Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing a circular knit, high pile fabric is based on knitting a base fabric with two yarns per course. Long butt needles alternate with short butt needles around the needle circle. First and second yarns are provided at each feed. Sliver is fed to all needles at each of several feeds. At a first feed, long butt needles knit the first yarn in alternate wales with such first yarn being floated in intervening wales whereas at the same first feed short butt needles knit the second yarn in intervening wales with such second yarn being floated in alternate wales. At the next or at the first of the next pair of feeds long butt needles knit the second yarn in alternate wales with such second yarn being floated in intervening wales whereas short butt needles at the same feed knit the first yarn in intervening wales with such first yarn being floated in intervening wales. The sliver fibers are caught at each stitch intersection.

Abstract: A nonflammable sliver knit high pile fabric. The backing fabric is knitted from a flame retardant aramind spun yarn, the pile fibers are composed of a mixture of flame retardant rayon fibers and superwashed wool fibers and the back coating is constituted of a flame retardant composition. The fabric not only is flameproof, but it does not react to a flame by melting. It has good thermal insulation properties and is stable against shrinkage. The fabric is especially useful in the manufacture of wearing apparel intended for use in extreme environments, such as fire fighting and cold weather military operations.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for feeding a plurality of separate slivers at a single sliver feeding station to the needles of a multi-feed high pile fabric knitting machine. The apparatus includes two or more separate assemblies of feed rolls for delivering sliver to the main cylinder of a sliver feeding device. Each assembly is provided with a separate timing control device for activating the feed rolls during selected time intervals to deliver sliver to the main cylinder to produce patterned high pile fabric. The timing control devices are operable to vary selectively the time intervals, both as to their duration and to the points in time when sliver delivery commences and ceases. The invention also contemplates a method of feeding a plurality of separate slivers at a single sliver feeding station to produce patterned knitted high pile fabrics having variable course-wise and wale-wise extending designs.