Abstract: Method for manufacturing a tubular hosiery item with a closed end, with a single-cylinder circular knitting machine having a pivoting semicircular plate having radially sliding hooks, including alternately rotating the needle cylinder for moving the needles of a first half of the needle cylinder and the hooks of the overlying semicircular plate to pass in front of a feed of the machine; the extracted hooks forming a support for a thread dispensed at the feed, actuated needles being actuated so as to take up the thread and be alternated with inactive needles, subsequently swapping the actuated needles with the inactive needle when the motion of the needle cylinder is reversed; a first needle of the needles of a second half of the needle cylinder is also made to pass in front of the feed to take up the thread, in order to allow both end hooks of the hooks of the semicircular plate to engage the thread; retracting the hooks of the semicircular plate so as to retain the engaged thread; forming heel knitting with

Abstract: A single-cylinder circular hosiery-making or knitting machine particularly for manufacturing tubular items closed at one of their axial ends, having a needle cylinder and a circular plate which coaxially faces the needle cylinder in an upward region. The circular plate is composed of two halves, a first half of which is pivoted to a first supporting structure about a diametrical axis which is substantially parallel to the diametrical connecting plane of the two halves of the circular plate. The first half of the circular plate is also provided with radial grooves which accommodate pairs of hooks which can be actuated along the corresponding groove so as to engage or release loops or portions of loops of knitting formed by the needles of the needle cylinder.