Abstract: The thread feeding apparatus for double needle bed knitting machine to form tubular fabric comprises at least two thread-guides for the same number of thread feed systems for the same fabric, said thread-guides are displaced the one relative to the other upon the passage between one needle bed and the other and upon the reversal of the knitting direction, in order to maintain the same precedence order of the thread-guides in respect to the instantaneous direction of motion. In order to ensure the unwinding of the yarns with no crossing thereof, said yarns are unwound from bobbins of yarn which are co-axially disposed in a row, holes or other equivalent thread guiding means being provided, which guiding means rotate preferably with a continuous motion.

Abstract: Several pairs of tubular articles are formed on two circular fixed fronts of needles using threads reciprocating transfer mechanism. The articles are alternatively formed by the two fronts by using sets of needles whose number may also vary. By using adjacent sets of needles, the two tubular, leg-shaped articles of each pair are successively formed to make up a body, that is, the panties portion for a pantyhose garment.