US2853865A

US2853865A - Stocking and method of making the same

Info

Publication number: US2853865A
Application number: US391177A
Authority: US
Inventors: John J Mcdonough
Original assignee: Scott and Williams Inc
Current assignee: Scott and Williams Inc
Priority date: 1953-11-10
Filing date: 1953-11-10
Publication date: 1958-09-30
Anticipated expiration: 1975-09-30

Description

Sept. 30, 1958 J. J. MCDONOUGH 2,353,865

STOCKING AND METHOD OF' MAKING THE SAME Filed Nov. lO l 55 IN VEN TOR.

d 7 ATTOR N EYS United States Patent STOCKIN G AND METHOD F MAKING THE SAlVlE John J. McDonough, Belmont, N. H., assignor to Scott & Williams, Incorporated, Laconia, N. H., a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 10, 1953, Serial No. 391,177

12 Claims. (Cl. 66-173) This invention relates to stockings and methods of making the same and has particular reference to the formation of picot edges on turned welts of circular knit ladies stockings, being particularly adapted for the knitting of sheer ladies stockings.

Picot edges on the turned welts of stockings should provide a well-defined hinge-like fold line for the welts and, at the same time, provide an attractive finished appearance for the top of the stocking. Picot edges accordingly were in widespread use in the case of stockings knit from cotton, silk, rayon or other materials. When nylon came into use, however, it was found that picot edges in nylon welts of circular knit hose were very unsatisfactory. lnstead of presenting well-defined and regular peaks and valleys, picot edges knit of nylon yarn presented an irregular and somewhat 'ragged appearance due to the nature of nylon yarn which refused to fold into a picot of well-defined and attractive appearance. The result has been that picot edges have generally been abandoned for nylon welts produced on circular machines, plain edged welts being used.

The present invention relates to the production of highly satisfactory picot edges formed of nylon. It has been found that if, in accordance with the invention, crinkled rather than plain nylon is used either as ka reenforcement at the picot edge or in substitution for plain nylon, the results are highly satisfactory and essentially of the well-defined characteristic appearance resulting when picot edges are formed using cotton, silk or rayon. The crinkled nature of the yarn imparts to the nylon a llexibility which serves to promote the production of well-defined peaks and valleys in the picot edge.

The broad object of the invention is, accordingly, the provision of desirable picot edges formed of nylon or similar plastic yarn, and it is to be understood that the term nylon as used herein is intended to refer to both nylon and other yarns of similar characteristics. This broad object of the invention together with subsidiary objects particularly relating to details of procedure and stocking construction will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure l is a perspective view showing a circular knit ladies stocking having a picot edge in its turned welt provided in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a diagram showing a welt construction at the picot involving a change of yarn from plain nylon to crinkled nylon;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the reenforcement of plain nylon yarn used in the formation of a. welt with a lighter cnnkled nylon yarn at the region of formation of a picot; and t Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing a two-feed welt involving alternate courses of plain and crinkled nylon yarn with inclusion of a light .preshrunk plain nylon yarn inthe stitches of the crinkled nylon yarn at the picot.

A,Figure l shows at 2 the leg of a circular knit ladies ICC nylon stocking which may be, though not necessarily, of sheer type, surmounted by a turned Welt 4 provided with a picot edge 5. The stocking except for the construction involved at the picot may be entirely conventional with conventional foot construction and may be knit on a machine of conventional type. Since no special machine is required for the practice of the present invention, reference may be made to the patent to A. E. Page 1,922,977, dated August 15, 1933, for a disclosure of a suitable machine not only capable of knitting all of the other parts of a stocking but the picot edge involved in the present invention as well. The picot edge of said Page patent is provided by tuckin'g and, as will become apparent hereafter, 'it is to such a picot edge that the present invention is particularly applicable. However, the invention is also applicable to float stitch picot edges as disclosed in the patent to A. E. Page No. 1,903,706, dated April ll, 1933. For further background matters relevant to the present invention, there may be referred to the patent to Faucette No. 2,396,166, dated March 5, 1946, the patent to F. R. Page No. 2,601,451, dated June 24, 1952, and to my prior application Serial No. 326,967, filed December 19, 1952, now Patent No. 2,710,531, dated June 14, 1955. patent to Faucette discloses the use of preshrunk nylon in the welts of stockings, and the present invention is applicable to stockings provided in accordance with that patent. The patent to F. R. Page discloses in particular, from the standpoint of relevance to the present invention, the formation and use of crinkled nylon yarn. Furthermore, it discloses the use of crinkled nylon yarn in the formation of the various 'parts of circular knit ladies stockings including welts thereof, and as appear, the invention is applicable to stockings provided in accordance with this patent. My application referred to above discloses certain improvements on the types of stockings provided in accordance with the F. R. Page patent, and the invention is also applicable to stockings provided in accordance with said application.

It may iirst be assumed that the invention is applied to a stocking the major portion of the welt of which is knit of plain nylon yarn of suitable weight, 40 denier yarn being typical. The picotl edge portion of such la welt is diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 2, wherein, in accordance with the invention, plain nylon 6 is used to knit the portions of the welt preceding and succeeding the region of formation of the picot edge, while 'in such region a yarn change is made to Crinkled nylon yarn indicated at 8. lt Ahas been found, for example, that a satisfactory picot edge may be provided by utilizing crinkled nylon yarn 8 in twelve courses, four of these being plain knit, the next four involing the formation of the picot, and the next four being plain knit and fllowed by a yarn change to plain nylon. These successive groups of four courses each are indicated respectively at 10, 12 and 14. For the formation of the picot, tucking is effected as indicated at 16 in every fourth Wale. As will be evident from comparison of the structure with that illustrated in Page Patent 1,922,977, the formation of the picot from the standpoint of control of the yarns is conventional and may be carried out by the knitting machine of that patent. It will be understood that Figure 2 (and also Figures 3 and 4 later described) is diagrammatic and conventionalized. Under a microscope the component stitches and groups of stitches involved in the picot are highly irregular in shape and.

placement and the fabric at the picot is essentially t reedirnensional, the tucks serving to provide bunching of the other stitches in such fashion as to cause them to stand out of the general plane of the fabric before folding occurs and with the result that they provide the peaks in the picot edge when the welt is folded or turned.

The aforementioned leye is a regular and uniform arrangement of peaks and valleys similar to What appears in the formation of good p1cot edges when knitting silk, but in `contrast with the ragged and irregular edges which result from knitting of picot edges from plain nylon.

When crinkled nylon is substituted for plain nylon as indicated in Figure 2, the crinkled nylon may be of the same denier as the plain nylon and may be similar in its monoiilament or multilament characteristics to, or different from, the plain nlyon. If desired, either monoiilament or multililament nylon yarns may be used as one or both of the plain and crinkled yarns.

The crinkled yarn used in accordance with Figure 2, and also that used in accordance with modifications hereafter described, is of the same nature and may be produced in the same fashions as the crinkled yarns referred to in said F. R. Page patent and in my said prior application. It may, for example, be formed by knitting plain nylon into a tube, setting the tube with the application of heat, and then revelling to produce the crinkled yarn. Alternatively, the crinkled yarn may be produced in other fashions, as disclosed in said F. R. Page patent.

As a typical instance, a Welt having a picot edge of desirable type may be produced using plain and crinkled nylon yarns each of denier and ten strand. The plain nylon may be of preshrunk type in accordance with said Faucette patent, and the iinished stocking may be boarded in the usual fashion to provide shrinking of unshrunk yarn in the leg and other parts, in accordance with said Faucette patent.

Referring to Figure 3, the stitch formation in this ligure is the same as that in Figure 2 With the exception that the crinkled yarn is added as a reenforcernent to the plain yarn forming the Welt. For example, the plain Welt yarn 18 may be of 40 denier, ten strand preshrunk nylon While the crinkled yarn added as reenforcement and indicated at 2li may be of l5 denier monotilarnent type nylon. This crinkled yarn is shown as added in the successive groups of four courses each indicated at 22, 24 and 26. The tucking to provide the picot is indicated at 28 and occurs in every fourth Wale. The results are similar to those above described but even better in the production of a Well-defined picot of attractive appearance. The crinkled nylon yarn apparently does not achieve its eect in providing a good picot merely because of a lessening of stiffness of the loops in which it is embodied since the preshrunk plain nylon in Figure 3 is present throughout the picot. However, without the added crinkled yarn a picot produced using the 40 denier preshrunk plain nylon alone is quite unsatisfactory and ragged in appearance. Stockings provided in accordance with Figure 3 may be finished in conventional fashion with boarding which will provide shrinkage of the unshrunk yarns in the leg and parts other than the Welt.

The invention is also applicable to multifeed stockings. provided in accordance with my application referred to above. In accordance with said application the Welts may be knit multifeed with various groups of courses of plain and crinkled nylon yarns interspersed with each other in successive courses. For example, in two-feed knitting, a plain nylon yarn is knit at one feed and a crinkled nylon yarn at the other. If such knitting is carried through the Welt, spaced tuck stitches may be provided to form a picot and the resulting picot edge will have the satisfactory characteristics described due to the presence of the crinkled nylon yarn. lf desired, of course, the plain yarn or yarns involved in such a stocking may have a crinkled yarn or yarns substituted therefor in the region of picot formation; or, alternatively, an additional crinkled nylon yarn or yarns may be added as reenforcement to the plain nylon yarn or yarns in the region of picot formation; or, as will presently be described, a plain nylon yarn may be added as a reenforcement to the crinkled yarn or yarns in the region of picot formation.

Figure 4 illustrates a picot of very satisfactory characteristics provided in a two-feed Welt. The welt involves alternate courses of plain yarn 30 fed at one feed interknit with intermediate courses of crinkled yarn 32 fed at the other feed. Each of these may, for example, be of 40 denier mono-or multiillament nylon, the plain yarn 3l) being, desirably, preshrunk to attain the rcsults referred to in said Faucette patent and in my prior application. ln the region of the formation of the picot, e. g. in the siX courses of crinkled yarn 32 involved ther.- in, there may be added as a reenforcement a light, for example l5 denier, preshrunk uncrinkled nylon yarn 3d. The addition of this plain reenforcing yarn was found to give a picot more distinct than that -obtained in its absence. in Figure 4, the picot formation involves, as in the other modifications, tucking in every fourth Wale as indicated at 36. The ing may involve tucking of the crimped yarn rather than of the uncrimped yarn as specifically shown.

Where in the foregoing reference has been made to the addition of crinkled nylon yarn as a reenforcernent, it will be understood that the crinkled yarn may, if desired` be knit with plain nylon yarn throughout the Welt and not merely in the region of picot formation.

The type of picot which is provided in accordance with the invention need not necessarily be such as to involve tuck stitchers as in Figures 2, 3 and 4 and as shown in said A. E. Page Patent 1,922,977. The invention is equally applicable to the formation of lioat stitch picot edges in accordance with A. E. Page Patent 1,903,706.

The term tuck stitch as used herein refers to a stitch structure involving held loop and tuck loop components.

It will be evident from the foregoing that the invention is broadly applicable and, accordingly, is not to be construed as limited except as required by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A circular knitted stocking having a turned nylon Welt comprising a picot edge, said picot edge having in the stitches thereof both plain nylon yarn and crinkled nylon yarn.

2. A circular knitted stocking having a turned nylon Welt comprising a picot edge, said picot edge being formed by coursewise repeats of other than plain stitches and having in the stitches of each repeat both plain nylon yarn and crinkled nylon yarn.

3. A circular knitted stocking having a turned nylon Welt comprising a picot edge, said picot edge being formed by coursewise repeats of tuck stitches and having in the tuck stitches of each repeat both plain nylon yarn and crinkled nylon yarn.

4. A circular knitted stocking having a turned nylon welt comprising a picot edge, said Ipicot edge having in the stitches thereof both plain preshrunk nylon yarn and crinkled nylon yarn.

5. A circular knitted stocking having a turned nylon Welt comprising a picot edge, said picot edge being formed by coursewise repeats of other than plain stitches and having in the stitches of each repeat both plain preshrunk nylon yarn and crinkled nylon yarn.

6. A circular knitted stocking having a turned nylon welt comprising a picot edge, said picot edge being formed by coursewise repeats of tuck stitches and having in the tuck stitches of each repeat both plain preshrunk nylon yarn and crinkled nylon yarn.

7. The method of knitting by circular knitting a stocking comprising knitting the major .portion of the initial half of a turned Welt from plain nylon yarn, substituting for the plain nylon yarn a crinkled nylon yarn and knitting therewith a picot edge structure, and then continuing the knitting of the turned Welt with plain nylon yarn.

l8, The method of knitting by circular knitting a sheer stocking comprising knitting the major portion of the initial half of a turned welt from plain nylon yarn, introducing a crinkled nylon yarn and knitting from the plain nylon yarn and said crinkled nylon yarn a picot edge structure, and then continuing the knitting of the turned welt with plain nylon yarn only.

9. The method of knitting by circular knitting a sheer stocking comprising knitting the major portion of the initial half of a turned welt from plain nylon yarn, substituting for the plain nylon yarn a crinkled nylon yarn and knitting therewith a picot edge structure including tuck stitches, and then continuing the knitting of the turned welt with plain nylon yarn.

10. The method of knitting by circular knitting a sheer stocking comprising knitting the major portion of the initial half of a turned welt from plain nylon yarn, introducing a crinkled nylon yarn land knitting from the plain nylon yarn and said lcrinkled nylon yarn a picot edge structure including tuck stitches, and then continuing the knitting of the turned -welt with plain nylon yarn only.

11. The method of knitting by circular knitting a sheer stocking comprising knitting the major portion of the initial half of a turned welt from nylon yarn, substituting for the nylon yarn a crinkled nylon yarn and knitting therewith a picot edge structure.

12. The method of knitting by circular knitting a sheer stocking comprising knitting the major portion of the initial half of a turned welt from nylon yarn, introducing a crinkled nylon yarn and knitting from the rst mentioned nylon yarn and said crinkled nylon yarn a picot edge structure.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,922,977 Page Aug. 15, 1933 2,601,451 Page June 24, 1952 2,668,430 Laros Feb. 9, 1954