Abstract: A fitting room (11) as a dressing room is adapted to have its entrance (12) opened and closed by drawing a curtain (14). The curtain is suspended from the tip ends of beam members of a curtain suspension apparatus (15) mounted on a ceiling plate (17). When closing the entrance (12), the curtain suspension apparatus (15) can deploy the curtain (14) in such a manner as to spread it outwardly relative to the fitting room (11) with respect to the entrance (12). The interior space closed with the curtain (14) can thus be enlarged when the curtain (14) is closed to use the fitting room (11). When the curtain (14) is opened, the space that was occupied by the curtain (14) when it was closed can be used for other purposes.

Abstract: When a customer (18) tries on an apparel product (11) in a fitting room (12), an image capturing apparatus (15) shoots an image of the customer (18) wearing the apparel product (11), and the image can be stored and processed by a processing apparatus (16) and be displayed for comparison on a display apparatus (17). The image shooting in the fitting room (12) can be carried out in a prescribed image shooting environment and in a stable illumination condition provided by an illumination apparatus (16), with a curtain (13) closed and the closed curtain (13) as the background. Since the curtain (13) spreads forward, the space usable as the fitting room (12) can be enlarged when in use. By applying image processing using the processing apparatus (16), an image of the customer (18) wearing an apparel product of a different color, for example, can be generated and displayed, without the customer (18) having to actually try it on.

Abstract: A fitting room (11) as a dressing room is adapted to have its entrance (12) opened and closed by drawing a curtain (14). The curtain is suspended from the tip ends of beam members of a curtain suspension apparatus (15) mounted on a ceiling plate (17). When closing the entrance (12), the curtain suspension apparatus (15) can deploy the curtain (14) in such a manner as to spread it outwardly relative to the fitting room (11) with respect to the entrance (12). The interior space closed with the curtain (14) can thus be enlarged when the curtain (14) is closed to use the fitting room (11). When the curtain (14) is opened, the space that was occupied by the curtain (14) when it was closed can be used for other purposes.

Abstract: A compound needle which includes a needle body 3 having a needle hook 15 at a front end thereof and a slider 5 having tongues 31a, 31b formed by overlapping two blades 11a and 11b with each other and is so structured that the needle body 3 and the slider 5 are individually movable back and forth in the state in which the blades 11a and 11b of the slider 5 are supported in a blade groove 17 formed in the needle body 3, wherein a partition wall 41 having thickness smaller than that of the needle hook 15 of the needle body 3 is formed in the blade groove 17 and the blades 11a and 11b of the slider 5 are accommodated in the blade groove 17 to sandwich the partition wall 41 therebetween, to thereby provide a reduced sliding resistance and a reduced degree of stretch of the blades when the blades are advanced beyond the needle hook.

Abstract: A knitting method that can permit the forming of a connecting part of the knitting fabric overlapped in front and back, such as a pleat or fly, even when the knitting fabric is knitted in a double jersey stitch structure.

Abstract: A flat knitting machine is provided with a guiding mechanism to engage the first butt of the slider of a needle for split knit and a split knit cam provided in the slider cam lock. When the first butt of the slider and the split knit cam is in engagement with each other, the needle proper is cleared. With this arrangement, the slider does not move inadvertently, and the second butt of the slider is reliably guided to the split knit bypass groove, and split knit is completed by the subsequent cam lock.

Abstract: Grooves for receiving a movable loop forming plate are made in both front and back needle beds at the top ends thereof on the trick gap side, and movable loop forming plates are mounted in the grooves. A loop forming edge is provided at the top end of each movable loop forming plate, and the plate is energized by a spring in a direction that the plate moves away from the trick gap, and the plate is made to move forward or backward by a movable loop forming plate control means, around a fulcrum that is provided on the needle bed in the bottom of the trick gap.

Abstract: A stitch loop holding apparatus for a flat knitting machine using compound needles wherein in addition to needle operation means for knitting stitch loops, in order to hold a knitted stitch loop to the tongue of a slider of another needle without forming a double stitch, needle body and slider operating holding cams for advancing the hook and the tongue of the needle into a stitch loop to be held and holding the stitch loop at the tongue of the slider and a slider butt path for holding the tongue at an advanced position so that the held loop may not escape from the tongue, are provided on a carriage.

Abstract: A yarn feeding system of a flat knitting machine having needle beds. Each needle bed having a plurality of needles. A plurality of yarn carrier rails extend in parallel to the needle beds in a longitudinal direction of the needle beds. A cam carriage reciprocates over the needle beds while yarn carriers caught/released by a yarn carrier catcher mounted on the cam carriage travels on a yarn carrier rail to feed yarn to the needles of the needle beds. The yarn feeding system has shifting members that extend along and in the longitudinal direction of the yarm carrier rails. A shifter reciprocally shifts the shifting members in the longitudinal direction of the yarn carriers. An engager engages the yarn carriers to the shifting members such that the yarn carriers are disengaged and released from the shifting members when catching and carrying is affected by the catcher.

Abstract: Compound needles, each comprising a needle proper having a hook at the top end thereof and a slider including two thin plates put together are arranged in a pair of needle beds, and the needle proper and the slider of each compound needle can be moved forward and backward independently of each other. The needle proper of the compound needle of the first bed is moved forward into the trick gap. Then the slider is removed forward further to move the stitch loop from the hood of the needle proper onto the tongue of the slider. Both the hook and tongue of the compound needle of the second bed are inserted into the stitch loop being kept on the tongue of the slider of the first bed. Then the slider of the compound needle of the first bed is moved backward to deliver the stitch loop onto the tongue of the slider of the second bed.

Abstract: Plural carrier rails are arranged radially relative to a trick gap, and yarn carriers are made to run on the rails. In the yarn carrier, a feeder rod is mounted on a yarn rod guide so that the the rod can slide up and down. The feeder rod is pushed up by a spring coil, and the feeder rod is pushed down by a catching member toward the trick gap.

Abstract: When a new yarn is received by a hook to form a new stitch loop, to prevent old stitch loops from going beyond the top end of the slider and being knocked over, the advanced position of the slider into the trick gap is maintained, and the new stitch loops are pulled into the old stitch loops. Next, the hook of a compound needle of the opposing needle bed is inserted into the old stitch loop, and said slider is lowered and retracted, and at the same time, the old stitch loops are transferred onto the hooks of the opposing needle bed to make split knit.

Abstract: An apparatus for guiding yarn into a hook or to a predetermined position of a rear face of a needle of a flat knitting machine, and for guiding the yarn without making large horizontal advancing and retracting movements of a yarn guiding member of the yarn guiding apparatus. The apparatus guides the yarn, when a yarn pushing down operating edge at an end of the yarn guide member is engaged with and pushes down the yarn so that the yarn is slidably moved, without applying a high resistance to the yarn and parallel needles and sinkers, on at least one pair of needle beds having head portions opposed to each other with respect to the center of knock-over edge portions. Yarn holding members, each having a yarn pushing down edge operating at an end thereof, are supported for sliding movement toward the knock-over edge portion, with means for moving each of the yarn pushing down operating edges downward during or after sliding advancement of the yarn holding member.

Abstract: A compound needle, of which slider and needle body can be moved forward and backward independently of each other, is guided by a cam lock into four routes, knit, tuck, transfer and receiving. As for the slider, the knit route is branched from the tuck route, and branching from the tuck route to the transfer route is made by a movable cam at the center of the cam lock. As for the needle body, the knit route is branched from the tuck route to reach the knit level then joining the tuck route. The transfer route is branched from the knit route and the needle body is retracted to a point between the tuck level and an inactive position, and the receiving route advances the needle body from the center of the cam lock to the tuck level.

Abstract: A needle proper is formed to have a hook at the tip, a slider groove formation part, a needle proper center that follows the slider groove formation part, and a rear that allows a control butt to sink into the needle groove. A slider comprises a first slider and a second slider. The first slider is formed by overlapping two thin plates, and tongues are formed on the tips of these plates, and the rear parts of the plates are exposed in the needle proper center, and these exposed portions are coupled with an under arm of the second slider. The second slider is formed to have a head that contacts the upper edge of the slider groove formation part to support the slider, a rear part that allows a control butt, that is protrusively formed on a part extending backward beyond the needle proper center, to sink into the needle groove, and an under arm in the middle for coupling the first slider.

Abstract: Stitch loops are securely pressed down and retained. The pressing and retaining position of the loop presser is properly adjusted according to the tension in the stitch loops. The loop presser 460 of a flat knitting machine is stored in a groove 445 of an auxiliary bed, and the loop retainer 462 is energized downward by an arm 465 and a cam 422. The loop retainer is swung downward by the cam 422 when it is advanced, and the retainer is swung back to the initial position when it is retracted. The top end of the loop retainer 462 is made to move forward to and over the opposing needle bed.

Abstract: Knitting fabric take-down devices, located in front and back of and facing each other across a knitting fabric passageway formed under a needle bed gap between at least a pair of front and back needle beds of a flat knitting machine, for taking down a knitting fabric. Each of the knitting fabric take-down device includes a front knitting fabric take-down mechanism for capturing only a front part of the knitting fabric in the knitting fabric passageway and taking it down; a back knitting fabric take-down mechanism for capturing only a back part of the knitting fabric and taking it down; and a take-down force adjusting mechanism for adjusting a take-down force of each of the knitting fabric take-down mechanism.

Abstract: A raw yarn 4 is dyed to a desired color by an ink jet dyeing machine 6, knitted to have a desired texture by a lily yarn machine 10, and fed into a flat knitting machine 20. The height of the needle tips of the lily yarn machine 10 can be changed so that the texture of lily yarn can be modified.

Abstract: An apparel system includes a lily yarn machine for knitting lily yarns, and a flat knitting machine having at least two needle beds for knitting according to knitting data. A controller is connected to the lily yarn machine and the flat knitting machine for controlling the lily yarn machine to produce a lily yarn in a quantity which is required by the flat knitting machine according to the knitting data for the flat knitting machine.

Abstract: A pair of needle beds are provided with head portions thereof opposed to each other and a plurality of sinkers are provided in a juxtaposed relationship at the top portions of the needle beds, and first and second needles each having a transfer element are provided for sliding movement between each adjacent ones of the sinkers. The first and second needles are either provided alternately in a spaced relationship by an equal distance from each other throughout each needle bed or individually provided in an equally spaced relationship from each other but such that the distance between the first and second needles positioned on the opposite sides of each of the sinker plates is different from the other distance.