US2216062A - Stocking and in the method of producing same - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 24, 1940. H. E. WILLIAMS 2,215,052

STOCKING AND IN THE METHOD OF PRODUCINC' SAME Filed Jari. 8, 1936 Patented Sept. 24, 1940 Plafrslvrv OFFICE ,y

9 Claims.

This' invention comprises improvements inv stockings and in the method of 'producing same. The invention refers to stockings of the fully fashioned type provided with awelt, such stockings being usually knitted ona C'ottons, Patent or other straight bar knitting'ma'chine.

In this class of stocking it is :customary to knit thewelt, usually a turnover or foldedfwelt, with comparatively coarse and/or rstrong yarn (e.jg cotton) andthe panel orl leg with comparatively fine; yarn (e. g., silk) vandlin ordertovprovide maximum elasticity in thewelt which is required -to encircle the thigh vofthe wearer, the welt fabric 20 possessesv considerably Aless 'extensibility or elasticity than that of the welt,I an v excessive .strain is frequently exerted upon said top panel. portion when the stocking isbeing worn'by a personihavy l ing generous or excessively large thighs, as it will 2B bek appreciated that theconsider'able disparity in extensibility between the .weltlfabric and the adjoining panel fabric results in the tighter panel fabric being unduly .strainedl and distorted, the said panel fabric in factv restricting the lexpansion of the lower rportion 'of 'the welt.. This-.results in frequent yarn breakage or splitting of .the fabric nearthewelt. 5. v To overcome the above disadvantage kthe present invention provides a stocking wherein that part of the leg or panel adjoiningthe welt -is knitted sufhciently slack to provide said fabric with a degree of elasticity equal or'substantially equal to that of the adjoiningfweltfabric,` fIt will, however, be appreciated that it is impossible to con- 40 tinue the comparatively slack knittingthroughout the leg or panel, as' by so doing the fabric so knitted would have a coarse appearance. It will also be appreciated that the production of a band of fabric of uniform slackness at the top of the panel adjoining the welt would be equally objectionable as same would obviously detract from the appearance of the stocking, and produce an unsightly line where the stitches of the last course of slack stitches join the comparatively tight stitches in the panel. t

. This invention, however provides a stocking wherein liabilityto breakage at the top of the panel adjoining the welt is eliminated or minimisedwithout in any way impairing the appearance of the stocking, and to this end the present invention provides a full-fashioned stocking with welt in which extensibility or elasticity of the fabric at the panel top adjoining the welt gradually or progressively decreases by stitch variation from the welt to the normal panel fabric. 5 For the Apurpose of more fully describing the nature of f this invention reference will now be vmade to the accompanying drawing, wherein thev figure illustrates a fashioned ,stocking blank with welt produced in accordance with the present invention.

Referring to the` stocking blank illustrated in the drawing, a is the welt and b the panel. As is customary in this type of blank the welt a, which is preferably a folded welt,-is produced from comparatively coarse yarn and is knitted slacker, i. e., with longer stitches than the fabric of the panel b. Y' The upper `part of the panel adjoining the welt Iis shaped by narrowing (known as thigh narrow- A l, ings) inthe lwell known manner from the position i0 c-c to `lil-d, the major portion of the panel from d-d to e-e being parallel,r and narrowing being again effected from e-e to the ankle at f-f. So Afar as above-described the knitting is in accordance withl the customary practice on a C'ottons i6 Patent machine. Previously, however, the whole `of the leg .or panel from the position c-c adjoining the welt has been produced from fabric of uniform` stiffness or elasticity, that is to say stitches of uniform size. In this invention, how- 30 ever, theinitial stitch course adjoining4 the' welt uy or apredetermined number of successive courses is or are lknitted with comparatively long or slack stitches of the same or substantially the same -lengthas the welt stitches which afford a degree 35 rof elasticity equal or substantially equal to that of the adjoining welt fabric, and the length or size of the stitches in the immediately subsequent courses is slightly reduced at intervals until the required stitch size and elasticity or extensibility 40 of the fabric for the panel is reached when knitting of the panel is continued without stitch variation. In the example illustrated the graduated stiffening takes/place from c-c to g-g after which stitches of uniform size or stiffness are pro- 45 duced throughout the blank.

It will be seen that the graduated ,stiifening terminates a short distance before the thigh narrowings terminate.

By way of example, in the vwelt a there mayv 50 n be 33 courses of stitches per inch of fabric produced, the stitch formation being uniform througout the depth` of the welt, and at the junction between the Welt and panel, i. e., at the line c--c, the stitch size may be slightly reduced 55 to say 38 courses per inch, and thence to the position g--g 24 further stitch changes may be eiected at equal intervals at the rate of approximately a half course per inch until the stitch yarn may with advantage be commenced before' completing the knitting of the welt; For eXam-' ple, one side or fold of the welt may jbe composed of fabric knitted from cotton orf-othercomparatively coarse or thick yarn, while at a suitable position in the depth of the other side or fold o-f the welt, said cotton or likefabric is joined to the silk or other comparatively fine fabric from which the panel is knitted.v Itthus follows that each loop of the rst course of the panel will be looped through a4 combined silk ,andV cotton loop` instead of through two cotton loops as heretofore. Hence the usual line of holes Iproduced at the joint of welt and panel is rendered very much less. conspicuous, andin usev it is found that the strength of the article at such joint is increased. In the finished stocking the .join between the cotton and silk advantageously occurs at the outer side f the welt.

I claim:` l 1. A fully fashioned stocking comprising a welt and a single` ply panel, characterized in. that a 'portion of said panel adjoining the welt is cornposed of stitches which gradually decrease in length from the Welt tothe main portion of the panel, whereby the elasticity or extensibility of `thepanel top decreases progressively from `the welt to the main panel portion.

2. A fully fashioned stocking having a welt and a single ply panel adjoining the same, wherein the stitches of the fabric at the commencement. of the panel immediately adjoining the welt are equal or substantially equal in length to the stitches of said adjoining welt and that the stitch length decreases progressively .down ,the panel from the welt to the `normal stitch length of the panel.

3. A fully fashioned stocking having a leg or panel section of single ply fabric and a welt, the latter being composed of stitches which are larger thanthose of the leg or panel, and having the stitch length in that area of the panel which adjoins the welt graduated down from the long stitches at the welt to the normal-length stitches of the leg.

4. A fully fashioned stocking having .a single ply leg or panel section and a welt, the latter being composed of stitches which are longer than .those of the leg or panel, and having immediately below the welt an area of the leg or panel section which is narrowed, in which area the stitch length decreases progressively down from the welt to the leg, the stitches of which are of normal length.

5. A method of producing a fully fashioned stocking having a welt and a singleply panel, which comprises knitting `the welt, knitting at least one course of the single ply panel adjoining the Welt with slack stitches, gradually reducing the stitch length over the succeeding courses until a predetermined normal length is attained, and then knitting the remainder of the panel with stitches 'of uniform normal length.

` 6. A seh/edged blank for a fully fashioned stocking; comprising a single ply leg or panel `section knitted vof comparatively fine yarn, and

a weltknitted of comparatively coarse yarn, the stitches thereof being slacker than those of the major portion of said leg or panel section, said section having a band immediately below the welt in which the stitch length and` degree of slackness gradually decreases from that of the welt at the junction of the band therewith to that of` the major portion of the panel section at its junctiontherewith. y

7. IA lknitted full-fashioned stocking comprising a welt section composed of relatively `long stitches of uniform length Walewise of the stock ing fabric and uniformly spaced coursewise thereof, a calf section composed of relatively shortstitches of. uniform length walewise of the stocking fabric and uniformly spaced coursewise thereof anda single ply section intermediate the lwelt section and the calf .section composed of length, and a single ply panel section, the major portion of which is composed of stitches of uniform length which is less than that of said welt.stitches, said r`panel section having va portion'intermediate its main portion and the welt composed of stitches which .gradually increase fin length from said main portion to said welt.

9;..A` fully fashioned stocking comprising a welt section composed of stitches of a predetermined length, and asingle ply panel section a major portion of which is composed of stitches of uniform length which is less than that of said 'welt stitches, said panel section having a portion intermediate itsmain portion and the welt, knitted from the samevyarn as. said main portion,

,the stitches of which intermediate portion adjacent the welt are atrleast approximately of the same length as said welt stitches, which length gradually decreases to that of said main panel portion.

. I-IAROLD'ERNEST WILLIAMS.

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