US3290899A - Cabling lace attachment - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 13, 1966 KALTSAS ET AL 3,290,899

GABLING LACE ATTACHMENT Filed June 30, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 D66. 13, 1986 A" mmgjg'ggag; ET" AL CABLING LACE ATTACHMENT 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 30, 1964 Dec. 13, 1966 A s g ET AL GABLING LACE ATTACHMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 30, 1964 m hn United States Patent 3,290,899 CABLING LACE ATTACHMENT Angel Kaltsas and Garabed Kinosian, Worcester, and Robert F. Javery, Oxford, Mass, assignors to Knitting Mills, Inc., Manchester, N.H., a corporation of New Hampshire Filed June 30, 1964, Ser. No. 379,226 (Ilaims. (Cl. 66-96) The present invention relates to an improved lace attachment for use in fiat full-fashioned knitting machines, and more particularly to such an attachment adapted for effecting loop transfers of an extreme width as may be required, for example, in theknitting of a cable and similar stitches on coarse gage machines.

The invention may be regarded as an improvement on the lace attachment illustrated in the prior US. Patent No. 2,182,220 granted to G. Bitzer, December 5, 1939, to which reference may be had for an understanding of such parts of the machine as are not shown or not described herein.

In a lace attachment of the type herein set forth the position of the lace point bar and loop transfer fingers thereon is initially determined by the spring pressed engagement of a lace bar shift assembly connected to the bar with any selected one of a series of stops carried by a lace attachment pattern chain. The lace bar and point transfer fingers carried thereby are then transferred, subsequent to the first loop lifting dip but prior to the second loop depositing dip of the narrowing machine motion either to the right or to the left to effect a corresponding transfer of the lifted loops as illustrated in the prior patent to Bitzer above referred to, by the operation of cam and follower connections which form a part of said lace bar shift assembly and which operate to shift the lace bar with relation to the engaged pattern chain supported stop. For use in relatively fine gage machines in which the distance between adjacent needles is small, a shift of one, two or three needle indexes is readily effected by a controlled relative movement of said cam and follower elements. However, for use in coarse gage machines in which the needles are spaced further apart, and for the formation of stitches requiring a wider transfer of selected loops from one needle to another, a shift mechanism of this description has been found inadequate to effect the relatively wide loop transfer shift of the lace bar and lace fingers demanded.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved lace attachment adapted for effecting wide loop shifting movements of a lace finger over a plurality of needle indexes, rapidly and in timed relation to the loop transfer cycle of the machine.

More specifically it is an object of the invention to provide a mechanism of this general description which is well adapted for the transfer of selected needle wale loops over a number of needle indexes in coarse gage machines wherein the span of such transfer movement precludes the use of the normally employed spiral shifting cams.

With the above and other objects in view as may hereinafter appear, a feature of the invention consists in the provision of a lace bar positioning attachment having a pattern chain supported series of stops for arresting movement of the lace bar in any one of a number of initial positions, a follower contact element shiftable with the lace bar for engagement with any selected stop, and a power actuated high speed shifting device operable during a loop shifting operation of the machine for effecting a substantially instantaneous wide shift of the lace bar and lace points thereon from said initial loop pick-up position over a number of needle indexes to a predetermined loop shift position.

.a narrowing machine rock shaft 60.

3,290,899 Patented Dec. 13, 1966 The several features of the invention consist also in the devices, combinations and arrangement of parts here inafter described and claimed, which together with the advantages to be obtained thereby will be readily understood by one skilled in the art from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a detail view in front elevation of a lace attachment embodied in a coarse gage full-fashioned type knitting machine, only so much of the machine being shown as necessary to illustrate the connection of the present invention therewith;

FIG. 2 is a somewhat fragmentary sectional view of the machine including the parts shown in FIG. 1 looking from the left, illustrating the lace point operating mechanism including the narrowing machine frame, narrowing cams and certain operating controls;

FIG. 3 is a detail view on a smaller scale of the mechanism shown in FIG. 2 for shifting the lace points, left and right;

FIG. 4 is a detail top plan view taken substantially along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2, and to a slightly smaller scale, of other portions of the mechanism for causing the lace points to shift, right and left; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail view in front elevation of the lace point shift mechanism illustrated in FIG. 1, the parts being shown in solid lines in an initial loop lifting position, and by dot-and-dash lines in the extreme shifted movement to the right.

Referring more specifically to the drawings a lace attachment embodying in a preferred form the several features of the invention is shown as embodied in a coarse gage full-fashioned multiple section knitting machine of the general type illustrated, for example, in the Bitzer patent above referred to. The machine, as shown in the somewhat digrammatic cross-sectional FIG. 2, consists of a frame including lengthwise extending upper rail 20, work table 22, and lower front rail 24- which are carried on cross supporting frames such as that indicated in dot-and-dash lines at 26 in FIG. 1. A main cam shaft 27 extends along the length of the machine in the base portion thereof. The knitting mechanism of the machine includes for each knitting section the usual needle bar 28 supporting upwardly extending spring beard needles 30, sinkers 32 horizontally movable on a sinker bed 34, the forward edge of which provides a press edge for the needle beards, and the usual knock-over bits, not here shown. The needle bar 28 is supported for upand-d'own movement on horizontal rocker arms 40 carried on a rock shaft 42 which carries downwardly extending cam levers 44 actuated by cams on the cam shaft 27. For rocking the needles forward and back the needle bar 28 is provided with a downward extension 46 connected by a horizontal link 48 with a depending arm 50 carried on a rock shaft 52 actuated from the cam shaft 27 through cam and follower connections, not shown. The machine is also provided with the usual narrowing frame in the form of a bar 56 which extends along the length of the machine above the needles and is supported for vertical dipping movements with relation to the needles on a plurality of curved arms 58 spaced along the length of the machine and pivotally supported at their rear ends on The narrowing machine frame is supported for up-and-down movements about its pivot shaft 60 by means of vertical links 62 connected at their upper ends to the narrowing machine shaft 56 and at their lower ends to rearwardly extending cam follower levers 64 adapted for engagement with narrowing machine operating cams on the cam shaft 27. Brackets 66 spaced along the length of the narrowing machine shaft 56 provide support for a longitudinally shiftable lace rod 63 to which are attached lace points 79 and their supporting brackets 72. Inasmuch as the mechanism for supporting and for moving the needles and the machine narrowing'frame in accordance with a loop transfer cycle of operations is well known and is fully set forth in the Bitzer patent above referred to, no specific description thereof is believed necessary.

In accordance with the procedure well known in machines of the general type referred to the machine is conditioned for a loop transfer operation by shogging the cam shaft 27 lengthwise from the usual knitting position to a narrowing position-in which the needles are controlled by a separate set of narrowing cams, and the narrowing machine is similarly rendered operative for movement in accordance with a so-called narrowing or loop transfer operation. In this operation the narrowing frame 56 makes a first relatively shallow dipping and return upward movement in conjunction with a vertical movement of the needles 36 to transfer cooperating loops from selected needles to the lace points 70 which the sinkers 32 are advanced by the operation of the usual catch bar, not shown, to hold down the fabric. The point fingers supported on the narrowing frame are shifted longitudinally of the needle series, and the narrowing machine thereafter makes a second deeper dipping movement in conjunction with a second vertical movement of the needles during which the loops held by the transfer points are returned to cooperating needles. The narrowing machine 56 and lace bar 68 are now returned to the high inoperative position, the sinkers being again advanced to hold down the fabric hung on the needles. Inasmuch as all of the movements embodied in the narrowing cycle of operation above described take place during a single revolution of the main cam shaft, the time period which can be allotted for effecting the longitudinal loop transfer shift of the loop transfer points is necessarily limited. These movements must therefore be performed in the shortest possible time consistent with the high degree of precision required.

The lace attachment of the machine hereinafter more particularly to be described is employed to control the lengthwise position of the lace bar 68 on the narrowing machine bar 56. A tension spring 71 (see FIG. 1) connected at one end to the lace bar 68 biases the lace bar normally to the left into engagement with a vertical end plate 72 forming part of a pusher device operable at the beginning of each narrowing cycle of the machine to push the lace bar assembly momentarily to the right, this being the position of the mechanism shown in FIG. 1. The plate 72 is mounted on a longitudinally movable slide 73 having mounted thereon a follower roll 74 adapted to be operated upon by a cam face formed on a vertically movable plunger 75. Inasmuch as the pusher device referred to is well known and is fully set forth in the Bitzer patent above referred to, no further description thereof is believed necessary.

The lace attachment includes a pattern controlled stop device against which the lace rod is positioned at the beginning of each successive loop transfer operation consisting of a short pattern chain 78 supporting a series of stops 80 of different lengths. The chain 78 is trained about a sprocket 82 rotatable on a vertical axis on a pivot support 84 carried by the narrowing machine frame, and is additionally supported on a sprocket 86 carried by a U-shaped take-up element 88. Advancing movements are imparted to the sprocket chain by means of a pawl and ratchet mechanism of ordinary description generally designated at 90. The stops 80, brought selectively into operating position, are engaged by a contact member 94 forming part of a lace bar shift assembly slidably mounted on the narrowing machine and connected for movement with the lace bar 68. The lace bar shift assembly referred to comprises a block 96 mounted on one end of a slide bar 98 supported for lengthwise sliding movements in a housing generally indicated at 99. An arm 100 extending downwardly from the left hand end of slide bar 98 is sleeved at its lower end to the lace bar 68 and is arranged for engagement with a collar 182 adjustably secured to the lace bar. A tension spring 104 connected between the slide bar 98 and the housing 99 biases the slide block 96, slide bar 98 and arm 190 to the right against the collar 102 so that the slide block 96 and lace bar 68 are normally connected to move as a unit.

The block 96 provides a backing support for a face cam disc 108 having on the exposed face thereof cam pins 118. Cam disc 108 is sleeved on a tubular member 112 which passes through axial bores in the block 96 and in the cam disc 108, and is provided with a flange 114 interposed between the disc and block. The cam disc 108 and the flanged tubular member 112 are rigidly secured to the block by means of a screw bolt 116. A shift rod 118 slidably supported within the axial bore provided by the tubular member 112 is provided at its left hand end as shown in FIG. 5 with a flange 126 which is seated against the bottom or end of the recess formed in cap 124, and is provided at its other end with an adjustable wide shift stop 127 and an end stop 128 threaded to the shift rod 118 for lengthwise adjustment thereon. The shift rod 118 forms part of a rapid multiple needle index shift device for the lace points which is hereinafter to be described.

A lace point shift assembly is interposed between the cam pins and the selected chain supported stop pin 80 comprising a cam sleeve 122 slidably mounted on the tubular member 112 having a cam face 123 for engagement with the pins 110, and a cap 124 secured to the opposite face of the sleeve having formed thereon the contact stem 94 for engagement with the stop 80.

With the illustrated construction an axial movement of the slide block 96 and lace bar 68 to the left from the intermediate position shown in FIG. 5 is effected by a limited rotational movement of the lace point shift sleeve assembly 129 including cam face 123 which moves the cam face 123 and cam disc 108 relatively together. Such movement is effected through linkage connections with a cam on the main cam shaft 27 of the machine, said connections comprising an arm 134 projecting upwardly from the cam sleeve member 122 which is connected through a universal pivot connection 136 with a link 140. At its rear end the link 140 is pivotally connected to the forked upper end of a link 142, which is in turn pivotally connected at its lower end to an upwardly extending arm of a lever 144 pivoted on the narrowing machine pivot shaft 60. The lever 144 is also pivotally connected to the upper end of a link 148 having a lower pivotal connection with one arm of a lace point shift cam lever 150, the other arm of which carries two followers 152, 154, to be actuated respectively by lace point shift cams 153 and on the main cam shaft 27.

For use in coarse gage machines, which may be 8 or 12 gage as here shown, the cam and follower elements of the shift mechanism are constructed and arranged to shift the lace bar 68 to the left the lengthwise distance of a single needle index only. The cam shift member 122 and linkage connections above described locate the cam shift member 122 normally in a neutral upright position in which the cam disc 108 and shift member 122 are moved apart (as shown in full lines in FIG. 5) as of the moment when the contact member 94 is engaged with a selected stop 80 at the start of the loop transfer operation. Assuming that the loops taken by the loop lifting points in the first dipping motion of the narrowing machine are to be moved to the left the cam follower 152 is brought into alignment with its cam 153 on the main cam shaft 27 causing the lace point cam shifting member 122 to be rocked rearwardly to a position in which the cam pins 110 are engaged with a low portion of the cam. The block 96, cam disc 108, and lace points connected thereto are thus moved one needle index to the left.

In accordance with the invention a separate shifting device is employed for shifting the slide block 96 and lace bar 68 a substantial number of needle indexes to the right after the narrowing machine has made its first dipping motion to pick off the selected needle loops, and prior to the second dipping motion during which the shifted loops are transferred back to the needles. The shift device comprises a pressure cylinder 160 (see FIG. 1) which is mounted in alignment with and beyond the end of shift rod 118 in a bracket 162 supported for sliding movement on a stationary supporting surface 164. The bracket 162 is connected by a link 166 with a collar 168 secured to the block 96 by screw bolts 170, so that the pressure cylinder 160 is connected to move as a unit with the block 96. The cylinder is provided with a piston 172 and a piston rod 174 having mounted on the outer end thereof a stop nut 176 having an anvil surface for engagement with the end stop 128 threaded to the shift rod 118. A pair of tension springs at opposite sides of the lace rod shift assembly of which one is shown at 178 in FIG. 1 are connected between a collar 180 forming part of the lace point cam member shift assembly and the collar 168 secured to the block 96 in order to bias the cam member 122 normally into operative engagement with the cam disc 108 and associated block 96.

Operation of the pneumatic cylinder 160 is effected by a reversing valve conventionally shown in FIG. 1 as comprising a housing 182 bored to receive an axially shiftable valve member 184. Air under pressure is supplied to the reversing valve from a pump 186 to a centrally located inlet port 188 and thence through passageway provided by a land 190 and outlet port 192 to the left hand end of the cylinder 160 or alternatively through a passageway provided by a land 194 and outlet port 196 to the right hand end of the cylinder 160. Air pressure is exhausted from the discharge end of the cylinder through the valve housing and exhaust ports 198 or 298 depending upon the position of the valve member 184.

The valve member 184 is shifted to the right as shown in FIG. 1 by the energizing of a solenoid 204 attached to the right hand end of the valve member 184 causing the cylinder and piston to be relatively contracted. For this position of the pressure cylinder as shown in FIG. 5, the axial position of the block 96 and associated parts including the lace points 70 is determined by the relative engaging position of the lace point shift cam member 122 and the block supported cam pin member 108. When the valve member 184 is shifted to the left by the energizing of solenoid 206 attached to the left hand end of the valve member, pressure cylinder 166 and piston rod are relatively expanded causing the cylinder 160, the block 96 attached thereto, and the lace points 68 to be moved rapidly to the right with relation to the relatively fixed pattern stop 80, and the contact stem 94 and cap 124 and shift rod 118 engaged thereagainst.

The solenoids are operated to shift the pressure cylinder and lace points controlled thereby between alternative neutral and shifted positions by controls attached to the lace point shift cam lever 150. As shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, an upwardly extending link 210 is connected between the free end of cam lever 150 and the lower section 212 of a vertically disposed telescoping switch plunger, the upper section 214 of which is slidably supported on a bracket 216. A V-shaped actuator 218 secured to the plunger section 212 is arranged in the path of a switch 222 connected with solenoid 204 for shifting the pressure cylinder to its contracted position. The upper section 214 of the plunger when moved upwardly engages the switch arm 224 of a control switch 226 connected with solenoid 206 for shifting the pressure cylinder 160 to its fully extended lace point shift position. A compression spring 228 interposed between a collar 230 on the plunger and a portion of the bracket 216 maintains the upper plunger section 214 normally in a retracted inoperative position determined by the engagement of a collar 232 on the plunger with a portion of the bracket 216.

The operation of the machine to effect the wide shift of the lace points 68 to the right is effected as follows:

The pattern operated controls of the machine will have caused the cam shaft 27 to be shogged to the narrowing position. Control rod 208 shown in FIG. 4 is shifted, shifting cam follower 154 into engagement with lace point shift cam 155 on the main cam shaft causing lace point shift cam lever 150 to be rocked clockwise and then back to its initial position during the narrowing cycle. The lower section 212 of the switch plunger moves upwardly actuating switch plunger 220 of solenoid switch 222. Solenoid 204 is momentarily energized but has no effect since valve member 184 is already in the position to the right as shown in FIG. 1. Continued upward movement of the lower section 212 causes the upper section 214 to rise to engagement with switch arm 224 actuating switch 226 which energizes solenoid 206 shifting the reversing valve member 184 to the left. Air is admitted to the right hand end of pressure cylinder 160. Since the piston rod 174, lace point shift rod 118, and contact pin 94 are solidly seated against a selected stop at this time the pressure cylinder 1160 together with the block 96 connected thereto and lace rod 68 with lace points 70 is moved rapidly to the right as viewed in FIG. 1 a distance measured by the engagement of adjustable sleeve stop 127 on the shift rod 118 with sleeve 168 attached to the block 96. The narrowing cycle of operations continues with the second dipping movement of the narrowing machine frame 56 in which the shifted loops are transferred back to the needles and the narrowing machine frame 56 is again raised to its high position. At this time the lace point shift cam lever is rocked counterclockwise to its initial position causing the switch plunger 212, 214 to be moved downwardly so that actuator 218 acts against switch arm 22% to close switch 222 and to energize solenoid 204. Valve member 184 is shifted again to its right hand position so thatair under pressure is supplied to the left hand end of pressure cylinder 160, causing pressure cylinder and the block 96, lace point rod 68 and lace points 78 connected to the cylinder to be shifted leftwardly to their initial position. It will be understood that during these movements the parts described are biased to the left against the selected pattern stop 80 by the overriding bias of the heavy tension spring 71 acting against the lace point rod 68.

The invention having been described what is claimed is:

1. A lace attachment for a fiat full-fashioned cottontype knitting machine having knitting devices including a series of needles movable as a unit, a narrowing frame adapted for loop taking and loop return dipping movements in accordance with a loop transfer cycle, and a lace bar having needle engaging loop transfer points axially shiftable on said narrowing frame, having, in combination, a lace point transfer assembly comprising a slide on the narrowing frame connected with the lace bar for shifting the lace bar, a stop on the narrowing frame, and means biasing the slide against said stop, a high speed shift pressure cylinder comprising cooperating cylinder and piston elements, one of said elements being connected with said slide and the other of said elements acting against said stop, said piston and cylinder elements being relatively shiftable between a contracted position and an alternative expanded position in one of which positions said slide and lace bar are transferred away from said stop a plurality of needle indexes, means for supplying fluid under pressure to said pressure cylinder, and control means timed with said narrowing machine dipping movements for expanding and for contracting said pressure cylinder for moving said slide and lace bar between said stop engaging and said transferred positions.

2. A lace attachment for a flat full-fashioned cottontype knitting machine having knitting devices including a series of needles movable as a unit, a narrowing frame adapted for loop taking and loop return dipping movements in accordance with a loop transfer cycle, and a lace bar having needle engaging loop transfer points axially shiftable on said narrowing frame having, in combination, a lace point transfer assembly comprising a slide on the narrowing frame connected with the lace bar for shifting the lace bar, a stop on the narrowing frame, and means biasing the slide against said stop, a spacing device interposed between the slide and said stop having a normal position and an alternative shifted position in which said slide and lace bar are transferred a needle index toward said stop, a high speed shift device independent of said spacing device connected between said stop and said slide having a normal position and an alternative shifted position in which said slide and lace bar are transferred away from said stop a plurality of needle indexes, and actuating means timed with said narrowing machine dipping movements for rendering a selected one of said spacing device and said high speed shifting device operative to shift said slide and lace bar from the normal to the shifted position.

3. In a lace attachment for a fiat full-fashioned cottontype knitting machine having knitting devices including a series of needles movable as a unit, a narrowing frame adapted for loop taking and loop return dipping movements in accordance with a loop transfer cycle, and a lace bar having needle engaging loop transfer points axially shiftable on said narrowing frame, the combination of a lace point transfer assembly comprising a slide on the narrowing frame connected with the lace bar, a stop on the narrowing frame, and means biasing the slide against said stop, a spacing device comprising a block on said slide having a cam face, a sleeve support passing through said block in axial alignment with said stop, a cam-faced spacing element rotatably and axially shiftable on said sleeve support between said cam face and said stops, a shift rod supported within said sleeve connected at its inner end with said spacing element, means for rotating said spacing element between a normal position and an alternative shifted position in which said lace bar and shift rod are transferred one needle index toward said stop, a high speed shift pressure cylinder comprising a cooperating cylinder and piston element, one of said cylinder and piston elements being connected with said slide and the other of said cylinder and piston elements acting against said shift rod, and means for supplying fluid under pressure to said pressure cylinder to shift said pressure cylinder and lace bar between a normally contracted position of said pressure cylinder and an expanded position of said pressure cylinder in which said slide and lace bar are transferred away from said stop a plurality of needle indexes.

4. A lace attachment for a flat full-fashioned cottontype knitting machine having knitting devices including a series of needles movable as a unit, a narrowing frame adapted for loop taking and loop return dipping movements in accordance with a loop transfer cycle, and a lace bar having needle engaging loop transfer points axially shiftable on said narrowing frame having, in combination, a lace point transfer assembly comprising a slide on the narrowing frame connected with the lace bar for shifting.

the lace bar, a stop on the narrowing frame, a contact member on said slide engaging said stop for positioning the slide and lace bar longitudinally, and a shift mechanism for relatively shifting said contact member and slide to effect a loop shifting movement of said lace bar com prising a high speed shift pressure cylinder having cooperating cylinder and piston elements, connected between said slide and said contact member, means for supplying fluid under pressure to said pressure cylinder, and control means timed with said narrowing machine dipping movements controlling the supply of pressure fluid for expanding and contracting said pressure cylinder.

5. A lace attachment for a fiat full-fashioned cottontype knitting machine having knitting devices including a series of needles movable as a unit, a narrowing frame adapted for loop taking and loop return dipping movements in accordance with a loop transfer cycle, and a lace bar having needle engaging loop transfer points axially shiftable on said narrowing frame having, in combination, a lace point transfer assembly comprising a slide on the narrowing frame connected with the lace bar for shifting the lace bar, a stop on the narrowing frame, a contact member on said slide engaging said stop for positioning the slide and lace bar longitudinally, and a shift mechanism for relatively shifting said contact member and said slide including a spacing device interposed between the slide and said contact member having a normal position and alternative shifted positions at opposite sides of said normal position, cam and follower spacing connections between said slide and contact member for effecting a shift of said slide in one direction, a high speed shift pressure cylinder comprising cooperating cylinder and piston elements connected between said slide and said contact member for effecting a shift of said slide in the opposite direction from said normal position, means for supplying fluid under pressure to said pressure cylinder, electrically operated connections for directing the flow of said fluid to shift said pressure cylinder between alternate contracted and expanded positions, and control means comprising an actuator shiftable in one path for controlling said cam and follower connections to effect the shift in said one direction and shiftable in a second path for operating said switch connections and pressure cylinder controlled thereby to effect the shift in the opposite direction.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,182,220 12/1939 Bitzer 6696 2,416,933 3/1947 Lynam et al 66154 2,442,822 6/ 1948 Monk.

3,089,322 5/1963 Bruce et al. 66--154 3,243,976 4/1966 Matthews 66148 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

W. C. REYNOLDS, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. 2. A LACE ATTACHMENT FOR A FLAT FULL-FASHIONED COTTONTYPE KNITTING MACHINE HAVING KNITTING DEVICES INCLUDING A SERIES OF NEEDLES MOVABLE AS A UNIT, A NARROWING FRAME ADAPTED FOR LOOP TAKING AND LOOP RETURN DIPPING MOVEMENTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH A LOOP TRANSFER CYCLE, AND A LACE BAR HAVING NEEDLE ENGAGING LOOP TRANSFER POINTS AXIALLY SHIFTABLE ON SAID NARROWING FRAME HAVING, IN COMBINATION, A LACE POINT TRANSFER ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A SLIDE ON THE NARROWING FRAME CONNECTED WITH THE LACE BAR FOR SHIFTING THE LACE BAR, A STOP ON THE NARROWING FRAME, AND MEANS BIASING THE SLIDE AGAINST SAID STOP, A SPACING DEVICE INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE SLIDE AND SAID STOP HAVING A NORMAL POSITION AND AN ALTERNATIVE SHIFTED POSITION IN WHICH SAID SLIDE AND LACE BAR ARE TRANSFERRED A NEEDLE INDEX TOWARD SAID STOP, A HIGH SPEED SHIFT DEVICE INDEPENDENT OF SAID SPACING DEVICE CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID STOP AND SAID SLIDE HAVING A NORMAL POSITION AND AN ALTERNATIVE SHIFTED POSITION IN WHICH SAID SLIDE AND LACE BAR ARE TRANSFERRED AWAY FROM SAID STOP A PLURALITY OF NEEDLE INDEXES, AND ACTUATING MEANS TIMED WITH SAID NARROWING MACHINE DIPPING MOVEMENTS FOR RENDERING A SELECTED ONE OF SAID SPACING DEVICE AND SAID HIGH SPEED SHIFTING DEVICE OPERATING TO SHIFT SAID SLIDE AND LACE BAR FROM THE NORMAL TO THE SHIFTED POSITION.

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