Method for processing end portion of fabric

Abstract: A method of processing an end portion of fabric comprises using a flat knitting machine provided with a front bed and a rear bed with the head portions thereof opposed to each other, using two yarn feeders (B,F) which travel different paths on a needle bed with respect to a needle of the front bed holding a final course of fabric and a needle of the rear bed holding a final course of fabric, feeding a yarn on the yarn feeder (F) positioned on the front side to the needle of the rear bed and a yarn on the yarn feeder (B) positioned on the back side to the needle of the front bed so that the yarns on both the yarn feeders are intertwined with each other to form a loop of fabric continuous with the final course, transferring the formed loop to the needle adjacent thereto to overlap the loop to integrally connect the fabric, and repeatedly executing the step of applying anti-ravelling a predetermined number of times with respect to successive needles.

Description: The present invention relates to a method of processing an end portion of fabric in which a tubular fabric or a plurality of front and back fabrics knitted by at least two needle beds are finished by knitting in the state where they are connected at the end portion of the fabric. In the case where clothes are prepared using fabrics knitted in tubular form, clothes are prepared by cutting the knitted fabric into a length according to one's stature, cutting armholes and a neck hole, integrating a shoulder line, and sewing the sleeve, collar, etc. on to the shoulder. In the case of a vest, etc., taping is applied to the shoulder. However, in the aforementioned process, it takes much time to cut the armholes, neck hole, etc. Therefore, a procedure may be contemplated to knit the fabric into a predetermined shape in advance, which requires no cutting as just mentioned. Even if this procedure is employed, it is necessary finally to sew the shoulder portion. For example, in making a vest, it is necessary that an armhole and a neck hole knitted into a predetermined length by a circular knitting machine are cut, a shoulder portion is sewn, a waist band is attached to the waist portion, and a tape is attached to the armhole by linking. In view of the foregoing, the present applicant has previously invented a fabric and knitting method disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. 2-91254 in an attempt to save the labour of the conventional operating steps which require much time as mentioned above and making products of high quality. In this method, a tubular fabric or a plurality of front and back fabrics according to the shape of the knitted fabric are integrated at an end portion at the finish of knitting, and anti-ravelling is applied to the end portion at the finish of knitting. Loops of final courses of both fabrics engaged in needles of a front bed and a rear bed are transferred to one of the beds opposed to each other to overlap and integrate the loops, after which loops are sequentially formed and the loops are moved to overlap the loops to prevent ravelling. Therefore, there is obtained a finish such that the joined portion of the fabrics stands proud of the surface of the fabric. It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing method in which at an end portion at the finish of knitting a fabric which is knitted by a flat knitting machine into a tubular fabric or a plurality of front and back fabrics, according to the shape of the knitted fabric, integration of fabrics and anti-ravelling of the end portion at the finish of knitting are carried out in such a manner that the joint portion does not stand proud of the surface of the fabric, and thus the appearance of the fabric is not spoilt, as it is in the prior art. In order to achieve the aforesaid object, according to the present invention, there is provided a method comprising using a flat knitting machine provided with a front bed and a rear bed so that the head portions thereof are opposed to each other, using two yarn feeders which travel different paths on a needle bed with respect to a needle of the front bed holding a loop of a final course of fabric and a needle of the rear bed holding a loop of a final course of fabric, feeding a yarn from the yarn feeder positioned on the front side to the needle of the rear bed and a yarn from the yarn feeder positioned on the rear side to the needle of the front bed so that the yarns on both the yarn feeders are intertwined with each other prior to forming a loop of fabric continuous with a final course on the opposite needle bed, transferring the formed loop to the needle adjacent thereto and holding a loop of the final course of the fabric on the respective needle bed to overlap the loops and to integrally connect the final courses of the two fabrics, and repeatedly executing the step of applying anti-ravelling according to the sequence described above a predetermined number of times with respect to successive needles. Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the drawings, in which the knitting method of the present invention is used to knot a vest 1 as shown in Fig. 1. In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a front view of a vest knitted by the method of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a loop diagram of fabric produced according to embodiment 1; Figs. 3-1 to 3-19 show the knitting of embodiment 1 showing the steps of knitting by means of a 2-bed flat knitting machine; Figs. 4-1 to 4-19 show the knitting of embodiment 1 showing the steps of knitting by means of a 4-bed flat knitting machine; Fig. 5 is a loop diagram of fabric produced according to embodiment 2; Figs. 6-1 to 6-22 show knitting according to embodiment 2 showing the steps of knitting by means of a 4-bed flat knitting machine; Fig. 7 is a loop diagram of fabric produced according to embodiment 3; Figs. 8-1 to 8-18 show knitting according to embodiment 3 showing the steps of knitting by means of a 4-bed flat knitting machine; Figs. 9 to 11 are respectively loop diagrams showing fabrics produced according to other embodiments and knitted by the method of the present invention. The knitting method of the present invention can be performed either on a so-called 2-bed flat knitting machine in which two beds are provided, one for the front and the other for the back, or on a so-called 4-bed flat knitting machine in which four beds are provided, two for the front and two for the back. For convenience of explanation, in embodiment 1, the steps of knitting by the knitting machine are explained with reference to knitting drawings, while in embodiments 2 and 3, only knitting by the use of the 4-bed flat knitting machine will be described. On the flat knitting machine is mounted a carriage having a knitting lock and a transfer lock (not shown), and, upwardly of the needle bed, a plurality of rails for the yarn running area are provided parallel with the length direction of the needle bed, each rail having a yarn feeder for feeding a yarn to a needle. So far as the needle beds are concerned, in a 2-bed flat knitting machine a front bed F having needles A to I and a rear bed B having needles A to I are provided opposed to each other; in a 4-bed flat knitting machine, a lower front bed FD and a lower rear bed BD having needles A to I and an upper front bed FU and a lower rear bed BU having needles a to i are provided opposed to each other. In knitting a vest 1, first the body portion 2 is knitted into a tubular shape. At a neck hole 3 and an armhole 4, the left and right body parts 5 and 6 (the left front body part on the right side and the right front body part on the left side in Fig. 1) and the back body part 7 are principally knitted by the front bed and the rear bed, respectively. When the knitting of the left and right body parts 5, 6 and the back body part 7 is finished, anti-ravelling of the end portion at the finish of knitting of both the front and back body parts and integration of fabrics is effected at shoulder lines 8 and 9 to finish the knitting. In these embodiments, a yarn feeder (hereinafter called a feeder F) mounted on the front side towards the machine feeds a yarn to a needle of the front bed to knit the front body part and a yarn feeder (hereinafter called a feeder B) positioned at the rear of the first mentioned yarn feeder feeds a yarn to a needle of the rear bed to knit the back body part. In the anti-ravelling of the end portion at the finish of knitting to be followed, the feeders F and B are changed over, that is, the yarn of the feeder F is supplied to the needle of the rear bed, and the yarn of the feeder B is supplied to the needle of the front bed to effect knitting. Processing of the shoulder lines 8 and 9 is carried out symmetrically to left and right by a similar method, and therefore only the formation of the shoulder line 8 will be explained with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments later described, knitting of the body portion 2, neck hole 3, armhole 4 and left and right body parts 5 and 6 of the vest 1 is omitted. The method for processing the shoulder line 8 after the final course and which constitutes the main part of the present invention will be explained with reference to the knitting diagrams and loop diagrams. Only the loops and the number of needles, etc. necessary for a proper explanation are shown in the drawings, the rest not being shown. Embodiment 1: Fig. 2 is a loop diagram showing the state in which a portion in the middle of the knitting of the shoulder line 8 of the vest 1 is developed. First, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the knitting diagram by way of the 2-bed flat knitting machine shown in Fig. 3. In Fig. 3-1, yarns are fed by the feeder F to needles I, H, ... C, B of the front bed to form a final course 21 of the front body part. In Fig. 3-2, yarns are fed by the feeder B to needles I, H, ... C, B of the rear bed B to form a final course 22 of the back body part. In Fig. 3-3, formation of loops is not carried out, and movement of both feeders F and B is carried out. In Fig. 3-4, a yarn is fed by the feeder B to a needle B of the front bed F to form a loop 23. The loop 23 is transferred to the needle A of the rear bed B, after which it is transferred to the needle C of the front bed F holding the loop of the final course to form an overlap stitch (Figs. 3-5 and 6). Subsequently, the feeder B is moved to the right (Fig. 3-7). In Fig. 3-8, a yarn is fed by the feeder F to the needle B of the rear bed B to form a loop 24. The yarn delivered from the feeder F at that time crosses the yarn of the feeder B extending to the needle C as shown. Thereafter, the loop 24 is transferred to the needle B of the front bed F, after which it is transferred to the needle C of the rear bed B holding the loop of the final course to form an overlap stitch (Figs. 3-9 and 10). The feeder F is then moved to the right, and the yarn of the feeder F crosses the yarn of the feeder B (Fig. 3-11). Next, a yarn is fed to the needle C of the front bed F while winding the yarn in the crossed state of the feeder F by the feeder B, to form a loop 25 (Fig. 3-12). The loop 25 is transferred to the needle B of the rear bed B, after which it is transferred to the needle D of the front bed F holding the loop of the final course to form a knit stitch (Figs. 3-13 and 14). Next, the feeder B is moved to the right to cross the yarn of the feeder F (Fig. 3-15). In Fig. 3-16, a yarn is fed to the needle C of the rear bed B while winding the yarn in the crossed state of the feeder B by the feeder F, to form a loop 26. The thus-formed loop 26 is transferred to the needle C of the front bed F, after which it is transferred to the needle D of the rear bed B holding the loop of the final course to form a knit stitch (Figs. 3-17 and 18). Then, thereafter, the knitting shown in the aforementioned Figs. 3-11 to 3-18 is repeatedly applied to successive needles, and the loops of fabrics engaged in the needles of the front bed FD and the rear bed BD are connected in the intertwined state, and the loops engaged in the needle bed are successively reduced while applying the anti-ravelling processing. In the case of the present embodiment, processing to the final needles I, I is carried out by repeating the operation five times. Although not shown, the anti-ravelling is applied to terminate the knitting by a well-known method such as continuous knitting of some courses after the loops held on the final needles I, I have been overlapped. Fig. 4 shows a knitting diagram by way of a 4-bed flat knitting machine. Since the knitting formation is identical to that of the 2-bed flat knitting machine, the reference characters used in Fig. 3 are used again. Figs. 4-1 to 4-19 correspond to Figs. 3-1 to 3-19 respectively, and since the knitting in the respective steps will be readily understood, a description of this will therefore be omitted. Embodiment 2: Fig. 5 is a loop diagram showing the state in which a portion in the middle of the knitting of the shoulder line 8 of the vest 1 is developed. In Fig. 6-1, yarns are fed by the feeder F to needles I, H, ... C, B of the front bed FD to form a final course 31 of the front body part. Then, in Fig. 6-2, yarns are fed by the feeder B to needles I, H, ... C, B of the rear bed BD to form a final course 32 of the back body part. In Fig. 6-3, a yarn is fed by the feeder B to the needle B of the front bed FD to form a loop 33. In Fig. 6-4, a yarn is fed by the feeder F to the needle B of the rear bed BD to form a loop 34. As shown in Fig. 6-5, the feeders F and B are moved so that the feeder B crosses above the feeder F at the left-hand side of the fabric. The loop 33 held on the needle B of the front bed in the aforementioned state is transferred to the needle b of the rear bed BU, after which it is transferred to the needle C of the front bed FD for engaging the loop of the final course to form an overlap stitch (Figs. 6-6 and 7). The loop 34 held on the needle B of the rear bed BD is likewise transferred to the needle c of the front bed FU, after which it is transferred to the needle C of the rear bed BD holding the loop of the final course to form an overlap stitch (Figs. 6-8 and 9). In Fig. 6-10, the yarn of the feeder F which crosses below the yarn of the feeder B as shown in Fig. 6-5 is fed to the needle C of the rear bed BD while winding the yarn of the feeder B to form a loop 35. In Fig. 6-11, a yarn is fed by the feeder B to the needle C of the front bed FD to form a loop 36. Thereafter, both the feeders F and B are moved so that they cross at the left-hand side of the fabric in the state as shown in Fig. 6-12. The loops 35 and 36 formed by the aforementioned knitting are moved to the needle D of the rear bed BD holding the loop of the final course and the needle D of the front bed FD respectively, to form an overlap stitch (Figs. 6-13 to 6-16). Next, in Fig. 6-17, the yarn of the feeder B which crosses below the yarn of the feeder F as shown in Fig. 6-12 is supplied to the needle D of the front bed FD while winding the yarn of the feeder F to form a loop 37. In Fig. 6-18, a yarn is fed to the needle D of the rear bed BD by the feeder F to form a loop 38. Thereafter, the knitting shown in Figs. 6-5 to 6-18 is repeatedly applied to successive needles. In the case of the present embodiment, such knitting as just mentioned above is repeated twice, whereby loops can be formed on the needles H, H of the front bed FD and the rear bed BD. The thus-formed loops are moved to the needles I and I of the front bed FD and the rear bed BD in the manner similar to that described above to form an overlap stitch (Figs. 6-19 to 6-22). Thereafter, the anti-ravelling is applied by a method similar to that of Embodiment 1 (though not shown) to finish the knitting. Embodiment 3: Fig. 7 is a loop diagram showing the state in which a portion in the middle of the knitting of the shoulder line 8 of the vest 1 is developed. In Fig. 8-1, a yarn is fed to needles I, H, ... C, B of the front bed FD by the feeder F to form a final course 41 of the front body part. In Fig. 8-2, yarns are fed by the feeder B to needles I, H, ... C, B of the rear bed BD to form a final course 42 of the back body part. In Fig. 8-3, a yarn is fed by the feeder B to the needle B of the front bed FD. The thus-formed loop 43 is transferred to the adjacent needle C holding the loop of the final course which is present in the front bed FD as shown in Figs. 8-4 and 5 to form an overlap stitch. Next, the feeder B used to form the loop 43 is moved leftward of the fabric (Fig. 8-6). When a yarn is fed by the feeder F to the needle B of the rear bed BD (formation of a loop 44) in the state of positional relationship of the feeders F and B, the yarns of the feeders F and B cross and are intertwined with each other and connected (Fig. 8-7). The formed loop 44 is transferred to the adjacent needle C holding the loop of the final course which is present in the rear bed BD (Figs. 8-8 and 9). Next, the feeder F used to form the loop 44 is moved leftward of the fabric and crosses above the yarn of the feeder B (Fig. 8-10). In Fig. 8-11, a yarn is fed by the feeder B to the needle C of the front bed FD to form a loop 45. The formed loop 45 is transferred to the adjacent needle D holding the loop of the final course which is present in the front bed FD as shown in Figs. 8-12 and 13 to form an overlap stitch. Next, the feeder B used to form the loop 45 is moved leftward of the fabric (Fig. 8-14). In Fig. 8-15, a yarn is fed by the feeder F to the needle C of the rear bed BD to form a loop 46. The formed loop 46 is moved to the adjacent needle D holding the loop of the final course which is present in the rear bed BD as shown in Figs. 8-16 and 17 to form a knit stitch. Thereafter, the knitting shown in Figs. 8-10 to 8-17 is repeatedly applied to successive needles, and loops of fabrics engaged by the needles of the front bed FD and the rear bed BD are connected in the intertwined state and the loops held on the needle bed are sequentially reduced while having the anti-ravelling processing applied thereto. In the case of the present embodiment, such anti-ravelling is repeated five times to effect processing till the final needles I, i. The feeder used to form the loop 46 is then moved leftward of the fabric (Fig. 8-18). Thereafter, the anti-ravelling is applied by a method similar to that of Embodiment 1, though not shown, to terminate the knitting. A loop diagram shown in Fig. 9 is fundamentally the same as Embodiment 1 except that the overlapping of loops to be transferred is reversed. Fig. 10 shows a modified example of Embodiment 2. Fig. 11 shows a modified example of Embodiment 3. The knitting method of the present invention is characterised in that a tubular fabric or a plurality of front and back fabrics are connected by intertwining yarns at the end portion of the fabric and anti-ravelling processing is applied to the end portion of the fabric. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. While in the above-described embodiments, the feeding of yarn by the respective feeders continuously with the final course has been applied to every single needle, it is to be noted that yarns can be successively fed to two needles adjacent to each other to effect the processing of the end portion of the fabric without departing from the scope of the present invention. As is apparent from the above-described embodiments, according to the knitting method of the present invention, both fabrics engaged by the needles of the front bed and the rear bed are connected and integrated only by the intertwining of yarns used for the knitting of the anti-ravelling processing. Therefore, the two fabrics are not overlapped with each other as in the prior art. It is therefore not necessary that a new loop is formed on the overlapped loops to carry out the anti-ravelling processing. Thus, one does not have a finish such that the joined portion of fabrics stands proud of the surface of the fabric, and the appearance of the fabric product is not impaired.

Claims: A method of processing an end portion of fabric, comprising using a flat knitting machine provided with a front bed (F) and a rear bed (B) so that the head portions thereof are opposed to each other, using two yarn feeders which travel different paths on a needle bed (F, B) with respect to a needle (B-1) of the front bed (F) holding a loop of a final course of fabric and a needle (B-1) of the rear bed holding a loop of a final course of fabric, feeding a yarn (21, 31, 41) from the yarn feeder positioned on the front side to the needle (B-1) of the rear bed (B) and a yarn (22, 32, 42) from the yarn feeder positioned on the rear side to the needle (B-1) of the front bed (F) so that the yarns (21, 22, 31, 32, 41, 42) on both the yarn feeders are intertwined with each other prior to forming a loop of fabric continuous with a final course on the opposite needle bed, transferring the formed loop to the needle adjacent thereto and holding a loop of the final course of the fabric on the respective needle bed to overlap the loops and to integrally connect the final courses of the two fabrics, and repeatedly executing the step of applying anti-ravelling according to the sequence described above a predetermined number of times with respect to successive needles (B-1). A method as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that a flat knitting machine having two front beds (FD, FU) and two rear beds (BD, BU) is used.

Inventors: MITSUMOTO SHIGENOBU, OKUNO MASAO, MITSUMOTO, SHIGENOBU, OKUNO, MASAO
Applicants: SHIMA SEIKI MFG, SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD.
Application year: 1991
Main classification: D04B7
IPC codes: D04B1, D04B7, A41D1