Patent ID: 6832497
Filing Date: 2004-12-21
Classification: D04B,D10B

Abstract:
A method of making a fabric on a double bar knitting machine, with the fabric having a technical face with a velour surface and a first set of appearance characteristics, and the fabric having an opposite, technical back with a velvet surface and a second set of appearance characteristics, the first set of appearance characteristics of the technical face contrasting to the second set of appearance characteristics of the technical back, said method comprising the steps of:selecting backing or stitch yarns and selecting pile yarns to provide the fabric with the technical face having the first set of appearance characteristics and the technical back having the contrasting second set of appearance characteristics, the first set of appearance characteristics of the technical face selected from among: depth of color upon dyeing, degree of raising, degree of air permeability, susceptibility to selected dye formulation, reaction to heat, and degree of coarseness, bulk and/or denier; and the second set of contrasting appearance characteristics selected from among: depth of color upon dyeing, degree of fiber straightness, degree of fiber curl, degree of fiber shrinkage, degree of fiber crimp degree of raising, reaction to heat, degree of yarn coarseness, bulk and/or denier; knitting a three-dimensional fabric structure on the knitting machine, said structure having two fabric substrates formed from the backing and stitch yarns, each defining a technical face and a technical back, and a plurality of the pile yarns extending between and interconnecting the fabric substrates; during knitting, causing the backing yarns or the stitch yarns to cover the pile yarns at the technical face of each fabric substrate; cutting the pile yarns to separate the fabric substrates, with ends of the pile yarns extending from the technical back of each fabric substrate; dyeing the fabric substrate; processing the backing yarns or the stitch yarns covering the pile yarns at the technical face of the fabric substrate to form the velour surface; and processing the pile yarns at the technical back of the fabric substrate to form the velvet surface.