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 single or double cylinder circular knitting machine is adapted to effect renewal of a needle selection at one or more successive yarn feeds without requiring a respective pattern selection device therefor. The pattern jacks which have been selected, by a preceding pattern selection device, not to bring their respective needles to knit are moved radially inwards by a guiding cam, and are held separated from the other jacks even after the latter have brought their respective needles to knit. The cam may have a first movable part and a second fixed part. At one position of the movable part, the inoperative jacks are moved radially to the inside of the fixed part, and at the second position thereof, radially to the outside thereof, thereby they are restored to the selection position. This allows operation with a programmed selection even where the selection was formerly just reiterated.

Abstract: A knitting machine arrangement and a method of knitting on the same are described which utilize a pair of stacked pattern wheels at each knitting station of a circular knitting machine. By alternating high and low butt knitting needle groups in successive slots of one portion of the cylinder, a singular pattern or design can be knitted by inserting appropriate jacks in the upper and lower pattern wheels which engage the associated needle groups. When the order of the high butt and low butt needles is reversed on another portion of the cylinder, alternate slots and, therefore, jacks of the pattern wheels are engaged and these may produce a different pattern or design. By dividing patterns between the upper and lower pattern wheels at each station, desired effects, such as spotting, design or pattern enlargement may be achieved by selectively placing needle groups about the periphery of the cylinder.