Circularly knit brassiere having knit-in-lift and support panels, and a blank and method for making same

摘要

This invention discloses a circularly knit brassiere having integrally knit-in support panels and cup fullness. The brassiere is knit on a circular knitting machine, and the support panels have a modified knit structure to provide them with a greater resistance to stretching, particularly in the coursewise direction. The support panels are separated by differentially-shaped breast cups, which can be formed by way of the feeding-in of an additional yarn or yarns to form additional courses in the cup area, or through the provision of a gathered center panel. The entire brassiere is produced in the form of a tubular blank, and portions are cut and removed to define shoulder straps and a neck opening. The straps are seamed together to form a completed brassiere having only a minimal number of seams, and banding or the like may be provided on the arm and neck openings.