IE85945B1 - A method of manufacturing a knitted garment - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT This invention relates to the manufacture of knitted garments. The invention is particularly concerned with the manufacture of knitted garments using knitting machines. Typically, a number of knitted panels are formed on a knitting machine and then assembled and sewn together to form a garment, for example, as described in GB2337688. A problem arises in that loose yarn ends at edges of the panel need to be concealed. This is done by a worker inserting a needle through the garment panel at the edges, snagging the loose yarn ends with the needle and pulling in the loose ends to conceai them within the garment knit. This is time consuming and hence adds to the expense of manufacture. Also, if not done properly the yarn ends can work loose which is unsightly.

Description

A method of manufacturing a knitted garment Introduction This invention relates to the manufacture of knitted garments.

The invention is particularly concerned with the manufacture of knitted garments using knitting machines. Typically, a number of knitted panels are formed on a knitting machine and then assembled and sewn together to form a garment, for example, as described in GB2337688. A problem arises in that loose yarn ends at edges of the panel need to be concealed. This is done by a worker inserting a needle through the garment panel at the edges, snagging the loose yarn ends with the needle and pulling in the loose ends to conceai them within the garment knit.

This is time consuming and hence adds to the expense of manufacture. Also, if not done properly the yarn ends can work loose which is unsightly.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of manufacturing a knitted garment which overcomes this problem.

According to the invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a knitted garment, including: knitting a garment panel on a knitting machine having a pair of juxtaposed needle beds, namely a front needle bed and a back needle bed, each needle bed having a plurality of knitting needles, yarn guides through which yarn is supplied to the needle beds and a carriage which reciprocates over the needle beds to effect a knitting action, knitting a garment panel on the knitting beds by leading a first yarn from a supply spool inwardly from a first end of the needle beds, engaging the first yarn with a first spare needle on the back needle bed, engaging the first yarn with a second spare needle on the front needle bed, knitting a first row of stitches along the needle beds from said first end to a second end of the needle beds, alternately engaging the first yarn with needles on the front needle bed and the back needle bed, knitting a second row of stitches with the first yarn back along the front needle bed only, knitting a third row of stitches with the first yarn back along the back needle bed only, leading a second yarn from a supply spool to the first end of the needie beds, engaging the second yarn with the second spare needle on the front needle bed, knitting a row of stitches along the front needle bed with the second yarn from the first end to the second end of the needle beds, pressing off the stitch of the first yarn on the first spare needle, moving the overlapping stitches of the first and second yarns from the second spare needle inwardly along the needle beds in a number of steps alternating between needies on the front needle bed and the back needle bed for tying said overlapping stitches into a stitch in the first row of stitches of the first yarn, knitting a second row of stitches with the second yarn from the second end to the first end of the knitting beds along the back needle bed, knitting both yarns back and forth a preset number of times between opposite ends of the needle beds alternately engaging the yarns with needles on the front needle bed and back needle bed following a preset knitting pattern to form a garment panel of a desired size, and removing the garment panel from the knitting machine and using the garment panel for forming a garment. in another embodiment the method includes the steps: knitting a set of garment panels forming component parts for a knitted garment; aligning said garment panels; and sewing the garment panels together to form a knitted garment.

The invention will be more clearly understood by the following description of some embodiments thereof given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a schematic illustration of a number of knitting steps carried out by a knitting machine according to the method of the invention.

A knitted garment panel is produced on a knitting machine having a pair of juxtaposed needle beds systematically illustrated in the drawing comprising a front needle bed 10 and a back needle bed 11. Each needle bed 10, 11 has a plurality of knitting needles 12. Yarn guides (not shown) feed yarn to the needle beds 10, 11 and a carriage reciprocates over the needle beds 10, 11 to effect a knitting action.

The drawing schematically illustrates a number of knitting steps (a) to (k) carried out on the knitting machine for knitting a garment panel. It will be noted that not all the needles 12 in the needle beds 10, 11 are used in knitting the garment panel. An edge of the garment panel is indicated by line E and there are a number of spare needles 14 on each needle bed 10, 11 outside this garment edge E.

For knitting a garment panel on the knitting machine a first yarn 20 is led from a supply spool (not shown) inwardly from a first end 21 of the needle beds 10, 11. The first yarn 20 is engaged with a first spare needle 22 on the back needle bed 10 and then with a second spare needle 23 on the front needle bed 10. A first row of stitches is then knitted along the needle beds 10, 11 from said first end 21 towards a second end 24 of the needle beds 10, 11 for a distance corresponding to the desired width of the panel to be knitted, alternately engaging the first yarn 20 with needles 12 on the front needle bed 10 and back needle bed 11 as shown in step (a) in the drawing.

In step (b) a second row of stitches with the first yarn 20 is knitted back along the front needle bed 10 only from the second end 24 to the first end 21 of the needle beds 10, 11.

Then in step (c) a third row of stitches with the first yarn 20 is knitted back along the back needle bed 11 only from the first end 21 to the second end 24 of the needle beds 10,11. At the same time as step (c) in step (cl) a second yarn 25 is guided into the first end 21 of the needle beds 10, 11 and is engaged with the second spare needle 23 on the front needle bed 10 overlapping with the stitch already formed on the second spare needle 23 by the first yarn 20. A row of stitches is then knitted along the front needle bed 10 with the second yarn 25 from the first end 21 to the second end 24 of the needle beds 10, 11.

Next in step (e) the first stitch of the first yarn 20 on the first spare needle 22 is pressed off.

Then in a number of steps (1) to (i) the overlapping stitches of the first and second yarns 20, 25 are moved from the second spare needle 23 inwardly along the needle beds 10, 11 in a number of steps alternating between needles 12 on the front needle bed 10 and back needle bed 11. In the first step the stitches are moved from the second spare needle 23 to the first garment knitting needle 30 on the back bed 11.

The stitches are then moved (g) from the needle 30 on the back bed 11 to the second garment knitting needle 32 on the front bed 10. Next the stitches are moved (h) from the needle 32 on the front bed 10 to the third garment knitting needle 34 on the back bed 11. Finally the stitches are moved from the needle 34 on the back bed 11 to the third garment knitting needle 36 on the front bed 10 - step (i). Thus the overlapping stitches are tied into a stitch in the first row of stitches of the first yarn 20.

‘Next a second row of stitches is knitted with the second yarn from the second end 24 to the first end 21 of the knitting beds 10, 11 along the back needle bed 11 as shown in step (j).

Thereafter both yams (20.25) are knitted back and forth a preset number of times between the opposite ends 21, 24 of the needle beds 10, 11 alternately engaging the yarns 20, 25 with needles 12 on the front needle bed 10 and back needle bed tttollowing a preset knitting pattern to form a garment panel of the desired size on the knitting machine.

After removal of the garment panel from the knitting machine loose ends of the yarns , 25 projecting outwardly of the edge E of the garment panel can simply be cut away and the garment panel can be used for forming a garment.

A set of knitted garment panels forming component parts for a knitted garment are prepared. These garment panels are aligned and then sewn together to form the knitted garment.

It will be appreciated that the method of the invention allows the knitting machine to pull in and secure the loose yarn ends as part of the knitting sequence for the garment panel. This advantageously gives secure and accurate and repeatable tying in of the yarn ends and eliminates the need for manual tying in of the yarn ends during manufacture of the garment. — The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described which may be varied in both construction and detail within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (4)

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a knitted garment, including: knitting a garment panel on a knitting machine having a pair of juxtaposed needle beds, namely a front needle bed and a back needle bed, each needle bed having a plurality of knitting needles, yarn guides through which yarn is supplied to the needle beds and a carriage which reciprocates over the needle beds to effect a knitting action, knitting a garment panel on the knitting beds by leading a first yarn from a supply spool inwardly from a first end of the needle beds, engaging the first yarn with a first spare needle on the back needle bed, engaging the first yarn with a second spare needle on the front needle bed, knitting a first row of stitches along the needle beds from said first end to a second end of the needle beds, alternately engaging the first yarn with needles on the front needle bed and the back needle bed, knitting a second row of stitches with the first yarn back along the front needle bed only, knitting a third row of stitches with the first yarn back along the back needle bed only, leading a second yarn from a supply spool to the first end of the needle beds, engaging the second yarn with the second spare needle on the front needle bed, knitting a row of stitches along the front needle bed with the second yarn from the first end to the second end of the needle beds, pressing off the stitch of the first yarn on the first spare needle, moving the overlapping stitches of the first and second yarns from the second spare needle inwardly along the needle beds in a number of steps alternating between needles on the front needle bed and the back needle bed for tying said overlapping stitches into a stitch in the first row of stitches of the first yarn, knitting a second row of stitches with the second yarn from the second end to the first end of the knitting beds along the back needle bed, knitting both yarns back and forth a preset number of times between opposite ends of the needle beds alternately engaging the yams with needles on the front needle bed and back needie bed following a preset knitting pattern to form a garment pane! of a desired size, and removing the garment panel from the knitting machine and using the garment panel for forming a garment.

2. A method of manufacturing a knitted garment as claimed in claim 1 including the steps: knitting a set of garment panels forming component parts for a knitted garment; aligning said garment panels; and sewing the garment panels together to form a knitted garment.

3. A method for manufacturing a knitted garment substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

4. Knitted garments whenever prepared by the method as claimed in any preceding claim.