Hosiery-type garments and method of making
A fashionable machine-knitted garment of a hosiery-type material for the upper body having at least arm portions, shoulder portions, an upper chest portion, an upper back portion, is seamless in at least the shoulder portions, if not also in the arms and/or an upper bodice including the upper chest and upper back portions. The garment is constructed in a manner to provide an inconspicuous appearance when worn while providing comfortable support to at least the arms of the user and also the shoulders and the upper bodice. As such, the garment is well suited to be worn under sleeveless clothing or even strapless clothing, to provide the appearance or perception of smooth, blemish-free and taut skin in the exposed areas of the upper body. Methods of making the garment include circular, warp and/or flat knitting forming a single open-ended tube, separate open-ended tubes having portions that are joined, a branched open-ended tube and a flat pattern configured to be folded in half and joined along selected edges.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/507,162, filed Sep. 29, 2003.
FIELD OF INVENTIONThe present invention relates to knitwear or hosiery, in particular, machine-made knitwear or hosiery garments that are nearly or completely seamless.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTIONStockings and hosiery have long been used to improved the appearance of women's lower body, especially the legs and feet. Depending on the color, shade and sheerness of the hosiery material, the appearance of the skin and muscle tone of these body parts can be significantly improved in terms of smoothing out blemishes or discoloration and providing a tautness that may otherwise be lacking in the skin or underlying muscle. Indeed, with modern “super sheer” hosiery, using relatively fine weights or denier thread, such hosiery when donned can have a nearly invisible appearance except upon close inspection. Typically in producing sheer hosiery, the lower the denier of the yarn, the lesser the opacity of the hosiery.
A major advancement in knitting, particularly in rendering conventional stockings and hosiery more comfortable and less conspicuous, was and continues to be the use of circular knitting machines. Although these machines, which were developed in the mid-19th century, were a great improvement over flat knitting machines, which were limited to producing flat fabric as opposed to knitted tubes, it was the introduction of nylon in the 1940's which revolutionized the hosiery industry. Nylon, a man-made polyamide yarn with origins in the petro chemical industry, provided thermoplastic properties that enabled knitted tubes to be heat treated and permanently formed and shaped. Moreover, it was discovered that nylon and other similar synthetic yarn can be “crimped” to form stretch yarn which enable the hosiery to form fit the various contours of the body. Nylon and many synthetic yarns have a natural luster but they can be delustered as desired or needed to produce a duller appearance.
However, even with the advent of seamless stockings or hosiery (“seamless” being used more as a term of art than in the literal sense since these stockings and hosiery are not always entirely without seams), some women still prefer the full-fashioned variation which are knitted flat, then fashioned or shaped, and hand or machine seamed. Accordingly, flat knitting machines are still in use and methods to render the sewn seam less visible have been developed, using different stitching methods and/or new and improved threads.
In addition to the aforementioned weft knitting techniques which generally use one continuous yarn to form rows of loops across a flat sheet or tube, warp knitting which was developed some 200 years ago uses parallel feeds of yarn that are generally knitted simultaneously into parallel rows of loops that are interlocked in a zig zag pattern. Therefore, instead of the yarn running horizontally from side to side in the case of flat knitting, or around and around in the case of circular knitting, the yarns form vertical loop in one row and then move diagonally to the next row in forming the next row. Each stitch in a row (also called a course) is made by a different yarn.
Because warp knitting machines tend to work better with yarn of uniform thickness and strength, synthetic fibers such as nylon and polyester work well with warp knitting machines. Warp knit fabric can be produced on tricot, raschel and weft-insertion machines. There are also simplex and milanese machines, although these are now more or less outdated.
Jacquard knitting is also known and can be of a weft-type or a warp-type. In either case, a Jacquard type attachment is used to provide versatility in designs and patterns.
It is also known that conventional hosiery and stocking use a variety of yarns of natural or man-made constituents, such as silk or nylon. Elastane fibers are popular, including Lycra® which can stretch up to five times its original length and recover completely. By controlling the tension of Lycra in the knitting, the strength of its elasticity can be selected. It is also possible to mix Lycra and nylon, and/or apply the yarn as a “core yarn” covered with a single outer wrapping, or multiple inner and outer wrappings. Covering increases the thickness of the yarn and consequently its handling characteristics. Other conventional hosiery yarns include Dorlastan and Lastex and a variation of combinations of these yarns with the aforementioned yarns may be used, for example, 82-90% Polyamid-Micro with 18-10% Elastan, or 90% Polyamide with 10% Dorlastan.
As fashion trends move toward greater exposure of the body, there is a need for a machine-knitted garment to provide the same benefits and advantages to the upper body that have been so long afforded to the lower body. Sleeveless garments or strapless garments that expose the arms, if not also the upper chest and upper back, can leave one feeling less than comfortable or confident about her body, especially when these exposed regions lack muscle tone. For women who have blemishes or discoloration, or anyone who desires more tautness in these areas, it is difficult to resolve these concerns while remaining fashionable. For these women, it is desirable to have a means by which they can wear sleeveless or strapless garments with confidence and comfort and that they be able to provide the perception of smooth and flawless skin in the arms and upper body regions.
Thus, unlike women's ice-skating suits or the more fashionable sheer tops that have become popular in recent years, an inconspicuous hosiery garment for supporting the arms, and any other exposed areas such as the shoulders, upper chest and upper back is needed. The garment should ideally be seamless at least in the shoulder area, if not also in the arms in their entirety, and the upper chest and back areas. Moreover, the garment should primarily be an undergarment worn under sleeveless or strapless clothing, to provide an appearance or perception of a smooth and taut upper body.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is directed to a fashionable hosiery-type machine-knitted garment for the upper body having at least arm portions, shoulder portions, an upper chest portion, an upper back portion, wherein at least the shoulder portions are seamless, if not the garment in its entirety. The garment is constructed in a manner to provide an inconspicuous appearance when worn while providing comfortable support to at least the arms of the user and also the shoulders and upper bodice, such as the upper chest and upper back. As such, the garment is well suited to be worn under sleeveless clothing or even strapless clothing, to provide the appearance or perception of smooth, blemish-free and taut skin in the exposed areas of the upper body.
In one embodiment, the garment in its entirely is free from any seams and can be made using a circular knitting machine or a warp knitting machine that produces a tube with a changing diameter along its length or a tube having a branched configuration.
In a second embodiment, the garment has a generally vertical seam down the chest and back leaving the shoulder and the arm regions entirely free from any seams. The garment of this embodiment can be produced by a circular knitting machine or a warp knitting machine that produces two comparable tubes which are joined along a portion of their longitudinal axis.
In a third embodiment, the garment has a single seam extending laterally across the chest and the back, which also leaves the shoulder and the arm regions entirely free from seams. The garment of this embodiment can be manufactured using a circular knitting machine or a warp knitting machine that produces a tube with a greater diameter and a tube with a lesser diameter, where the tubes are joined 90 degrees offset from each other to form the garment.
In a fourth embodiment embodiment, the garment has a seam extending along and under each arm and the respective side of the torso, which can be formed from a flat-knitted generally “cross-shaped” fabric that is folded in half and joined along selected edges.
In all embodiments of the invention, the garment is advantageously free from any seams in at least the shoulder and outer arm regions, these being possibly the exposed and visible areas of the upper body that most readily lose their youthful appearance and muscle tone.
The present invention is also directed to methods for making a garment using circular knitting, flat knitting and/or warp knitting machines. A completely seamless garment may be constructed using circular or warp knitting of a single tube, which can begin with a knitting of a tube for a sleeve, an expansion of the tube using a looser knit to form a bodice portion, and a return to the tighter knit to form an opposing sleeve. Incisions are made in opposing areas of the bodice portion to form the neck and waist openings and then the entire garment is formed, shaped and heat treated into a conforming configuration for the upper body.
Another method to produce a garment which also uses circular or warp knitting can begin with knitting a larger tube for a bodice and then branching into the tube into two smaller tubes for a pair of sleeves. The circular or warp knitting can also begin with a knitting of the two tubes for the pair of sleeves and then merging the two tubes into one tube for the bodice. A neck opening is made along a junction between the two smaller tubes.
Yet another method to produce a garment using a circular or warp knitting machine includes knitting two similar but separate tubes, each of which has a length suitable for forming a sleeve and a vertical portion of a bodice, aligning the tubes longitudinally, cutting each tube along its length from a selected location between open ends of the tubes to one open end to form two open edges and attaching a portion of the open edge of one tube to a similar portion of the opposing open edge of the other tube. Joined portions of the tubes form the bodice, cut but unjoined portions of the tubes form the neck opening, and unjoined and uncut portions of the tubes form the sleeves.
An alternative method to produce a garment using a circular and/or warp knitting machine includes forming two separate tubes: a first tube of a smaller diameter suitable for an arm and having a length that spans the length of both arms and the shoulder and chest areas spanning in between, and a second larger tube dimensioned for the torso. Two opposing incisions are made in the smaller arm tube to create a neck opening and a chest opening. The chest opening is then stitched to, or otherwise joined with an open end of the second tube generally centered with and generally 90 degrees offset from the first tube. The garment produced by this method remains entirely seam free in the shoulder and arm areas, having only a seam that extends laterally around the chest and back in circumferential relationship therewith.
The garment may also be manufactured using flat knitting machines. This method includes flat knitting a piece of fabric that is laid flat and cut into a generally cross-shaped configuration or otherwise formed into a pattern having opposing sleeve portions and opposing bodice portions generally perpendicular to the sleeve portions. The pattern is folded in half and stitched along four edges to form two seams, each of which extends under each arm and the adjacent side of the torso. An incision is made in the center of the pattern either before or after folding to form the neck opening. A garment produced by this method remains seamless in the shoulder, the upper chest and upper back regions. Outer arm regions are also advantageously free from any seams.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
As illustrated in
Covered by the garment 10, skin that would otherwise be completely exposed appears smooth and flawless and any loss of elasticity in the skin is compensated by the elastic but sheer and inconspicuous compression provided by the garment. The garment of the present invention is sheer, fashionable and inconspicuous. The hosiery garment 10, which may be of a flesh tone, is without shoulder seams and is generally intended to be worn under clothing.
Referring to
Thereafter, incisions are made to form slits 62 and 64 as a head opening (or neck opening, used interchangeably herein) and a chest or waist opening, respectively. Where a polyamide or polyamide blend yarn is used, the hosiery garment of
Another method of manufacture using circular or warp-knitting is described in reference to
In another application of circular knitting, a seamless garment 120 is shown in
A neck opening 128 is formed by slitting or cutting the tubes 122, 123 and/or 124 between locations A and D following the neckline 123 through locations B and C. The chest opening 130 is formed by slitting or cutting the tube 124 between locations E and F. That is, the openings 128 and 130 can be form from a slit along a line (linear or nonlinear), or from a trim that removes a section of the tubes 122, 123 and/or 124. The chest opening 130 may be hemmed or otherwise treated with a finishing stitch. Or, a support band or tube 132 of a different knit, e.g., tighter, denser and/or heavier knit, may be sewn or otherwise attached to the chest opening 130 to better secure the garment to the body and minimize the garment riding up on the chest of the user. It is understood that the band 132 may have a greater vertical dimension 141 (as shown in broken lines in
A band 150 may be included in the garment 140, which can be formed from either a section of different circular knit continuously knitted from the tubes at the open ends 146, or a separately-formed tubular or flat fabric, circularly or flat knitted, that is joined to the garment after the forming of the bodice opening 150.
Another embodiment of the present invention suitable for manufacturing by a tricot or raschel warp-knitting machine, with or without a Jacquard attachment, is shown in
Alternatively, knitting may start at the open end 174 and continue until the bodice tube 172 has been formed, at which stage the bodice tube is branched into the two sleeve tubes 170. Knitting is completed when the length suitable for the sleeves 162 has been reached.
A neck opening 176 is then formed at or near the junction 173 from a slit in or a cutting away of a portion of the tubes 170 and/or 172 from locations K to M. A suitable machine for knitting the garment 140 is a tricot or raschel machine by Karl Mayer Textilmaschinenfabrik GmbH of Obertshausen, Germany, Model RDPJ 6/2 using the following yarns: DTEX 47, 7 70% polyammide and 30% elastan and/or DTEX 44 F30 100% nylon. Clearly, finer yarns may be used as desired or appropriate. If a Jacquard attachment is used, decorative knits can be achieved, for example, a generally repetitive “stars” and/or “spider-net” weave as shown in
A garment of yet another embodiment of the present invention may also be manufactured using flat or rectilinear knitting. Referring to
Beginning or ending edges of any of the tubes used to form the hosiery garment may be left raw, or unfinished. Cut edges such as for those made for head, neck, chest or waist/torso openings, however, depending on the direction of the incision relative to the knitting direction, may be left raw or unfinished, as well. That is, whereas a ladder run may be formed when conventional hosiery is snagged or ripped, raw or unfinished edges of selected machine-knitted fabrics do not run but may have a tendency to curl. Accordingly, conventional finishing or hemming may be applied for those cut edges that run, or for any tube edges, as desired. It is understood that the foregoing embodiments may be varied by knitting the underlying tubes with different dimensions, including diameter and length.
As discussed above, a variety of elastic natural or man-made yarns may be used to construct the hosiery garment. The hosiery garment is knitted in a gauge and/or with a denier yarn that enables the garment to be comfortably form fitting much like conventional hosiery is for the lower body. As such, air gaps or pockets between the garment and the skin are generally not desirable, nor is wrinkling or scrunching around the joints of the arm or the shoulders. The tension or gauge of the yarn should be such that the hosiery garment is comfortable, but stretches readily to cling snugly and conforms to at least the arms and body, if not all exposed areas and surfaces. The texture of the knitted fabric may be smooth and soft. All of the aesthetic and functional (including circulatory) benefits provided by conventional hosiery for the legs or lower body are available in the present invention.
Neck openings and/or chest or waist openings need not be symmetrical in relation to the front and back of the garment. Indeed, as with most garments, a neck opening may be wider and/or lower in the front than in the back. Likewise, a chest and waist opening may be lower in the front than in the back. Ends of sleeves at the wrists may also be adapted with a finger loop to tether the ends to a finger. Any of the aforementioned embodiments may also be configured as a body suit or leotard-type garment.
As for color, shimmer, shade and/or sheerness, conventional hosiery yarns offer a whole host of choices depending on the modesty or perceived exposure desire and/or the color and tone of the user's skin. Of course, where the hosiery garment is intended to be inconspicuous, the more closely the color and/or shade match the user's skin, the less conspicuous the hosiery garment will be. Having said that however, it is contemplated that the hosiery garment may be decorated so as to resemble decorated skin on the user, as illustrated. Tattoos, body paints, body glitter or even body piercing are popular fashion trends. As such, the hosiery garment may be similarly decorated either before or after donning so as to provide the appearance or perception of decorated skin or flesh. The present invention, however, also contemplates a nearly or completely seamless garment in colors other than flesh tones. The term “seam” as used herein generally denotes the joining of two separate edges by stitching, which is distinct from a hem line or a merge line.
It is understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the scope of the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. To that end, it is understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the illustrations are not necessarily to scale and that the dimensions of the tubes described hereinabove may be altered to suit the desires and needs of the user. Many other modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and it is therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
Claims
1. A machine-knitted garment for the upper body having at least a chest portion, an upper back portion and sleeves, comprising a seamless tubular construction made of hosiery-type material, having a beginning tubular portion forming one sleeve, an ending tubular portion forming another sleeve, and a middle tubular portion which has a neck opening and a chest or bodice opening.
2. A machine-knitted garment of claim 1, wherein the beginning and the ending tubular portions have a tighter knit than the middle tubular portion.
3. A machine-knitted garment of claim 1, wherein the garment is generally sheer.
4. A garment of claim 1, wherein the garment is generally of a skin-tone color.
5. A machine-knitted garment of claim 1, wherein the openings are made from incisions made in the middle tubular portion.
6. A machine-knitted garment of claim 1, wherein the beginning and ending tubular portions have a smaller diameter than the middle tubular portion.
7. A machine-knitted garment of claim 1, wherein the garment has a direction of circular knitting spanning its length from the beginning tubular portion to the ending tubular portion.
8. A method of making a machine-knitted garment, comprising:
- knitting a beginning tube having a lesser diameter;
- continue knitting from an end of the beginning tube a middle tube having a greater diameter;
- continue knitting from an end of the middle tube an ending tube with the lesser diameter;
- forming a first opening the middle tube to form a neck opening; and
- forming a second opening in the middle tube generally opposing the neck opening to form a chest or bodice opening.
9. A method of claim 8, wherein the middle tube is configured to form a bodice of the garment and the beginning and the ending tubes are configured to form sleeves of the garment.
10. A method of claim 9, wherein the beginning tube and the ending tube have a tighter knit than the middle tube.
11. A machine-knitted garment for the upper body having an upper bodice, a lower bodice and sleeves, comprising:
- a first tubular portion configured to form the upper bodice and the sleeves of the garment;
- a second tubular portion whose one end is position at a generally central location of the first tubular portion, the second tubular portion extending generally perpendicularly from the first tubular portion in forming the lower bodice of the garment;
- a seam joining the first and second tubular portion, the seam extending circumferentially around the upper bodice; and
- wherein the first and second tubular portions are made from a hosiery-type material.
12. A machine-knitted garment of claim 11, wherein the first tubular portion has a lesser diameter and the second tubular portion has a greater diameter.
13. A machine-knitted garment of claim 11, wherein a seam between the first and second tubular portions generally extends laterally in a circumferential relationship with a user's chest.
14. A machine-knitted garment of claim 11 wherein a neck opening is formed in the first tubular portion and a chest opening is formed in first tubular portion opposing the neck opening.
15. A machine-knitted garment of claim 14, wherein the chest opening of the first tubular portion has a diameter generally equal to a diameter of the second tubular portion.
16. A machine-knitted method of making a garment having an upper bodice, a lower bodice and sleeves, comprising:
- knitting a first tubular portion configured to form the upper bodice and the sleeves of the garment;
- knitting a second tubular portion configured to form the lower bodice;
- forming a neck opening and a chest opening in the first tubular portion; and
- joining an open end of the second tubular portion to the chest opening of the first tubular portion such that the second tubular portion extends generally centrally and perpendicularly from the first tubular portion.
17. A method of making of claim 16, wherein the first and second tubular portions are knitted from hosiery-type material using circular or warp knitting.
18. A machine-knitted garment for the upper body having at least an upper bodice and sleeves, comprising:
- a continuous circular knit tubular construction of hosiery-type material, having a beginning tubular sleeve portion extending in a first direction, a middle tubular upper bodice portion extending in a second direction angularly offset from the one direction and an ending tubular sleeve portion extending generally parallel with the first direction, wherein adjacent portions are joined seamlessly along merge lines defined by a predetermined change of knitting angle ranging between about 60 to 120 degrees.
19. A machine-knitted garment of claim 18, wherein the merge lines are nonlinear.
20. A machine-knitted garment of claim 18, wherein the merge lines are concave.
21. A machine-knitted garment of claim 18, wherein the angle of change has a rate of change.
22. A machine-knitted garment having a bodice and sleeves comprising:
- a first tube and a second tube of generally similar circular knit or warp knit construction of hosiery-type material that are arranged in a generally parallel configuration and joined along a portion of their longitudinal axis, wherein joined portions of the tubes form the bodice of the garment, unjoined portions of the tubes define the sleeves and the joined portions define a first generally vertical seam on a front portion of the bodice and a second generally vertical seam on a back portion of the bodice.
23. A machine-knitted garment of claim 22, wherein each first and second tubes has a band at an open end to form a bottom band of the garment.
24. A machine-knitted garment of claim 22, wherein a neck opening is defined between the joined and unjoined portions of the first and second tubes.
25. A method of making a machine-knitted garment having a bodice and sleeves, comprising:
- knitting a first tube and a second tube of generally similar dimensions using hosiery-type material; and
- joining the tubes along a portion of their longitudinal axis to provide a first generally vertical seam on a front portion of the garment and a second generally vertical seam on a back portion of the garment, wherein joined portions of the tubes form the bodice of the garment and unjoined portions of the tubes define the sleeves.
26. A machine-knitted garment having a bodice and two sleeves, comprising:
- a bodice tube section defining a longitudinal axis of the garment and two sleeve tube sections branching from the bodice tube section along the longitudinal axis, thereby defining a junction between the bodice tube section and the sleeve tube sections, each of the sleeve tube sections having a lesser diameter and the bodice tube section having a greater diameter;
- a neck opening formed at or near the junction; and
- wherein the garment has a circular knit or warp knit construction of hosiery-type material.
27. A method of making a machine-knitted garment having a bodice and two sleeves, comprising:
- knitting a bodice tube along a longitudinal axis of the garment;
- after reaching a predetermined length in the bodice tube branching the bodice tube into two sleeve tube;
- forming a neck opening in a region of the bodice tube and between the two sleeve tubes; and
- wherein the bodice tube and the sleeve tubes are knitted from hosiery-type material.
28. A machine-knitted garment comprising:
- a unitary piece of hosiery-type material having two opposing bodice portions and two opposing sleeve portions adapted to be folded in half to form a bodice and two sleeves extending generally perpendicularly from the bodice;
- a first seam joining edges of one sleeve portion, extending from a first end of a first sleeve of the garment to a bottom edge of the bodice of the garment;
- a second seam generally opposing the first seam joining edges of another sleeve portion, extending from a second end of a second sleeve of the garment to the bottom edge of the bodice of the garment; and
- a neck opening formed along a folded edge of the bodice.
29. A method of making a machine-knitted garment comprising:
- knitting a unitary piece of hosiery-type material having two opposing bodice portions and two opposing sleeve portions;
- folding in half the unitary piece to form a bodice and two sleeves extending generally perpendicularly from the bodice;
- joining edges of one sleeve portion to form a first seam extending from a first end of a first sleeve of the garment to a bottom edge of the bodice of the garment;
- joining edges of another sleeve portion to form a second seam generally opposing the first seam, extending from a second end of a second sleeve of the garment to the bottom edge of the bodice of the garment; and
- forming a neck opening formed along a folded edge of the bodice.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 29, 2004
Publication Date: Jun 2, 2005
Inventors: Gwendolyn Mitchell (Hillsborough, CA), Deborah Strobin (San Francisco, CA)
Application Number: 10/955,865