Abstract: A jacquard circular knitting machine provided with a needle cylinder driving mechanism capable of optionally and readily controlling the rotary motion of the needle cylinder according to the pattern to be knitted. A motor interlocked through gears or the like with the needle cylinder rotates according to a needle cylinder rotating procedure stored previously in a magnetic memory medium. Actuators operate according to a pattern forming procedure stored in another magnetic memory medium as a signal is provided by a sensor for detecting the rotary motion of the needle cylinder. Thus a jacquard circular-knitted fabric having predetermined patterns can be knitted efficiently. In addition to the above, a machine is provided with a third magnetic memory medium for storing a yarn feed element switching procedure to carry out a plurality of yarn feed element switching operations at optional timings when necessary while a single course of a fabric is knitted.

Abstract: In order to form argyle intarsia patterns, stacked arrays of selection levers cooperate with selection butts, the levers being capable of selecting the needles to be raised. Each array of selection levers is located symmetrically between two adjacent yarn feeding stations for cooperation with one or the other feeding station to select the desired needles depending upon the direction of machine reciprocating motion. The jack lifting and lowering profiles on the respective operative cam rings are symmetrical with respect to the feeding stations and to the arrays of selection levers. The jack lifting profiles include "V" shaped notches in alignment with the selection levers, and, correspondingly, the intermediate-jack lowering profiles include "V" shaped projections provided for further lowering the intermediate jacks.