US3292392A

US3292392A - Circular knitting machine for knitting seamless panty girdles and the like

Info

Publication number: US3292392A
Authority: US
Inventors: George F Squillario; Bridges Harley; Emma C Bridges
Original assignee: Pilot Research Corp
Current assignee: Pilot Research Corp
Priority date: 1963-06-05
Filing date: 1963-06-05
Publication date: 1966-12-20
Anticipated expiration: 1983-12-20

Description

Dec. 20, 1966 G. F. SQUILLARIO ETAL 3,

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR KNITTING SEAMLESS vPAN'IY GIRDLES AND THE LIKE I? Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 5, 1965 Dec. 20, 1966 G. F. SQUILLARIO ETAL 3,292,392

CIRCULAR KNLTTING MACHINE FOR KNITTING SEAMLESS PANTY GIRDLES AND THE LIKE Filed June 5, 1963 L7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Dec. 20, 1966 G. F; SQUILLARIO ETAL 3,292,392

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR KNITTING SEAMLESS PANTY GIRDLES AND THE LIKE V 1.7 Sneets- Sheet 4 Filed June 5) 1963 1966 G. F. SQUILLARIO ETAL 3,292,392

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR KNITTING SEAMLESS PANTY GIRDLES AND THE'LIKE Filed June 5. 1963 i7 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOREJ. GEORGE F Saumuxmo and Ezvm RAY BR\bGEE ,cZCE55CZ MA m om urofis By w e mfimam Arrow/5K5 G. F. SQUILLARIO ETAL 3,

Dec. 20, 1966 CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR KNITTING SEAMLESS PANTY GIRDLES AND, THE LIKE Filed June 5, 1963 l7 Sheets-Sheet 6 BY 511; ATT /eA/Ew G. F. SQUILLARIO ETAL CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR KNITTING SEAMLE Dec. 20, 1966 PANTY GIRDLES AND THE LIKE Sheets-Sheet '7 Filed June 5, 1963 INVENTORS:

s a m m m m mm m m oa mcm c m 2m W A wmww Q 4 mmmm EY m M N G. LC 2mm @W W wm E Dec. 20, 1966 G. F. SQUILLARIO ETAL 3,292,392

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR KNITTING SEAMLESS PANTY GIRDLES AND THE LIKE Filed June 5. 1963 i7 iheets sheet 8 INvENToRst GEORGE E SQUILLARIO and I :f, Y I ERVI N RAY Bszmeas, iecezsed' .Z 9 E lg/H RLEY Biamaes ancl v M A 1966 G. F. SQUILLARIO ETAL 3,292,392

CIRCULAR'KNITTING MACHINE FOR KNITTING SEAMLESS PANTY GIHDLES AND THE LIKE Filed June 5. 1963 l7 Sheets-Sheet 9 1 mm 4 U mg a mmd 36$ W EET N mMM S v mmw :QWBBM Y R &3 mm ov A ERHM WM E 1966 G. F. SQUILLARIO ETAL 3,292,392

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR KNITTING SEAMLESS PANTY GIRDLES AND THE LIKE l7 Sheets- Sheet 10 Filed June 5. 1963 I INVENTORS:

d E 4% m @mw m o fu mfl m mam; I

BBm Y R mma mmm v A m H Gcmlwm E W ATTOR/VEHE Dec. 20, 1966 G. F. SQUILLARIO ETAL 3,292,392

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR KNlTTING SEAMLESS PANTY GIRDLBS AND THE LIKE Filed June 5. 1963 1! Sheets-Sheet 1! 1966 e. F. SQUILLARIO ETAL 3,292,392

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR KNITTING SEAMLESS PANTY GIRDLES AND THE LIKE Filed June 5, 1963 l? Sheets-Sheet 1:3

INVENTORS.

1966 G. F. SQUILLARXO ETAL 3,292,392

CIRCULAR KNITTXNG MACHINE FOR KNITTING SEAMLESS PANTY GIRDLES AND THL LIKE Filed June 5, 1963 i7 Sheets-Sheet 15 L' MK 7 I INVENTORSZ 30 GEORGE E SQU\LLAE\O and ERVI N RAY BRlbG Es, deceased Q HARLEY Blames an EM AC BRIbGEsgSimr EXECUTORS D 1966 G. F. SQUILLARIO ETAL 3,292,392

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR KNlTTING SEAMLHSS PANTY GIHDLES AND THE LIKE Filed June 5. 1963 L7 Sheets-Sheet 14 1966 G. F. SQUILLARlO ETAL 3,2

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR KNlTTING SEAMLESS PANTY GIRDIJES AND THE LIKE Filed June 5, 1963 7 i7 Sheets-$heet l6 \l w e W W9 W-7 W-5 W-5 \Al-l .1 .Z 9 INVENTORS? GEORGE F. S mLLAR 10 and ERWN RAY Samaria, deceased HARLEY BRxbGES and EMMA C. BmGEsJbmT EXECUTORS Dec. 20, 1966 G. F. SQUILLARIO IETAL 3,292,392

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR KNlTTING SEAMLEsS PANTY GIRDLES AND THE LIKE L7 Sheets- Sheet 17 Filed June 5 1963 United States Patent 3,292,392 CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR KNITTING SEAMLESS PANTY GIRDLES AND THE LIKE George F. Squillario, Valdese, N.C., and Ervin Ray Bridges, deceased, late of Connellys Springs, N.C., by Harley Bridges, executor, Palmetto, Ga., and Emma C. Bridges, executrix, Connellys Springs, N.C., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Pilot Research Corporation, Valdese, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed June 5, 1963, Ser. No. 285,841 Claims. (Cl. 66-48) The present invention relates to an improved circular knitting machine for knitting seamless panty girdles and the like. The present improved machine is particularly adapted for knitting panty girdles of the general type shown in U.S. Patent No. 2,962,884, and of the type shown in US. patent applications, Serial No. 55,302, filed September 12, 1960 and Serial No. 60,456, filed October 4, 1960. Generally, each of these seamless panty girdles includes a pair of seamless legs which are knit with totary motion of the needle cylinder and integrally formed widened and narrowed gussets which are knit with reciprocating motion of the needle cylinder and which are fashioned during knitting to provide the desired shape and proper fit to the garment.

In addition to being capable of forming the general type of seamless panty girdles disclosed in the abovenoted patent and applications, the improved machine of the present invention is also capable of forming improved variations and other types of seamless panty girdles.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a knitting machine of the type described which is provided with means to vary the type of stitch structure formed in selected portions of the garment and thereby vary the constrictive qualities of the fabric in these portions of the garment.

It is another object to provide a knitting machine of the type described which is provided with means for varying the fashioning of the gussets at the front and rear of the garment and thereby provide a better fit.

It is yet another object to provide a knitting machine of the type described which includes means for finishing the terminal ends of the legs of the garment by a turned welt.

In order to carry out the above-noted objects, as well as other objects, the present knitting machine is provided with means for alternately raising and lowering the stitch cams during reciprocatory knitting to prevent drawing the inactive low needles to stitch forming level during reciprocation of the needle cylinder and thereby reduce the drawing of the stitch loops carried thereby.

The machine is also provided with means for raising and maintaining selected inactive needles at a relatively high elevation to pass above the stitch cams while maintaining other selected needles in a lowermost inactive position to pass beneath the stitch cams during reciprocatory knitting.

A rotating pattern drum is provided at each side of the knitting station and each pattern drum is provided with cams which actuate suitable linkage in timed relation to movement of the needle cylinder for controlling the alternate raising and lowering of the stitch cams, for selectively rendering the narrowing picks inoperative during certain reciprocations of the needle cylinder for moving the widening pick to inoperative position for a portion of each reciprocation of the needle cylinder, and for alternately moving a pair of auxiliary needle raising cams positioned in advance of each of the stitch cams to operative position during corresponding opposite knitting strokes of the needle cylinder.

The machine is also provided with a radially movable Patented Dec. 20, 1966 stitch cam block and control means for at times positioning the stitch cams in an innermost position to engage the butts of all of the needles and for at other times positioning the stitch cams in an outermost position to engage the longer butt needles only while allowing the short butt needles to pass thereby without being actuated.

In order to selectively form plain and float stitches and to provide fabric portions of different types of knit stitches, the machine is also provided with selector jacks and corresponding selector fingers which are operated from the rotating pattern drums to selectively raise the needles to knit two yarns together and to knit one yarn and float the other yarn. A set of selector fingers is positioned in advance of and at each side of the knitting station and a jack raising cam is positioned directly beneath the knitting station to raise selected jacks and their corresponding needles so that the feeding of the yarns to the needles is controlled in both directions during reciprocatory knitting of the fashioned gussets as well as during the rotary knitting of the leg portions.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- H FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of the central portion of the knitting machine with the driving pulleys broken FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the right-hand side of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a rear elevation of the knitting machine with the driving pulleys and manually operable handle broken away;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 66 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 7 is a somewhat schematic illustration of a portion of the mechanism shown in the upper left-hand portion of FIGURE 5, illustrating the control lever and earns for operating the left-hand stitch cam;

FIGURE 8 is another somewhat schematic view of a portion of the upper right-hand portion of FIGURE 5, illustrating the control lever and cams for operating the right-hand stitch cam; 7

FIGURE 9 is a view similar to FIGURE 7 but showing the control lever and earns for operating the lefthand auxiliary needle raise cam;

FIGURE 10 is a view similar to FIGURE 8 but illustrating the control lever and cams for operating the righthand auxiliary needle raise cam;

FIGURE 11 is a view similar to FIGURES 7 and 9 but illustrating the control lever and mechanism for at times deactivating the left-hand narrowing pick;

FIGURES 12, 13 and 14 are somewhat schematic successive horizontal sectional views, from top to bottom, of the selector fingers carried by the left-hand selector block shown in the upper left-hand portion of FIGURE 6 and illustrating the manner in which each of these selector fingers is controlled;

FIGURES 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 are successive horizontal sectional views, from top to bottom, of the selector fingers carried by the right hand selector block shown in the upper right-hand portion of FIGURE 6 and illustrating the manner in which each of these selector fingers is controlled;

FIGURE 20 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation looking inwardly at the left-hand selector block and being taken substantially along the line 20-20 in FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 21 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation looking inwardly at the outside of the right-hand selector bloc and being taken substantially along the line 21-21 m FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 22 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 22-22 in FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 23 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 23-23 in FIGURE FIGURE 24 is an isometric view of the switch cam block' shown in the central portion of FIGURE 5 and illustrating the controls for operating the needle switch cams;

FIGURE 25 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 25-25 in FIGURE 11;

' FIGURE 26 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 26-26 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 27 is a diagrammatic illustration of the needle cylinder in plan view and showing one arrangement of the needles, according to their various lengths of butts for forming one type of girdle;

FIGURE 28 is a diagrammatic illustration of the needle cylinder and showing a second arrangement of the needles according to their butt lengths, for forming another type of girdle;

FIGURE 29 is a schematic view of the needle cylinder and illustrating the arrangement of the pattern jacks positioned beneath the needles; ,7

FIGURE 30 is a view of some ofthe auxiliary and vided with respective conventional high speed, slow speed and

idler pulleys

24a, 24b and 24c (FIGURES 5 and 6) and a manual crank handle (FIGURE 2) which may be rotated to impart manual rotation to the machine, when desired. The

pulleys

24a, 24b and 24c are adapted to be selectively engaged by an endless drive belt, not shown, which may be shifted from one to the other of the pulleys in a conventional manner.

A pinion 26 (FIGURE 2) is supported on the main drive shaft 22 and is driven by the drive pulleys to impart rotation to a gear 27. The gear 27 is fixed on one end of stub shaft 28 (FIGURE 2) which is rotatably supported in the frame 20 and has a :bull gear fixed on its inner end (FIGURES 1 and 4). The bull gear 30 is in driving engagement with a rotary drive pinion 31 (FIGURE 1) which is supported on the main drive shaft 22; and which imparts rotary motion to the main drive shaft when a clutch element 33 is shifted into driving engagement therewith, as shown in FIGURE 1.

The clutch element 33 is keyed to the main shaft 22 and is moved longitudinally by the clutch fork 34, the lower end of which is supported for longitudinal sliding movement on a shaft 35. The position of the clutch fork 34 is determined by earns 36 which are supported on a selector jacks, illustrating the arrangement of the operat- .girdle blank which may be knit on the-machine of the V 7 present invention;

FIGURE 33 is a rear view of the same garment; FIGURE 34 is a perspective view of the garment blank with the front panel cut along the gore or suture lines and raised to illustrate the inside of the garment blank; FIGURE 35 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary view of that portion of the lace or mesh knit fabric within the dotted rectangle indicated at 35 in FIGURE 34;

FIGURE 36 is a view looking at the reverse side of that portion of the fabric shown in FIGURE 35- FIGURE 37 is a somewhat schematic vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 37-37 in FIG- URE 34 and illustrating the manner in which the turned cuffs or hems are formed at the lower free ends of the legs of the garment; and p FIGURES 38, 39 and 40 aresimilar to FIGURES 32, 33 and 34 but illustrate a modified form of garment blank which may be knit on the machine of the" present invention. Although the present knitting machine: is particularly adapted for knittingsearnless panty girdles and the like, many of the parts are very similar to corresponding parts of a circular hoisery knitting machine of the type manufactured by'Scott and Williams, particularly the drive mechanism for imparting rotary and recip rocatory motion to the needle cylinder. A brief description of this drive mechanisrn'will be given and other details can be obtained from US. Patent No. 1,152,850, dated September '7, 1915, which shows a circular hosiery knitting machine having generally the same type of drive mechanism as 3.

is employed in the present knitting machine.

The knitting machine includes a frame 20 which sup ports the drive mechanism, to be presently described, and

'a lower bed plate 21 which is suitably secured to the upper edge of the frame 20. A main driveshaft 22 (FIGURES 1 and 2) is supported for rotation in the frame 20 and one end of the main drive shaft 22 is proclutch shipper drum 37 which is in turn rotatably supported on a main pattern shaft 40 (FIGURE 1). The main pattern shaft 40 is supported for rotation in the lower forward portion of the knitting machine frame 20. Rotational step-by-step movement is imparted to the clutch shipper drum 37 by a rack wheel 41 (FIG, URE- 1) which is racked in a conventional manner by theforward end of a racking pawl 42 (FIGURE 2) which is controlled by conventional pattern'lugs on the right-hand side of a pattern chain-43.

The pattern chain 43 is supported on a sprocket wheel 45 which is mounted fortrotation on the main pattern shaft 40. A chain racking wheel 46 (FIGURE 1)'is suitably connected to the sprocket wheel 45 and is adapted to be moved in a step-by-step manner by the forward end of a conventional racking pawl, 50 (FIGURE 3). The rear ends of the racking pawls 42 and 50 are suitably connected to off-set portions of a' quadrant gear 51. The quadrant gear 51'is supported for oscillation on a pattern drum support shaft 52 which is in turn supported in the frame 20 of the knitting machine. ;The

lower end of a drive link 53 is connected to the quadrant gear 51' and its upper end is suitably connected to the bull gear 30 in off-center relationship (FIGURE 4) so that rotation of the bull gear 30 causes the quadrant gear 51 to oscillate on the shaft 52.

As shown in FIGURE 3, the quadrant gear 5 1 drivingly engages a reciprocatory drive pinion 55 which is supported on the main drive shaft 22 and is adapted to at times be engaged by the clutch element 33 to impart re-,

ciprocatory motion to the main shaft 22. The inner end of the main shaft 22 (FIGURE '1) is provided with a 'wardly from the lower bed plate 21. A needle cylinder support tube 61 extends downwardly from the bed plate 21 and its lower end is conventionally supported in a support base 62 on which the frame 20 is supported and .to which the upper ends of the legs of the knitting ma-, chine are secured.

A main pattem drum drive gear 64 (FIGURES 1 and 26) is fixed to the inner end of the main pattern shaft 40 and drivingly engages an intermediate drive gear 65,

(FIGURE 26) which is suitably supported for rotation on a stub shaft 65a fixed at one end on the machine frame 20} The gear 65 drivingly engages a gear 66 which is fixed on one end of a main-pattern drum-70. The main pattern drum 70 is supported for rotation on the shaft 52 and controls various operations of the knitting machine, in a manner to be presently described.

The portion of the driving mechanism heretofore described is substantially the same as the driving mechanism of all Scott and Williams hosiery knitting machines and is adapted to impart rotary motion to the needle cylinder 60 when the clutch element 33 is shifted to the position shown in FIGURE 1. Reciprocatory motion may be imparted to the needle cylinder by shifting the clutch element 33 from the position shown in FIGURE 1 so that it moves out of engagement with the rotary pinion 31 and into engagement with the reciprocatory pinion 55. This shifting of the clutch element 33 is controlled by rotation of the shipper drum 37, which is conventionally controlled by the pattern chain 43.

The needle cylinder 60 extends upwardly rrom the lower bed plate '21 and through an upper bed plate 75 which is supported in spaced relation above the lower bed plate 21 by a plurality of support posts 76 (FIGURE '6) the lower ends of which are fixed in the \lower bed plate 21 and the upper ends of which are fixed in the upper bed plate 75. The lower bed plate 21 supports suitable jack selector mechanisms 'and the upper bed plate 75 supports various needle actuating cams, to be presently described.

The upper end of the needle cylinder 60 is provided with a sinker bed 79 (FIGURE 1) which supports conventional sinkers for radial movement between the needles in the needle cylinder in a conventional manner. A sinker cap 80 is supported on the sinker bed 79" in a conventional manner and contains suitable cams which move the sinkers radially in the sinker bed 79.

The rear portion of the upper bed plate 75 supports the lower end of a latch ring support post 82 (FIGURE 4), the upper end of which pivotally supports the rear portion of a latch ring 88. The forward end of the latch ring 88 is normally held in latch position as shown in FIGURES l, 2 and 3, against the upper end of a widening pick or hunter post 90, the lower end of which is suitably secured to the upper bed plate 75. The widening pick and the manner in which it is supported in the post 90 will be presently described.

The latch ring 88 is provided with a yarn feeding throat opening 92 (FIGURE 31) into which yarn feeding fingers 93 are moved between active and inactive positions by suitable thrust rods 94 (FIGURE 3), the lower ends of which normally engage the periphery of the pattern drum 70 and the upper ends of which engage the yarn feed fingers 93, forwardly of their pivot points. Any desired number of yarn feeding fingers 93 may be positioned in the throat opening 92 of the latch ring 8 8 and in the present instance two fingers, indicated at 93a and 93b in FIGURE 31, are shown.

As best shown in the right-hand portion of FIGURE 31, each slot of the needle cylinder 60 contains a. selector jack I, an auxiliary jack A and a latch needle N, each of which are supported for longitudinal or vertical movement in the slots of the needle cylinder 60. The jacks I are disposed in the general area of the needle cylinder 60 between the lower bed plate 21 and the upper bed plate 75 and have outwardly extending operating butts 110 on their lower ends which at times pass beneath and at other times pass above a selector jack raise earn 111 (FIGURE 31). The jack raise cam 111 (FIGURE 6) is suitably supported on the lower bed plate 21 and adjacent the needle cylinder 60.

A pair of selector fingersupport blocks 115, 116 (FIG- URE 6) are suitably secured to the upper surface of the lower bed plate 21 and slidably support a plurality of jack selector fingers for radial movement toward and away from the needle cylinder '60. In the present instance, the selector block 115 slidably supports five selector fingers indicated at 120a, 120b, 1200, 120d and 120g (FIGURES 21 and 31). The selector block 116 slidably supports three selector fingers 121e, 1211 and 121g (FIGURES 20 and 31), however, it is to be understood that additional selector fingers may be used in either of the blocks or 116. As best shown in FIGURE 30, the jacks I have a series of selector butts, a through g, certain of which are broken off in a predetermined arrangement, corresponding with the selector fingers and their operation. The particular arrangement of jacks shown in FIGURE 30 will be later described in connection with the knitting of a particular garment.

As shown in FIGURE 21, the outer end of each of the selector fingers has a control arm 122 extending laterally therefrom and .all of the selector fingers 120 are normally urged inwardly toward the needle cylinder 60 by tension springs 123. The outer ends of the tension springs 123 are connected to the control arms 122 and their inner ends are suitably connected to a spring perch on one side of the support block 115 (FIGURES l519).

The selector slide block 116 is fixed on the lower bed plate 21 (FIGURE 6) and the selector fingers 121 are mounted for radial sliding movement therein. The outer end of each of the selector fingers 121 has a control arm 124 (FIGURE 20) extending laterally therefrom and all of the selector fingers 121 are normally urged inwardly toward the needle cylinder 60 by tension springs 125. The outer ends of the tension springs 125 are connected to the control arms 124 and their inner ends are suitably connected to a spring perch on one side of the support block 116 (FIGURES 12-14).

Referring particularly to FIGURES 12 through 21, it will be noted that the radial inward and outward movement of some of the selector fingers 120 and 121 are controlled from suitable cams on a pair of rotating pattern drums or wheels, to be later described, and at other times the radial movement of the selector fingers is controlled by Bowden wires which are operated from levers on the main pattern drum 70, in a manner to be now described. As shown in FIGURE 21, five selector levers 126 are pivotally supported in horizontal spaced relationship on a pivot post 127, the lower end of which is suitably secured in the lower bed plate 21. These selector levers 126 are spaced horizontally so that their ends engage the transversely extending control arms 122 of the

respective selector fingers

120a, 120b, 1200, 120d and 120g.

As shown in FIGURE 15, the selector lever 126 which corresponds with the uppermost selector finger 120g, is adapted to at times be engaged by cams 130g fixed on the right-hand pattern wheel. These 'cams 130g are adapted to withdraw the selector finger 120g in timed relation to movement of the needle cylinder and during reciprocatory knitting, for purposes to be later described. However, as shown in FIGURE 15, the selector finger 120g is being held in its outer-most inoperative position by a Bowden wire 131, one end of which is suitably secured to the outermost end of the selector finger 120g. The Bowden wire 131 extends around to the rear of the machine (FIG- URE 4) and its other end is suitably connected to the rearmost end of a control lever 132. I

The control lever 132 is pivotally supported intermediate its ends on a shaft 133, one end of which is supported in the upper end of a support member 134, the lower end of which is suitably secured to the base 62 of the machine. The opposite end of the shaft 133 is enlarged and is suitably supported in the frame 20 of the machine. The forward end of the control lever 132 engages a cam 135 on the main pattern drum 70 to hold the selector finger 120g in operative position except for a short period of time during reciprocatory knitting, for purposes to be later described.

An upstanding post 136 (FIGURE 21) is suitably secured at its lower end in the lower bed plate 21 and oscillatably supports a control sleeve 137 thereon. The control sleeve 137 has an outwardly extending cam portion 137a positioned intermediate its ends and, as is clearly shown in FIGURE 21, the cam portion 137a, is of suflicient length to engage a medial portion of each of the three selector levers 126 which operate the cor-

Claims

1. A CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOIR KNITTING ARTICLES HAVING A PLURALITY OF FASHIONED AND RECIPROCATORILY KNIT INTERCONNECTED GUSSETS, SAID KNITTING MACHINE COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OF A NEEDLE CYLINDER HAVING A SERIES OF A INDEPENDENT NEEDLES SUPPORTED FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT IN THE CYLINDER AND EACH HAVING AN OPERATING BUTT THEREON, ONE CONTIGUOUS GROUP OF SAID NEEDLES HAVING SHORTER BUTTS THAN THE REMAINING LONGER BUTT NEEDLES, DRIVE MEANS FOR IMPARTING ALTERNATING FORWARD AND REVERSE MOVEMENTS TO SAID NEEDLE CYLINDER, A KNITTING STATION SUPPORTED ADJACENT SAID NEEDLE CYLINDER AND INCLUDING A TOP CENTER CAM, A FORWARD STITCH CAM POSITIONED AT ONE SIDE OF SAID CENTER CAM AND A REVERSE STITCH CAM POSITIONED AT THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID CENTER CAM, AND MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID STITCH CAMS FOR VERTICALLY POSITIONING SAID FORWARD STITCH CAM IN STITCH DRAWING POSITION WITH SAID LONGER BUTT NEEDLES FOR ONLY A SELECTED PORTION OF EACH OF SAID FORWARD MOTIONS OF SAID NEEDLE CYLINDER AND FOR VERTICALLY POSITIONING SAID REVERSE STITCH CAM IN STITCH DRAWING POSITION WITH SAID LONGER BUTT NEEDLES FOR ONLY A SELECTED PORTION OF EACH OF SAID REVERSE MOTIONS OF SAID NEEDLE CYLINDER.