Improvements in Stockings.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Jan., 1899-Accepted, 4th Feb., 1899
Improvements in Stockings.
I, JOHN FRANKLIN NELSON, of Rockford, in the County of Winnebago, and
State of Illinois, U.S.A., Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:--
According to the invention herein described I have provided a machine-
made ribbed top knit stocking without seam throughout. Heretofore when
ribbed top stockings have been made on circular knitting machines it has
been customary to first knit a ribbed top on one machine, then transfer
the ribbed top to another machine and then continue knitting thereon to
complete the article, but the stocking thus made is not finished, as it invariably
has an opening at the toe which must be closed by hand or by a separate machine.
In making ribbed top stockings on straight or parallel row machines the ribbed
tops and the other portions of the stockings are knit on separate machines and
are joined by seams made by a third machine.
In the accompanying drawings-
Figure 1 is an elevation of a sock embodying my improvements;
Figure 2 is a diagram showing the manner in which the ribbed top of the sock
is joined to the body portion thereof and in which the two sides of the ribbed
top are joined to each other.
In knitting my improved sock the "set-up" is formed on the line aa, and the
toe is knit by a series of courses in order forming a series of wales, 1,2,3, etc.,
until the knitting is completed from to . After the toe is completed the
foot is formed by a series of courses forming a series of wales, 5, 6, 7, etc., until
the knitting is completed from the line to the line y-y', where the heel
commences. The heel is formed as heretofore by knitting a series of courses
forming a series of wales, 10, 11, 12, etc., from the line y-y to the line z-z³, and
the leg of the stocking is knit by a series of courses forming a series of
wales, 15, 16, 17, etc., until the line 10¹ is reached. The toe is knit by one
row of needles, such as the back row, the foot portion is knit by both rows of
needles, the heel is knit by the back row, and the leg is knit by both rows of
needles.
It will be observed that the wales are continuous throughout the sock, not only
in the tor, foot, heel and leg portion, but also in the rib and at the joint of the
rib with the leg. By this arrangement the stocking is made elastic, and there
are no seams or ridges which would be produced if the wales were broken.
.
A single yarn may be used to knit the toe, foot, leg and heel, or different colored
yarns may be used, for instance, white yarn may be employed to knit the toe and
heel and blue yarn to knit the foot and the leg, it being perfectly practicable
to change the yarns without leaving openings or otherwise marring the texture
of the goods. In knitting the toe and the foot no opening is left between them
as is the case when socks are knit on circular machines, but the toe is joined to
the foot in the process of knitting by interlocking loops. In fact, there is no
opening left in any part of the sock, the knitting needles being so operated as
to properly form and join loops in such manner as to produce a uniform fabric.

page_text: Figure 2 shows the manner in which the ribbed top is joined to the body portion
of the sock. A indicates the body portion of the sock, and BB the two sides or
parts of the ribbed top. The section of the fabric shown in Fig. 2 is supposed to
be taken out of the sook within the lines 7, as indicated in Fig. 1. The ribbed top
in my improved suck is most conveniently made by two separate yarns. The
yarn a of the body portion of the sock is indicated in Fig. 2 by parallel lines and
cross shading. The yarn b of one side of the ribbed top is indicated by parallel
liues with white centers, while the yarn c of the other side of the ribbed top is
indicated by parallel lines and parallel shading.
It will be observed that the first course of loops in the ribbed top are joined
on to the last course of loops in the body portion by the regular or usual method
of joining loops. Each alternate loop of the ribbing passes over the end portion
of a loop in the body, while each other alternate loop of the ribbing passes under
the end portion of a loop in the body. This is the usual way of producing ribbed
work and throughout the ribbed top the loops are alternately arranged in the
manner just described.
The manner of joining the two sides or two parts of the ribbed top is indicated
in the central portion of Fig. 2. This joint is of peculiar and novel formation.
In Fig. 1 the joint between the two parts of the ribbed top on one side is indi-
cated at o. There is a joint directly opposite to that shown in the drawings, and
the manner of forming both joints is the same as that indicated in Fig. 2. The
thread 6 for forming the ribbed fabric on one side is curried back and forth to
form a series of loops, as indicated on the left hand side of Fig. 2.
There is nothing peculiar in the manner of forming the loops in the main body
of this fabric, but there is a peculiarity in the manner of turning the yarn at
each end of the ribbed fabric. For instance, following the first line of loops .b
in Fig. 2, namely, that one which joins the last or top line of loops in the body
portion A, it will be observed that the yarn passes to the right and when it comes
to the loop L it first passes over the end portion thereof, forms a loop M, then
passes over the portion ? again, then under the right hand side portion of the
loop L, then back again under the side portion of the loop M formed by it
(thread b), then over the end portion of the loop L, and then the thread & continues
to form loops towards the left hand side of the fabric, as shown in Fig. 2. It will
be observed that the thread b forms a small side or selvage loop N at the right
hand end of the part B of the fabric. There are similar side or selvage loops N
at one end of each course of knitting in the ribbed portion B.
The left hand end of the portion B₁ of the ribbed fabric is joined to the right
hand end of the portion B in the following manner: The threads are made to
forin loops which are joined to the body portion A and to each other, as heretofore
described and in the usual way, to form ribs, but at the left hand end of the
fabric B the threads are disposed in a peculiar manner. Following, for instance,
the first thread, e, namely, that just above the body portion, it will be seen that
it interlocks with the body loops in the usual way, but after it leaves the end
loop O the thread c passes under the sides of the loop L, then over one of the
yarns of the adjacent loop Q, then under one of the sides of the loop M, then
through the small side or selvage loop N, then across to the fabric B¹, and the
yarn is then led through the previously formed loops to form a new course of
loops. The several courses are made in this way throughout the fabric. The
opposite ends of the two portions of the ribbed top fabric are joined in the same
way. One portion of the ribbed top may have selvage loops N, at one end and
elongated loops P, at the opposite end, or one portion of the fabric may have
selvage loops at each end, while the other has elongated loops at its opposite ends.
The upper edge of the ribbed top may be finished in any suitable way, the opera-
tion of finishing this edge being very simple, and very quickly done.
So far as I am aware, I am the first to produce a machine-knit sock which is
without seam throughout, and which is provided with a ribbed top and also to
provide a sock in which the wales are continuous in the leg and ribbed top.

page_text: The machine for knitting my improved sock or stocking is described in an appli-
cation for patent filed by me simultaneously herewith.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A machine-knit completed sock or stocking having a ribbed top and formed
throughout its entire length without seam by uninterrupted knitted loops.
2. A machine-knit completed sock or stocking having a ribbed top and formed
throughout its entire length without seam by successive rows of uninterrupted
interlocking knitted loops.
3. A machine-knit sock or stocking having a ribbed top, and formed throughout
its entire length without seam by uninterrupted knitted loops which produce
wales that are continuous throughout the toe, foot, heel and leg, and which join
by knitted loops the ribbed top.
4. A machine-knit sock or stocking having a ribbed top and formed throughout
its entire length without seam by successive rows of uninterrupted interlocking
knitted loops which produce a series of wales which are continuous throughout the
toe, foot, heel, leg and ribbed portion, the wales of the ribbed portion thereby
forming continuations of the wales of the leg portion without any break, ridge or
enlargement at the joint.
5. A machine-knit sock or stocking having a ribbed top and formed throughout
its entire length without scam by uninterrupted knitted loops which produce wales in
the leg and ribbed top that are continuous and without break or interruption at
the joint of the leg with the ribbed top.
Dated this 17th day of December 1898.