EP0338194B1 - Method for manufacturing intarsia knitwear, and flat-bed knitting machine for carrying out this method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for producing inlaid knitted pieces on a flat knitting machine according to the preamble of claims 1 and 3 and to a flat knitting machine for performing one of the methods according to the preamble of claims 5 and 6.

In such a method or flat knitting machine known from DE-OS 27 30 306, the individual intarsia areas which follow one another in a row of stitches the odd-numbered areas in the stroke direction are knitted from the leading and the even-numbered areas from the trailing lock of a two-lock carriage. The thread guide is provided with an arm pivotably arranged on the thread guide box, the end of which guides the respective thread in the border area between two adjacent inlaid areas after the completion of a knitting process or before the start of a knitting process is pivoted out of or into the needle field for the inlaid area in question. The latter is also provided in a flat knitting machine known from DE-A-25 55 750.

This is mechanically relatively complex and expensive because of the large number of thread guides to be used. Due to the swivel mechanism, the possible speed of the slide is limited. Furthermore, mechanical control means are to be provided which ensure that the thread guides pivot at precisely the relevant times.

From EP-A1 246 364 it is also known in a method or a flat knitting machine of the type mentioned at the outset to couple the thread guide in question in the border area with a cover shoe, which cover shoe is correspondingly offset relative to the needle bed by a cable connected to a drive .

The disadvantage of this is that for the implementation of a Such a relative movement between the thread guide and the needle bed requires a further drive.

From DE-OS 29 10 532 and from DE-OS 32 45 233 a method or a flat knitting machine of the type mentioned is also known, in which the thread guides are provided with the thread-receiving thread guide tubes, which are vertical Direction are movable relative to the needle bed in question. The inlay areas are made using plating technology, i.e. manufactured using overlapping technology.

The disadvantage of this is that the needles must be positioned precisely and that the space for the thread guide tubes is limited and that this construction is limited to certain minimal needle pitches.

However, all these known methods for producing inlaid knitted pieces or the flat knitting machines available for this purpose have the disadvantage in common that without having to take additional measures, only as many different inlaid areas or colors can be produced as are Locks are provided in the sled used. If you want to knit more inlaid areas or colors, depending on the knitting pattern, additional effort may be necessary, even taking into account empty tours or rows, which in the Production economically negatively affected.

The object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing inlaid knitted pieces on a flat knitting machine or a flat knitting machine for carrying out the method of the type mentioned at the outset, with which or with which a larger number of inlaid areas or colors are to be knitted , corresponds to the number of locks in the sled used, without the need to reduce production capacity and increase costs.

To achieve this object, the features specified in the characterizing part of claim 1 or 3 and a flat knitting machine for carrying out one of the methods, the features specified in the characterizing part of claim 5 or 6 are provided in a method for producing inlaid knitted pieces of the type mentioned .

All the solutions mentioned have in common that it is easily possible to knit a multiple of colors or inlaid areas in each stitch row than the number of locks used in the slide. The previously used, rigid arm thread guides can be used, which are cheaper to manufacture and use. In the solution according to claims 1 and 5, it is also advantageously possible, too to produce a multitude of colors or inlaid areas with just one lock provided in the slide. In this and the solution according to claims 3 and 6, in addition, movements of elements are used in an advantageous and cost-effective manner, the drives of which are present in a flat knitting machine anyway. This applies both to the reversible drive of the slide and to the drive of a needle bed offset. Additional drive devices are therefore not necessary. In all solutions, it is also advantageous that the motif edge can be designed freely, as before, without having to take into account the maximum possible and set pivoting path of the thread guide arm. Both the short return stroke of the reversible slide and the needle bed and rod offset can be selected and adjusted accordingly in terms of their size.

Figur 1

in schematischer Darstellung und ausschnittsweise den zur Erläuterung der Erfindung wesentlichen Bereich einer Flachstrickmaschine zum Herstellen von Intarsien-Gestrickstücken gemäß einem als Einschloßmaschine ausgebildeten ersten Ausführungsbeispiel vorliegender Erfindung,

Figur 2

in einer der Fig. 1 ähnlichen schematischen Darstellung die verschiedenen Verfahrensschritte einer Flachstrickmaschine zum Herstellen von Intarsien-Gestrickstücken entsprechend dem ersten Ausführungsbeispiel, jedoch bei einer Mehrschloßmaschine,

Figur 3

eine der Fig. 2 entsprechende Darstellung, jedoch bei einer Flachstrickmaschine zum Herstellen von Intarsien-Gestrickstücken gemäß einem zweiten Ausführungsbeispiel vorliegender Erfindung und

Figur 4

eine der Fig. 2 entsprechende Darstellung einer Flachstrickmaschine zum Herstellen von Intarsien-Gestrickstücken, jedoch gemäß einem dritten Ausführungsbeispiel vorliegender Erfindung.

Further details of the invention can be found in the following description, in which the invention is described and explained in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawing. Show it:

Figure 1

a schematic representation and detail of the area of a flat knitting machine for producing inlaid knitted pieces according to a first embodiment of the present invention embodied as a lock-in machine, essential for explaining the invention,

Figure 2

In a schematic illustration similar to FIG. 1, the various method steps of a flat knitting machine for producing inlaid knitted pieces according to the first exemplary embodiment, but in the case of a multi-lock machine,

Figure 3

a representation corresponding to FIG. 2, but in a flat knitting machine for producing inlaid knitted pieces according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention and

Figure 4

2 a representation of a flat knitting machine for producing inlaid knitted pieces, but according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The flat knitting machine 11/1, 11/2, 11 'and 11' 'according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, which is shown schematically in particular with reference to the individual method steps, is used to produce inlaid knitted pieces whose number of colors or inlaid areas is larger and can be a multiple of the number of locks S in a knitting unit or slide used 16, 17, 18 or 19, without having to drive empty tours. The flat knitting machines 11/1, 11/2, 11 'and 11' 'are, unless otherwise described, of conventional design. Only for the sake of clarity is the schematic representation of the carriage 16-19 above the needle bed and the thread guide.

The flat knitting machine 11/1 shown in FIG. 1 has a V-shaped carriage arrangement, for example, the carriage 16 of which is provided with a single knitting lock S. The two carriages 16, of which only one is shown schematically, are usually composed of a front and rear along a, for example, V-shaped needle bed arrangement Needle bed 20, only one of which is shown, can be moved back and forth. In a manner also not shown, the carriages 16 are provided in a manner known per se with a reversible electric drive, which enables the carriages 16 or the carriage arrangement to reverse their stroke direction at any point along the needle beds 20 or the needle bed arrangement, without that a selection of needles is made in the needle bed or without needles reaching the area of influence of the locks of the slide. This can be accomplished, for example, using the known pressure lock technology. In the usual way, a thread guide 22 can be moved back and forth along several, here four parallel guide rails 21. The thread guides 22 can also be selectively coupled with the movement of the carriage 16 and uncoupled again, so that they can be placed along the needle bed 20 at any point in the needle space and taken again. The thread guides 22 have arms 24 which can be coupled to a thread changing box 23 and through whose ends 25 provided with eyelets the respective thread of corresponding color is passed. With the help of this inclusion flat knitting machine 11/1, an inlaid knitted piece is now to be produced, which consists of four inlaid areas, for example, different colors in the needle spaces or fields 12/1 to 12/4 shown. It goes without saying that the borders or motif edges can essentially take any shape between the individual inlaid areas.

According to this exemplary embodiment, the flat knitting machine 11/1 is equipped with a total of four thread guides 22, of which at the beginning of a row of stitches to be produced, the thread guide 22/1 in front of the needle field 12/1 assigned to the first inlaid area, the thread guide 22/2 in the stroke direction beyond the boundary line 26 of the needle field 12/1 to the needle field 12/2 is arranged. Just like the thread guide 22/2, the two thread guides 22/3 and 22/4 are each arranged beyond the preceding needle field 12/2 or 12/3, that is to say in the area of the third or fourth inlaid area assigned to them and to be produced. This starting position is necessary, as in the case of the methods mentioned in the prior art, because when producing the preceding inlaid area, the thread guide to be used for the subsequent inlaid area must be outside the needle space in which the preceding inlaid area is to be knitted. This starting position results from sub-figure A.

If the carriage 16 with the single lock S is moved in the direction of arrow A together with the first thread guide 22/1 in the lifting direction, a row of the first inlaid area is knitted with the relevant color in the needle field 12/1, the needles being in the usual way can be controlled by the lock S in the carriage 16 in a front needle bed 20, for example.

The knitting process with the aid of the thread guide 22/1 is carried out over the entire needle field 12/1 which is intended for this first inlaid area. However, the first thread guide 22/1 is taken to the place where the thread guide 22/2 is to be used for the following second inlaid area. There, the second thread guide 22/2 is coupled to the thread guide box 23 and the direction of movement of the carriage 16 is reversed. The carriage 16 is thus moved back over a short stroke in the direction of arrow B into the needle field 12/1 for the first inlaid area, at which point the first thread guide 22/1 is parked (part figure B). There is then again a stroke reversal, so that the carriage 16 continues to move with the movement coupling with the second thread guide 22/2 from the position shown in partial figure C to the position shown in partial figure D in the direction of arrow A and in the needle field 12 / 2 knits a row of stitches for the second inlaid area.

Here again the same process step takes place, ie the carriage 16 moves with the second thread guide 22/2 beyond the boundary 26 of the needle field 12/2 to the third thread guide 22/3, takes it back just like the second thread guide 22/2 into the needle field 12/2, leaves the second thread guide 22/2 there and moves in the needle field 12/3 knitting a course for the third inlaid area with the third thread guide 23/3 in Continue in the direction of arrow A. This pilgrim-like movement is repeated until the carriage 16 with the fourth thread guide 22/4 is arranged beyond the boundary 26 of the needle field 12/4 for the fourth inlaid area. There is a reversal of the stroke of the carriage 16 in the direction of the arrow B, so that in this stroke direction in a correspondingly reversed manner, otherwise as described above, one row of stitches each of the fourth to first intarsia areas in the needle fields 12/4, 12/3, 12/2 , 12/1 are knitted in reverse order and in a row, wherein, as described, the carriage 16 moves along the needle bed 20 in the manner of the pilgrimage technique.

A criterion for the size of the respective short return stroke of the carriage 16 is that firstly the thread guides release the relevant following needle space or field and secondly at least one needle of the preceding needle space or field has been reached to establish a bond between the adjacent inlaid areas . In the latter case, the stroke distance depends on the size of the needle pitch. For this purpose, the return stroke path can be predetermined by a control system. This control can also be used to set oblique motif edges between adjacent inlaid areas with a smaller or larger gradient using adjustable return stroke paths.

FIG. 2 shows the essentially the same method for producing inlaid knitted pieces along the needle spaces or fields 13 of a needle bed 30, but with the flat knitting machine 11/2 a slide 17 is used, which with several, here four knitting locks S1 to S4 is equipped. Such four-lock slides 17 are also standard.

According to part. 2A, two inlaid area groups, each with four inlaid areas along the needle spaces or fields 13/1 to 13/4 or 13/5 to 13/8, that is to say a total of eight inlaid areas of different colors, are to be produced with the slide 17 having the four locks S1 to S4 become. A total of eight thread guides 32 are provided which, as in the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 1, can be moved longitudinally or on thread guide rails in a manner not shown and can be coupled to the movement of the carriage 17 and can be decoupled from it. The controllable coupling device for the thread guides 32, like that for the thread guides 22 of FIG. 1, can be implemented in any manner, for example by means of controllable bipolar magnets. In the initial state for producing a stitch row of an inlaid knitted piece provided with eight inlaid areas, the thread guides 32 are as in part. A is shown arranged, ie the thread guides 32/1 to 32/4 for the first group of first to fourth inlaid areas are each arranged in front of the relevant boundary 36 of the needle field for that subsequent inlaid area. This also applies to the Thread guides 32/6 to 32/8 for the inlaid areas of the subsequent second group to be produced in the needle fields 13/6 to 13/8, with the exception of the thread guide 32/5, which is at the transition of the needle fields 13/4 and 13/5 for the first Inlaid area group and second inlaid area group is arranged and arranged there in the needle space 13/5 for the fifth inlaid area.

With the help of the slide 17 comprising the four locks S1 to S4, the first to fourth inlaid areas of the first inlaid area group are knitted in the needle fields 13/1 to 13/4 in such a way that the first knitting lock S 1 the rear needle field 13/4 in the direction of movement for the fourth first inlaid area, the second lock S2 the needle field 13/3 in front for the third inlaid area, the second most effective lock S3 in the direction of movement the needle field 13/2 for the second inlaid area and the trailing, i.e. last lock S4 is assigned to the foremost needle field 13/1 for the first inlaid area. According to part. 2B, the carriage 17 is thus moved in the direction of movement A until a row of stitches of the first to fourth inlaid areas of the first inlaid area group has been knitted in the needle fields 13/1 to 13/4, the individual thread guides 32/1 to 32/4 having their locks S4 - S1 assigned one after the other, starting with the thread guide 32/4 are taken in such a way that the following thread guide 32/3, 32/2, 32/1 has been moved away before the arrival of the preceding thread guide 32/1, 32/2 or 32/3. During this movement of the carriage 17 along this first movement section via the needle fields 13/1 - 13/4, the thread guides 32/1 to 32/4 are each placed beyond the boundaries 36 between the adjacent needle fields in question, the thread guide 32/4 to is taken to thread guide 32/5.

As in the embodiment of FIG. 1 is then according to Teilfig. 2C, the carriage 17 is opposed over a short stroke, that is to say in direction B, the two thread guides 32/4 and 32/5 being taken into the needle field 13/4 in which a row of the fourth inlaid area has been knitted. Thereupon there is again a reversal of the direction of travel, so that the carriage 17 is again moved in the direction of arrow A in order to be able to produce a course of the next, here second inlaid area group, for example again four inlaid areas, in the needle fields 13/5 - 13/8. The thread guide 32/4 remains on the in part. 2C place shown in the needle field 13/4. As described with regard to the thread guides 32/1 to 32/4 and the first to fourth inlaid areas, the eighth to fifth inlaid areas and the thread guides 32/8 to 32/5 are knitted or taken one after the other and the thread guides are switched off again in a corresponding manner, as this from Teilfig. 2D emerges.

Then, in the opposite direction according to arrow B, another row of stitches in the two inlaid area groups, each with four inlaid areas, is knitted through the four-lock slide 17 when the needle fields 13/8 to 13/1 are passed over, as is shown in the partial figure. 2D to 2G emerges. Picking up and putting down the thread guides and assigning the locks S1 to S4 to the needle fields for the respective inlaid areas takes place in a correspondingly reverse manner, as is also illustrated in the partial figures mentioned. Even when knitting in this direction B, the carriage 17 is briefly reversed at the boundary 36 'between the two inlaid area groups, that is to say the needle fields 13/5 and 13/4, around the thread guides 32/4 and 32/5 from the needle space 13 / 4 for the following inlaid area of the following inlaid area group.

The short return stroke, as described in Fig. 1, is controlled in a corresponding and desired manner, as is the travel path of the thread guides 13/1 - 13/4 or 13/5 and 13/6 - 13/8 for the shape desired there the motif edge.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the flat knitting machine 11 'is provided in the same way as in the embodiment of FIG. 2 with a carriage 18 which is equipped with four locks S'1 to S'4. The structure of this flat knitting machine 11 'and the way the assignment of the locks S1 'to S4' to the individual needle fields 14/1 to 14/4 and 14/5 to 14/8 of the needle bed 40 for the first to eighth inlay areas of the two inlay area groups is the same as in the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 2, so that essentially only the differences from the aforementioned embodiment are to be discussed.

The essential and practical two only differences between this embodiment of FIG. 3 and the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 are that, firstly, unlike the thread guides 42/1 to 42/5, the same starting position as the thread guides 32/1 to 32 / 5 of the embodiment of FIG. 2, the remaining thread guides 42/6 to 42/8 corresponding to the thread guide 42/5 are thus arranged in the assigned needle fields 14/6 - 14/8 in the initial state and that secondly the relative movement between the thread guides 42/1 - 42/8 and the associated needle space 14/1 - 14/8 of the needle bed 40 in question is not effected by reversing the slide 18, but rather in that the needle bed 40 in question in the direction of arrow A 'or in the direction of Arrow B 'is offset. In other words, the needle bed 40 which is in any case provided with a corresponding device for carrying out a needle bed displacement is preferably displaced in the directions mentioned. In general, the size of the offset can also be set. So, when a row of stitches has been knitted in the first to fourth inlaid areas of the first inlaid area group and the carriage 18 has the parts shown in FIG. 3B has reached the position shown, the needle bed 40 is displaced in the direction of arrow A 'in such a way that the thread guides 42/4 and 42/5 are now arranged in the needle field 14/4 for the fourth inlaid area instead of the needle field 14/5 for the fifth inlaid area . (Teilfig. C) At the same time, the thread guides 42/6 to 42/8 also reach the adjacent needle field 14/5, 14/6 or 14/7, as is the case with the thread guides 42/1 - 42/4 in Teilfig . 3A is shown as the initial state.

After knitting a row of stitches for the second group of the fifth to eighth inlaid areas in the needle fields 14/5 to 14/8, you do as shown in the figure below. 3D a reversal of the stroke of the carriage 18, so that it now moves in the direction of the arrow B 'and first knits a course of the second inlaid area group. Has the carriage 18 according to Teilfig. 3E this has been carried out, the needle bed is again offset, however, in the opposite direction to the previous offset, that is to say according to arrow B ', so that the thread guides 42/1 to 42/4 in question are those with the first needle bed offset in the needle space 14/1 assigned to them. 14/4 (part of fig. C), together with the thread guide 14/5 to be turned off, come into a position in which they are in the knitting direction B 'in front of the needle fields 14/1 - 14/4 are arranged in which a row of stitches for the first to fourth inlaid areas of the following, here first group, is now to be produced. Sub-figure 13G again shows the initial state for the beginning of a further course in the direction of movement A '.

In this embodiment, the needle bed offset is preferably carried out during the lifting movement of the carriage 18 and synchronized with it, so that it is not necessary to stop the carriage 18. This is possible since both are aligned. Both in this exemplary embodiment and in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2, locks are used which allow a relative movement between the needle bed and locks to be carried out without a needle being selected. E.g. locks can be used, as described in DE-OS 35 41 171.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a flat knitting machine 11 ″, which essentially corresponds to that of the embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 3. The essentially only difference from FIG. 2 here is that the relative movement between the thread guides 52/1 to 52/8 and the needle bed 50 or the needle fields 15/1 to 15/8 is carried out in a different way for the inlaid areas to be produced . Here, too, the carriage 19 is equipped with a total of four locks S''1 to S''4 and there are eight thread guides 51/1 - 52/8 for the production of two Inlaid area groups with four inlaid areas each are provided in the needle fields 15/1 to 15/8.

The initial state for producing a row of stitches in the direction of arrow A '' corresponds to the embodiment of FIG. 1 as far as the position of the thread guides 52/1 to 52/8 is relative to the needle fields 15/1 to 15/8 assigned to them for producing the inlaid areas 2. A row of stitches is produced for the first inlaid area group in the direction of movement A ″ of the carriage 19 in the manner described in the exemplary embodiment in FIG. In the transition position of the carriage 19 between the two inlaid area groups according to FIG. 4B, the relative movement between the two thread guides 52/4 and 52/5 and the needle bed 50 takes place in that one or two parallel thread guide rails 51, on which the two thread guides 52/4 and 52/5 can be fixed in this position, in the direction of arrow B ″, that is, opposite to the carriage direction A ″, by a certain amount so that the two thread guides 52/4 and 52 / 5 are moved out of the needle space 15/5, in which the fifth inlaid area of the now following second inlaid area group is to be covered with a stitch row. As in the other exemplary embodiments, the thread guide 52/4 is left here. At the end of this knitted in the direction of arrow A '' Row of stitches in accordance with 4D, the positions of the thread guides 52 / 1-52 / 8 corresponding to the positions of the partial figure 2D result relative to the corresponding needle spaces 15 / 1-15 / 8.

A row of stitches in the direction of movement B '' is produced in a corresponding manner, with the thread guide rail 51 being longitudinally displaced in the direction of arrow A '' in the transition region of the boundary 56 'between the two intarsia area groups in such a way that the two thread guides 52/4 and 52/5 are moved from the needle field 15/4 of the inlaid area now to be produced into the needle field 15/5 of the inlaid area already occupied by another stitch. The row of stitches in the needle fields 15 / 4-15 / 1 for the fourth to first inlaid areas can then be knitted one after the other in the manner described, the thread guide 52/5 remaining switched off.

The offset of the needle bed 50 or the rod 51 of the embodiment of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 can, like the return stroke of the carriage. Fig. 1 or Fig. 2 can be controlled adjustable in size.

It goes without saying that in the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 2 to 4 the number of both the locks assigned to a slide and the number of inlaid areas to be produced and also inlaid area groups in the can be essentially any. Depending on the situation, a two-lock or three-lock slide can be used instead of a four-lock slide for the eight inlaid areas to be produced, for example. It goes without saying that more than eight inlaid areas can be knitted and that the number of inlaid areas to be produced can be divided into different groups with the same or different number of inlaid areas.

Claims (7)

1. A method for producing intarsia knitted goods on a flat-bed knitting machine (11), in which method, when traversing one of the needle beds (20, 30) in one and/or the other lift direction by movement of a carriage (16, 17) provided with at least one cam (S) in the border area between two areas of intarsia, at least some of the yarn guides (22, 23) associated with each one of the intarsia areas and the respective needle bed (20, 30) are moved in a direction relative to each other and the yarn guides (22, 23), within the intarsia area, are coupled or uncoupled with or from the movement of the carriage, characterizing in that the carriage (16, 17) at the end of a movement segment, which extends at most across a number of first intarsia areas to be produced corresponding to the number of cams (S), is reversed in its lift direction and, together with the yarn guide (22, 32) last used as well as with the yarn guide (22, 32) to be used for the succeeding intarsia area, is moved back into the intarsia area last produced, without making a needle selection in the needle bed (20, 30), and in that in a further movement segment in the original lift direction by means of additional yarn guides (22, 32) a further number of intarsia areas, corresponding at most to the number of cams (S), are produced.
2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the individual intarsia areas are knitted Successively in the manner of a pilgrim step movement, when the carriage is being provided with a single cam (S).
3. A method for producing intarsia knitted goods on a flat-bed knitting machine (11), in which method, when traversing one of the needle beds (30, 40) in one and/or the other lift direction by movement of a carriage (18, 19) provided with at least two cams (S) in the border area between two areas of intarsia at least some of the yarn guides (42, 52) associated with each of the intarsia areas and the respective needle bed (40, 50) are moved in a direction relative to each other and the yarn guides (42, 52), within the intarsia area, are coupled or uncoupled with or from the movement of the carriage, characterized in that at the end of a movement segment made by the carriage (18, 19), which at most extends across a number of first intarsia areas to be produced corresponding to the number of cams (S), either the respective needle bed (40) is longitudinally displaced in such a way that the last used yarn guide (42) as well as the yarn guide (42) to be used for the succeeding intarsia areas are disposed in the intarsia area last produced or the respective yarn guide rail(s) (51) together with the last used yarn guide (52) as well as with the yarn guide (52) to be used for the succeeding intarsia area are returned into the intarsia area last produced and in that in a successive further movement segment of the carriage (18, 19) in the same lift direction by means of additional yarn guides, a further number of intarsia areas, corresponding at most to the number of cams (S) are produced.
4. The method as defined in claim 1 or 2 or 3, wherein the intarsia area of a group of intarsia areas following each other in a row of stitches which is first in the lift direction is associated with the cam which is last in the lift direction, and the intarsia area which is last in the lift direction is associated with the cam which is first in the lift direction, and the individual intarsia areas in each row of stitches are begun to be knitted before knitting of the respective preceding intarsia area is finished, when the carriage (16-19) is being provided with a plurality of cams (S).
5. A flat-bed knitting machine for performing the method as defined in claim 1, comprising a carriage (16, 17) with at least one cam (S) for both directions of lift along a needle bed arrangement, a separate yarn guide (22, 32) for each intarsia area, the yarn guides (22, 32) being capable of being coupled or uncoupled within the intarsia area with or from the movement of the carriage (16, 17) and the yarn guides (22, 32) and the respective needle bed (20, 30) of the needle bed arrangement being capable of being moved at least partially in a direction relative to each other in the border area between two intarsia areas, characterized by a drive for the carriage (16, 17) which is reversible at optional locations of the needle bed arrangement (20, 30), by a design of the cam(s) (S; S1-S4) achieving a lift reversal of the carriage (16, 17) without control of a needle selection and by yarn guides (22, 32) being controllably coupleable with movement of the carriage.
6. A flat-bed knitting machine for performing the method as defined in claim 3, comprising a carriage (18, 19) with at least one cam (S) for both directions of lift along a needle bed arrangement, a separate yard guide (42, 52) for each intarsia area, the yarn guides (42, 52) being capable of being coupled or uncoupled within the intarsia area with or from the movement of the carriage, and the yarn guides (22, 32) and the respective needle bed (20, 30) of the needle bed arrangement being capable of being moved at least partially in a direction relative to each other in the border area between two intarsia areas, characterized by a device either for performing a longitudinal displacement of a needle bed (40) of the needle bed arrangement or for performing a longitudinal displacement of yarn guide rail(s) (51) provided with the yarn guides (52/4, 52/5) and by yarn guides (42, 52) being controllably coupleable with movement of the carriage (18, 19).
7. The flat-bed knitting machine as defined in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the intarsia area of a group of intarsia areas following each other in a row of stitches which is first in the lift direction is associated with the cam which is last in the lift direction, and the intarsia area which is last in the lift direction is associated with the cam which is first in the lift direction, when the carriage (30, 40, 50) is being provided with a plurality of cams (S).

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