Example XI
Tables 7 and 8 characterize fabrlcs prepared as described in Examples IX and X except for the use of the Jersey knitting stitch. This stitch uses a 2-3,1-0 knitting pattern for the front bar and a 1-0,1-2 pattern for the back bar. Because each doubled end becomes knltted into three wales, three-wale groupings analogous to the three-wale groupings of Example VIII are formed when R
is sufficiently low. Zone 4 of Fabric X-H and the whole ~idths of the remaining fabrics of this example have doubled ends at every seventh position of the front guide bar. Fig. 10 (Fabric XI-I) shows the type of patterning obtainable using Jersey stitch. The tightness with which wales are shifted together in the three-wale groupings and the extent of zig-zag distortion of remaining wales increase with decreasing R.
m e loop faces of Fabrics XI-A and XI-B are barely distinguishable irom Jersey knits made without any doubled ends. No clearcut three-wale groupings occur.
Regular three-wale groupings are distingui~hable in Fabrlc XI-E, but without noticeable wale shlfting. Fabric XI-F i8 : :
al~o very simllar, its three-wale groupings being more clearly distinguished.
Fabric XI-D represents an intermediate type patterning in which a single wale of each three-wale grouping is set Ofr irom remaining wales by extra-wide interwale spaclngs and the six wales between nearest set-off wales are substantially no~mally knlt and spaced.
Fabrics XI-G through XI-J all exhiblt the same patterning, its inten~ity increasing with decreasing R.

~ 39 -,: '- j - '. '` :

-' ' ~ .
.
:' Flrst, the stltches in each wale are dlstorted ln zig-zag fashion walewise. Second, the wales ln each three-wale grouping shift closer together. Finally, the tighter the three-wale groupings associate, the less do their stitches appear distorted. Simultaneously, the four evenly spaced wales between consecutive three-wale groupings become more dlstorted. Preferred patterns result when R is less than or about 1.00.
Fabric XI-H illustrates the e~fect of varylng the frequency of doubled ends. No extra wale shlfting between three-wale groupings occurs, nor is any change in zig-zag distortion of the stitches observed due only to the changes in frequency. Instead, the number of evenly spaced wales between three-wale groupings increases regularly from Zone 1 to Zone 6.

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,, 10~42'7'7 Example XII
This exampie illustrates that the partially doubled ended warp knitting process is also capable of creating longitudinal wale-grouped patterns when more complicated knitting stitches are employed. Except r~
the different stitch employed, this example dupllcates the knltting arrangement of the previous examples, IX, V, and XI, every seventh end being doubled at the front bar. m e front bar stitch is 1-0,1-0, 2-3,1-0 and the back bar stitch is the 1-0,0-1 open chain. Yarn A is used throughout, and R = o.88.
Top runner length = 53.5 in (1. 359 m) Middle runner length = 47 in (1.194 m) Back runner length = 30.25 in (o.768 m) Quality = 6 in (15.2 cm) Greige weight = 2.0 oz/yd2 (o.67g gm/100 cm2) Greige bulk = 6.53 cc/gm Finished weight = 2.3 oz/yd2 (00781 gm/100 cm2) Finished width = 78.5 in (10994 m) ~`
Finished count = 34x88 in~l (13.4x34.6 cm~l) Finished bulk = 5. 71 cc/gm The muted but clear pattern obtained consists of close three-wale groupings alternating with groups of four uniformly spaced wales.
Example XIII
m is example illustrate~ patterning effects obtalned when yarns fram a part~al mlddle beam are threaded through spaced positions of both front and back fully threaded guide bars for knitting together with the nor-mally threaded ya m 8 already in the~e spaced posltions.

~ 43 -, . . . .
-, 10~4Z77 Two ~abrlcs (Fabrlc XIII-A and Fabric XIII-B) were prepared uslng the ~ersey stitch (Fig. lA). The front (or top) and back beamR were fully threaded with 10-filament 30-denier (33.3 dtex) polyhexamethylene adlpamide yarn~, and the mlddle beam was partlal with monofilament gear-cr~mped 30-denier (33.3 dtex) polyhexamethylene adlpamide yarn (1 in, 6 out). The monofilament yarn was crimped as taught in U.S. Patent No. 3,833,976 using gears descrlbed in connectlon wlth Flg~. 6, 7, and 8 thereo~. Both fabrics were knlt at ldentlcal machine settings, l.e.:
Front bar runner , 55 in (1.397 m) Middle bar runner = 43.5 in (1.105 m) Back bar runner = 42 in (1.067 m) Quallty = 7 in (2.76 cm) The threading for Fabric XIII-A was repeated acros~
the whole fabric width in units of 14 adJacent needle posl-tlons. In each position 1 a middle-beam end was doubled with a front-beam end at the front guide bar and knitted together with it; and at each posltion 8 a middle-beam end was doubled with a back-beam end at the back-guide bar and knitted together with it. Threading for Fabric XIII-B was the ~ame except that both middle-beam ends per 14-position repeat were threaded together with normally threaded yarns only at position 1, one in the front and the other in the back guide bar.
Both grelge fabrics were about 63 in (1.60 m) wide at a weight of about 2.5 oz/yd2 (.85 gm/100 cm2). The count (WxC) for XIII-A was 41 x 64 per in (16.1 x 25.2 per cm), and for XIII-B was 42 x 64 per in (16.5 x 25.2 per cm). For Fabrlc XIII-A the finished properties were: 2.7 oz/yd2 (0.92 g~100 cm2) welght and 50 x 61 per ln (19.7 x 24.0 per cm) count.
For Fabrlc XIII-~ the finished propertles were: 2.~ oz/yd2 (0.95 gm/100 cm2) weight and 48 x 62 per ln (18.9 x 24.4 per cm) count.
Patterning effects descrlbed below were as ob-served on 15~ photographic magnifications of the loop face of each fabric. To the unaided eye, however, the patterning was readily apparent as longitudlnal continuous stripes, one for each position modified by inclusion of a middle-beam end.
Moreover, each stripe could be sensed by rubblng a finger over the surface.
Corresponding to each posltlon 1 o~ Fabric XIII-A was a strlpe composed of a raised central wale of larger than normal loops set off on either side by slightly wider than normal interwale spacings. At each position 8, two adjacent wales had distorted stitches, a wlder than normal interwale spaclng, and were rotated about each wale axis such that a single protruding ridge developed.
Corresponding to each position l of fabric XIII-B
was a strlpe of three ad~acent wales very tightly ~oined side-by-slde and each with larger than normal stitches. The --three-wale strlpe also protruded from the fabric surface and occupled only about 80% as much fabric width as was occupied by three adjacent wales in una~fected fabric area.
Example XIV
Nine additlonal ~abrics are prepared as in E~amples VII and YIII to lllustrate wale-shifted surface patterning e~fects for R greater than unity, and to compare with ~abrics knitted at R less than unity. Yarn A is used in all three beams. The back guide bar is fully r.
.... . .
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. 10~4277 threaded from the bottom beam, and the front gulde bar is fully threaded from the top and mlddle beams. In the front guide bar, every seventh end comes from the middle beam, and the intervening groups of slx end~ come from the top beam. Fabrlcs X n-A, -B, and -C use the Jersey stltch, Flg. lA; Fabrics XIV-D, -E, and -F use the Delaware stltch, Flg. lH; and Fabrlcs XIV-G, -H, and -I
use the Long Float Delaware ~titch, Flg. lI.
Conslderlng the Jersey fabrlcs ~ir~t, Fabric XIV-C (R = 0.82) has a pattern, repeated across its whole width, in which groups of three ad~acent wales are shlfted close together and the groups are separated by four nor-mally knit and spaced wales. Fabrics XIV-A (R - 1.29) and XIV-B (R = 1.45) are almost identical ln patterning but completely different from Fabric XIV-C. In each the patterning of consecutive wales is as follows: Two wales of alternating large and small loops flank a normally knlt wale and are wale-shifted away from lt to provlde wldened relatively open spaces. Thls 3-wale pattern i6 repeated in every group of seven waleæ across the width of the fabrlc. The intervenlng groups of four wales each also wale-shift slightly such that the two outslde wales in each group of four are very close to the 3-wale pattern~
and sllghtly spaced apart from the two remalning central wales. m ese fabrics exhibit a pleasing surface pattern-ing not heretofore obtainable in baslc Jersey warp knit-tlng.
Delaware ~titch Fabrlc XIV-D (R = 0.79) is sub-~tantially identical in appearance to the one shown in Flg. 6; l.e., lt has repeatlng 3x2x2 wale-shifted groupings ~oparated by relatlvely open inter~ale ~paclng~. Fabrlc-XIV-E (R - 1.23) and XIV-F (R . 1.29) aro indistingulshable rrom one another but dlrrer rrom Fabrlc X~V-D ln that 2xlx2x2 repetltl~e patterns Or wale-shl~ted groupinge occur acrose thelr widths.
Long Float Delsware stltch Fabrlc X n-G (R . 0.75) is substantially identical ln appearance to the one sho~n in Flg. 7; l.e., lt has repeating 4x3 ~ale-ehlrted group-ings eeparated by rolatlvely open inter~ale epa¢ing~.
Fabrics XIV-~ (R ~ 1.07) and XN-I (R - 1.21) are very eimilar to each other in patternlng but ~triklngly dl**er-ent rrom Fabrlc XIV-G. The relatl~ely open inter~ale epacings formed by wale-shlrting are not each ae wlde ae in Fabrl^ XIV-G, but are more numeroue. The repeated pattern of grouplngs in each case 1B 2~1S1~2X1. Fabric XIV-I 18 coneiderably more dlstlnctly p tte m ed than 1B
Fabrlc XIV-H.
It 18 ~hown rOr thl~ mi~ed-reeding technlgue that:
l. llmlted overreeding Or the minor partlal beam produces ezcellent wale-~hlrted pattern~ng;
2. patterns ~ormed wlth R greater than unlty dirfer from those ronmed wlth R less than unlty; and 3. as R approaches unlty wlth identlcal reed ya ms, patte ming becomes less dlstinct.

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Claims (15)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A warp knitted fabric at least a portion of which comprises at least two full sets of threads knitted in courses according to a stitch pattern forming spaced wales of knitted loops, characterized in that said portion of said fabric has a continuous pattern through-out its length of at least one group of wales, said group being separated from adjacent wales by exaggerated spacing.

2. The fabric of claim 1, said knitted loops varying course-wise in shape, size, orientation and in spacing in a sequence which repeats in alternate courses.

3. The fabric as defined in claim 2, there being a plurality of groups, each group having in the range of from one to five wales.

4. The fabric as defined in claim 3, said pattern being repeated.

5. The fabric of claim 1, said warp threads being knit as a Jersey stitch pattern.

6. The fabric of claim 1, said warp threads being knit as a Modified Jersey stitch pattern.

7. The fabric of claim 1, said stitches being knit as a Delaware stitch pattern.

8. The fabric of claim 1, said stitches being knit as a Long-Float Delaware stitch pattern.

9. A warp knitted fabric comprising:
full sets of front and back bar warp threads of yarn knitted in courses according to a stitch pattern forming spaced wales of knitted loops, said fabric having a continuous pattern throughout its length of at least one group of wales, said group being separated from adjacent wales by exaggerated spacing, said knitted loops varying course-wise in shape, size, orientation, and in spacing in a sequence which repeats in alternate courses.

10. A two bar warp knitted fabric comprising:
full sets of front and back bar threads of non-elastomeric yarn knitted in courses according to a stitch pattern forming spaced wales of generally uniformly sized knitted loops with generally uniform interwale spacing, said fabric having located therein a continuous pattern throughout its length of at least one group of wales, said group being separated from adjacent wales by exaggerated interwale spacing contrasting with said uniform interwale spacing, said knitted loops in said pattern varying course-wise in shape, size, orientation, and in spacing in a sequence which repeats in alternate courses in said pattern.

11. A method for producing warp knitted fabrics of claim 1 on a warp knitting machine having at least two full sets of warp threads, including the steps of feeding one of the two full sets of threads to one of two operating guide bars on the warp knitting machine and feeding the other of said two sets to the other operating guide bar of said warp knit-ting machine to form a knitted fabric, characterized by the exaggerated wale spacing of the knitted fabrics of claim 1 being formed by shifting the wales as the fabric is knitted by a method selected from the group consisting of (a) feeding a partial beam set or threads to spaced positions of one of said guide bars then to spaced needles for knitting together with one of said full set of threads wherein the spaced doubled threads are knitted as a combined thread, (b) supplying one of said full beam sets of threads from two partial beam sets of threads being fed at different rates and (c) interchanging some of the threads of one set of threads with threads of the other sot of threads in a spaced pattern.

12. A method for producing warp knitted fabrics of claim 1 on a warp knitting machine having two full sets of warp threads, including the steps of feeding one of said two full sets of threads to each position of one of two opera-ting guide bars and then to each needle of said warp knitting machine and feeding the other of said two full sets to each position of the other operating guide bar and to each needle of said warp knitting maching to form a knitted fabric, char-acterized in that a partial beam set of threads is red to spaced positions of at least one of said guide bars and then to spaced needles for knitting together with one of said full sets of threads, wherein spaced double threads are knitted as a combined single thread, said partial beam set of threads being fed with respect to said one of said full set of threads to provide a ratio R of less than about 1.3.

13. A method for producing warp knitted fabrics of claim 1 on a warp knitting machine having two full sets of warp threads, including the steps of feeding one of said two full sets of threads to one of two operating guide bars of said warp knitting machine and feeding the other of said two full sets to the other operating guide bar of said warp knitting machine to form a knitted fabric, characterized in that one of said full sets of threads is supplied from two partial beam sets of threads, said two partial beam sets of threads being fed at different rates to said operating guide bar in a pattern, said pattern being predetermined groups of adjacent threads from one partial beam set of threads, each group being separated by at least one thread from the other partial beam set of threads.

14. A method for producing warp-knitted fabrics of claim 1 on a warp-knitting machine having at least two sets of warp threads and corresponding operating guide bars, in-cluding the steps of feeding one of said two sets of threads to one of two operating guide bars of said warp-knitting machine and feeding the other of said two sets to the other operating guide bar of said warp-knitting machine to form a knitted fabric, characterized in that some of the threads form said one set of threads are interchanged with threads of the other of said set of threads in a spaced pattern ahead of said opera-ting guide bars on said knitting machine.

15. The fabric of claim 1 produced on a warp-knitting machine having at least two sets of warp threads and corresponding operating guide bars, including the steps of feeding one of said two sets of threads to one of two operating guide bars of said warp-knitting maching and feeding the other of said two sets to the other operating guide bar of said warp-knitting machine to form a knitted fabric, characterised in that at least one of the threads from said one set of threads from one operating guide bar is crossed to the other operating guide bar in a spaced pattern ahead of said operating guide bars on said knitting machine.