US2720095A

US2720095A - ernst

Info

Publication number: US2720095A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1955-10-11
Anticipated expiration: 1972-10-11

Description

Oct. 11, 1955 B. H. ERNST PICK-UP STITCH KNITTING NEEDLE Filed July 23, 1954 INVENTOR. JESS/EH. ERNST BY 2 ATTONEY United States Patent PICK-UP STITCH KNITTING NEEDLE Bessie H. Ernst, Chillicothe, Ill.

Application July 23, 1954, Serial No. 445,298

3 Claims. (Cl. 66-117) This invention relates to improvements in knitting needles and has for a primary object to provide a knitting needle with means, carried by the knitting needle, for picking up a dropped stitch and replacing it on the knitting needle.

Another object of this invention is to provide a small tool, designed along the lines of a crochet hook, and to mount the tool inside the hand end of a knitting needle in a manner so as not to interfere with the use of the needle but to be instantly removable therefrom and usable to pick-up dropped stitches and replace them on the tip of the needle. These and ancillary objects are attained by this invention, the preferred form of which is set forth in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein;

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a needle, constructed and equipped in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the hand end of the needle and showing the tool in elevation and partly in section.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the tool per se; and

Figure 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Figure 2.

Quite frequentlywhen knitting, a stitch will be accidentally dropped and before the knitting can be continued, the stitch must be picked up and replaced on the needle. To pick up the stitch, a pointed instrument is needed and, usually, a crochet hook is used, since such is structurally best suited for the task. However, time is lost in acquiring the hook. To overcome this, I provide a needle, which is equipped with a tool, simulative of a crochet hook, and which carries the tool in a manner to have it readily available but not to interfere with proper and convenient manipulation of the needle.

Referring to the drawing wherein like numerals designate like parts, it can be seen that numeral 10 denotes a conventional knitting needle having its hand engaging end formed with an axial bore 14. This bore is cylindrical and extends inwardly from the adjacent end of the needle. Numeral 16 denotes a cap having a cylindrical skirt 17 for snug disposition over the handle end of the needle 10 and this cap 16 which is larger in diameter than the skirt 17 has a circular opening therein and also a notch 18 which opens into the circular opening and forms a passageway for a lug 19 which projects 2,720,095 Patented Oct. 11, 1955 laterally from the stem portion 20 of the tool generally referred to by numeral 21, this tool having a hook 22 at one end and a fiat handle 23 at its opposite end. This handle will permit easy rotation of the tool 21 in order to dislodge the lug 19 from under the cap 16 and register it with the passageway notch 18, so that the tool 21 can be removed when necessary.

It can now be seen, that the needle 10 is used in the normal and usual way in the operation of knitting, but as frequently occurs, a stitch is dropped and a handy implement should be available to pick up that stitch and replace it on the needle 10. With the present ensemble, the tool 21 can be rotated by the handle 23, thus permitting the tool to be displaced from the hollow end of the needle 10, so that the hook 22 can retrieve the dropped stitch and replace it on the needle 10. The tool can be promptly replaced in the hollow end of the knitting needle for future use.

While the foregoing description sets forth the invention in specific terms, it is to be understood that numerous changes in the shape, size and materials may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter. Having described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. A knitting needle construction comprising an elongated needle having a hand engaging end portion formed with a pocket therein and a tool disposed into said pocket and formed with a hook for engaging and retrieving stitches dropped by said needle in the operation of knitting, said tool being provided with an external end portion defining a handle, said handle being of flattened form.

2. A knitting needle construction comprising an elongated needle having a hand engaging end portion formed with a pocket therein and a tool disposed into said pocket and formed with a hook for engaging and retrieving stitches dropped by said needle in the operation of knitting, said tool being provided with an external end portion defining a handle, said handle being broad and flat.

3. A knitting needle construction comprising an elongated needle having a hand engaging end portion formed with a pocket therein and a tool disposed into said pocket and formed with a hook for engaging and retrieving stitches dropped by said needle in the operation of knitting, a cap for the hand engaging end of the needle, said cap having an opening therethrough for receiving a portion of the tool, said cap being formed with a notch opening into the opening, said tool being provided with a lateral lug adapted to be engaged under the cap when the tool is to be retained in the pocket and to be displaced through the notch when the tool is to be removed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS