Abstract: An apparatus for detecting broken hooks of needles in a knitting machine having first and second cam faces defining a cam for slidably receiving needle butts. The cam includes a raising cam portion, a stitch cam portion, and a welt cam portion in which tension forces between yarn loops and hooks bias the butts of intact needles against the first cam face. The detector has a detector butt raising segment wherein the second cam face in the welt cam portion is inclined away from the second cam face at the stitch position for urging butts toward the first cam face. A detector butt lowering segment follows the detector butt raising segment, in which the first cam face urges the butts toward the second cam face. A recess segment follows the butt lowering segment.

Abstract: A readily replaceable restricting member is within an annular receiving channel that is defined by a cylindrical portion of a circular knitting machine, and the restricting member is operative to restrict at least upward or downward movement of the sinkers of the circular knitting machine. The sinkers are operative for reciprocating radially relative to the cylindrical portion and the restricting member such that sliding contact is defined between the sinkers and the biased restricting member. In accordance with several of the embodiments of the present invention, each of the sinkers comprises an upper nib and a lower nib, a radially extending slot is defined between the upper nib and the lower nib, and the slot is open at the leading edge of the sinker.

Abstract: A yarn carrier designed to minimize needle wear yet which is relatively easy to thread is described. The yarn carrier includes a yarn guide having an aperture for receiving a yarn and directing it to the needles of a knitting machine, and a flexible, nonmetallic guard plate secured to the guide such that at least a portion of the guard plate overlies at least a portion of the aperture in the guide plate, to reduce the tendency for the hooks of the knitting needles to enter the aperture. The guard plate is desirably made from a polymeric material such as polyurethane, and preferably has a Shore A hardness of about 50-70. The guard plate is desirably deformable so that an operator can readily bend it outwardly from the yarn guide while threading a yarn through the yarn guide aperture, yet when the bending force is released, the guard plate readily resumes its initial undeformed configuration.

Abstract: A multi-layer weft knit fabric for absorbing moisture and wicking it from a first fabric layer to a second layer is described, as well as a method for making the fabric. The multi-layer fabric includes a first hydrophobic layer and a second hydrophilic layer, with the layers being secured together by a series of courses forming spacer yarns which maintain the fabric layers in a spaced relationship relative to each other. The spacer yarns are adapted to wick moisture from the hydrophobic layer to the hydrophilic layer. The spacer yarns are preferably knit-in or laid-in to the respective knit fabric layers, and a plastic water-resistant layer can be secured proximate the hydrophilic fabric layer. A method of integrally knitting the multi-layer fabric on a circular knitting machine is also described.

Abstract: Two or more pile yarns of different colors selectively form single or multiple wale pile loops in each body or ground yarn course of the fabric. First and second pile yarn loop forming elements, in the form of dial hook elements, are supported in the dial and are selectively moved outwardly to pick up the pile yarns fed thereto at successive yarn feeding stations while the cylinder needles are selectively raised at the successive yarn feeding stations to catch the pile yarn as the dial hook elements are withdrawn inwardly into the dial. The selective outward and inward movement of the first and second dial hook elements makes it possible to send one dial hook element outwardly and bring back a pile yarn to be engaged in the hooks of both the first and second dial hook elements. Ground or body yarn is fed to the needles and the needles form stitch loops to form a course of fabric with the pile loops of the first and second pile yarns incorporated in the stitch loops of the ground yarn.

Abstract: A body yarn forms plain jersey stitch loops in every needle wale of successive courses of the fabric. Alternating single courses include pile yarn inlaid in alternating single wales of the plain jersey stitch loops of body yarn while pile loops extend inwardly and across intervening single wales of the plain jersey stitch loops of the body yarn. Intervening single courses include pile yarn inlaid in intervening single wales of the plain jersey stitch loops of body yarn while pile loops extend inwardly and across alternating single wales of the plain jersey stitch loops of body yarn. The fabric is knit on a circular multifeed knitting machine with a pair of successive courses being knit as cylinder needles and dial hook elements pass through each successive series of three yarn feeding and knitting stations.

Abstract: The needle latch cushioning member is formed of resilient material and includes an elongate body portion with a free end portion. The elongate body portion is supported in a groove on a yarn feed finger so that the free end portion is positioned to be engaged by and interrupt the swinging movement of the latches of the needles to the closed position as the needles are lowered to stitch loop forming position. The engagement of the latches of the needles with the free end portion of the resilient cushioning member serves to reduce the impact force of the latches against the hooks of the needles and thereby increases the wear life of the needles, without interfering with the feeding of the yarn into the hooks of the needles. When properly positioned, the free end of the resilient cushioning member can be used to guide the yarn into the hooks of the needles.

Abstract: The safety gate extends between and normally encloses the entire space between adjacent legs of a circular knitting machine to prevent the operator from being injured by a knit fabric take up roll mechanism which rotates beneath the needle cylinder and extends downwardly between the vertical support legs. The safety gate includes individual safety gate elements which are divided into upper and lower sections with the upper section being supported on the lower section for vertical movement between a raised closed position and a lowered open position. At least one of the gate element is hingedly connected on one side to one of the vertical support legs to permit the safety gate element to swing horizontally between closed and open positions between the vertical legs for permitting removal of the fabric take up roll.

Abstract: A composite garment blank is knit to provide first and second individual panty garment blanks having portions in intermating relationship. The panty portions of the individual panty blanks are positioned on opposite end portions of the composite garment blank and include corresponding fashioned front and rear sections which extend inwardly of the composite panty garment blank and are offset in 90 degree relationship to each other so that the inwardly extending fashioned front and rear sections of one individual panty blank intermate or nest with and are spaced apart by unknit areas between the fashioned front and rear sections of the other panty garment blank. This intermating arrangement of the inwardly extending portions of the individual panty blanks permits the simultaneous knitting of the inwardly extending portions of one panty blank with and while not knitting between the inwardly extending portions of the other panty blank.