Knitting process and machine

摘要

A knitting technique in which opposed needles reciprocate towards and past one another in a time-varying motion which is at least principally lengthwise of the needle. One needle approaches and picks up a yarn-end from another needle and forms a loop in the yarn and over the one needle while the other needle withdraws. The other needle then approaches in its turn to pick up a yarn-end and form a further loop while the one needle sheds its loop on to the yarn-end now picked up to form the further loop, the cycle continuing to produce a seam of linked loops. Shogging action by needles and/or associated yarn-control elements produces seam interaction to link seams weft-wise as a knitted fabric. More complex interaction produces patterned fabrics and other knits where yarns link across several wales. An apparatus to carry out the technique includes a needle motion drive using linkages to produce a durable and precise drive action.