Improvements in and relating to the Manufacture of Hosiery such as Stocking, Socks, Shirts, Pants, or Underwear: other Articles of
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 27th June, 1889-Accepted, 31st Aug., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Manufacture of Hosiery
such as Stocking, Socks, Shirts, Pants, or
Underwear:
other Articles of
I, WILLIAM BROWN, of No. 9 Charles Street Leicester in the county of Leicester
Hosiery and Glove Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention consists of improvements in and relating to the manufacture of
hosiery such as stockings, socks, shirts, pants or other articles of underwear and refers
to the making of open work knitted fabric in conjunction with plain or ribbed fabrics
for stockings, socks, pants, or drawers and other articles described to be worn as
undergarments for men, women or children.
The ordinary method of making stockings, socks, and the like whether plain or
ribbed or open worked in the leg or ankles is that they are heeled and footed with close
knitted fabric, and ribbed goods footed with plain fabric, that is to say in all these as
now made the heel and underside of the foot and over the toes are "plain work."
By this my invention this order of things is reversed, I make the leg either plain,
ribbed or open lace fabric, and then heel and foot them with open work, at the lower
part of the heel and under the foot and over the toes, so that the perspiration may
Lescape and not be absorbed by the foot of the stocking which is the case in ordinary
hosiery goods, thus a volume of warm air is kept between the foot and sole of the
boot or shoe and maintaining thereby an even temperature for the foot.
The holes, or open work fabric, can be made in various ways; the ordinary way
and which we preferably employ is to take the loop off one needle and transfer it to
the next one adjacent, leaving the loop upon one, two or more needles between each
hole in the same course, thus the holes can be made at any required distance from
each other, or the position changed in each course, then I knit one, two or more
courses of ordinary knitting or plain work, then a course again of open work, and so
on as may be required, by this plan I can ensure the best finish to any knitted articles
as regards selvidges and narrowings and perfect freedom from bulk at the seams and
joininga
There are several well known ways of making holes, or open work knitted fabric
such as in the ordinary machine used for making lace aukles, or in the top machine
used in the fancy hosiery trade, or by using a warp machine in conjunction with a top
carrier by any of which processes an infinite variety of holes or open work can be
produced: obi
My invention is the application of holes, or open work in places which have hitherto
been produced with ordinary plain or ribbed fabric in knitted hosiery articles, also for
shirts, under vests and other under clothing these holes can be made wherever it is
found desirable for instance in the arm pits of shirts, or vests, or in the gussets or
fork of drawers or pants. Or I may make the whole of a garment for under wear of
this open work fabric or to any extent that it may hereafter be found desirable.
Holes have been made for marking socks, stockings and the like to denote size,
quality or ornamentation only; but my plan is to give ventilation and keep a quantity
of warm air about the body.
"

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
the Manufacture of Hosiery
such as Stockings, Socks, Shirts, Pants, or other Articles of
Underwear.
Improvements in and relating to
I, WILLIAM BROWN of No. 9 Charles Street Leicester in the county of Leicester,
Hosiery and Glove Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
i
This invention consists of improvements in and relating to the manufacture of
hosiery such as stockings, socks, shirts, pants or other articles of underwear and refers
to the making of open work knitted fabric in conjunction with plain or ribbed fabrics
for stockings, socks, pants or drawers and other articles described to be worn as under
garments for men, women and children for the purpose hereinafter referred to.
That my invention may be well understood reference is made to the drawings
accompanying this specification in which
Figure 1. is a side view of a ribbed stocking A, knitted 2 and 1, having the lower
part of the heel and under the foot, also over the toes open work, the holes being
distinguished by the dots, B.
Figure 2. is a side view of a plain knitted stocking, A, the lower part of the heel
and under the foot, and over the toes being knitted with the holes, B, in accordance
with this invention.
Figure 3. is a side view of a plain knitted half hose, A, the whole of the leg and
foot of which is knitted with open work, B.
Figure 4. is a cut off view of a knitted vest, A, with the open work B let in, or
knitted in at the breast a¹ and under the arm pits.
Figure 5. is a cut off view of a shirt, A or it may represent a guernsey which are
worn in playing football, cricket or other athletic exercises, made of loop knitted
fabric, the open work B, being under the arms, but the whole of the article may be
made the saine.
Figure 6. is a cut off view of a pair of pants, or under drawers, A, showing the open
work B, when applied to the fork, between the legs.
Figure 7. is a diagrammatic view of a piece of fabric A, knitted 3 and 2 rib, suitable
for knickerbocker or bicycling.stockings and the like, with the holes, B, hereinafter
again alluded to.
Figure 8. is another view of a piece of fabric knitted 2 and 1 rib, with the
holes, B.
Figure 9. is a view of a piece of warp knitted fabric A, with the holes, B, herein-
after explained.
It is well known that the ordinary method of making stockings, socks, and the like
whether plain or ribbed, or open worked in the leg or ankles is that they are heeled
and footed with close knitted fabric, and ribbed goods footed with plain fabric, that
is to say in all the goods for covering the feet the heel and underside of the foot
and over the toes are plain work.
I reverse this order of things by this invention, the leg may be either plain,
ribbed or open lace knitted fabric, but I heel and foot them with open work at the
lower part of the heel, under the foot and over the toes, so that the perspiration may
escape and not be absorbed by the foot of the stocking or sock, which is the case in
all ordinary hosiery goods now made.
By having the open work in the manner described a volume of warm air is kept
between the foot and sole of the boot or shoe and maintaining thereby an even
temperature for the foot.
The holes, or open work fabrio can be made in various ways, the ordinary way
which I preferably employ in any straight bar knitting machine; or parallel bed
knitting machine is that when the desired number of ordinary knitted courses have
been worked the loop of any one needle is taken off and transferred to the next one

page_text: adjacent, leaving holes in the fabric as illustrated in the several figures of the drawings.
I may leave the loop upon more than one, or may be two, or more needles before
transferring in the same course that the holes can be made at any required distance
from each other, or the position of the holes chauged in each course, after the
course or courses of the open work is completed I then knit one, two or more
courses of ordinary knitting in either ribbed or plain work and then shift the
thread as before described in the course or courses desired and produce the open
work fabric in making wrought or fashioned goods by this plau the best finish to
any knitted articles' as regards selvidges and narrowings is insured and perfect
freedom from bulky seams and joinings. The bit of 3 and 2 ribbed fabric shown in
figure 7..is made in this manner and is suitablo for all articles, or suits for Athletic
games and exercises.
In making the lace holes or opeu work in 2 and 1 ribbed fabric as shown in
figures 1 and 8. the loop is shifted to the right from one plain needle to the one
adjacent, then miss two frame needles, and so on until the course is finished. There
are several well known ways of making holes or open work knitted fabric besides―
the one described accomplished in ordinary knitting machines or frames used for
making lace ankles, or in a top machine used in the fancy hosiery trade, or by
using in a warp machine a top carrier wherein a number of warp threads are
employed a piece of this fabric being illustrated in figure 9 of the drawings, when
the vertical warp threads D, have been laid on to every alternate machine needle in a
course, a course or courses of the ordinary knitting thread C, is then knitted across,
and the holes B, or open work fabric as shown is made, this fabric can only be made
into hosiery articles that do not require narrowings inasmuch that the selvige edge is
rough and requires cutting away before the edges can be seamed up, this kind of open
work is best suited for bodices or shirts, or if I take a tubular piece of knitted fabric
made upon a circular knitting machine plain or ribbed I can foot them with this open
work by cutting out to the shape required the piece to form the underside of the foot
for cut out goods.
Or I may take a piece of tubular kuitted fabric and run on the heel with the open
work in a straight, or parallel bar knitting machine or frame and foot them and so
make a wrought foot and seamless leg in a stocking.
By any of the aforesaid processes an infinite variety of holes or open work can be
produced. It will be well understood that the object of this invention is the application
of holes or open work in places which have hitherto been produced with ordinary
plain or ribbed fabric in knitted hosiery articles.
The holes may be made in the manner specified wherever it is found desirable in
shirts, undervests, Cricket, Aquatic or Gymnastic suits, or any articles of under-
clothing for example as illustrated in figures 4 and 5, in the arm pits, or as seen in
figure 6 in the gussets or fork of drawers, pants, and the like.
I may also make the whole of a garment for under wear of this open work knitted
fabric, or to any extent that it may be found desirable.
It is well known that holes have been made for marking socks, stockings and the
like but merely for the purpose to denote size, quality or ornamentation, but my
plan is to give ventilation and keep a quantity of warm air about the body in the
manner as herein illustrated and described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is -
1. In the manufacture of hosiery in straight bar knitting machines, or frames, the
combination of the ordinary plain or ribbed fabric with lace hole or open work, for the
purpose as shown and described.
2. In the manufacture of knitted hosiery articles for underwear the combination of
the ordinary plain or ribbed work and the lace hole or open work fabric arranged in
the manner and for the purpose bereinbefore referred to.

page_text: 3. The combination of tubular knitted fabric either plain or ribbed cut to form the
leg and instep and footed with the lace holes or open work fabric upon a straight ba
knitting frame in the manner described.
4. The manufacture of knitted hosiery articles such as stockings, socks, shirts, pants
or suits, all in the manner and for the purpose substantially as herein before described
and set forth.
Dated this 14th day of Juno Das thousand night hande
nated this Lith day of June One thousand eight hundred and eighty nine.
The
"
WILLIAM BESTWICK MAXFIELD,
Central "Patent Office, No. 19, Bowling Green Street, Leicester,
Agent for the Applicant.