Improvements in or relating to the Manufacture of Stockings and Socks.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Mar., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 13th Dec., 1897-Accepted, 5th Mar., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Manufacture of Stockings and
Socks.
We, ROBERT ROWLEY, WILLIAM ANGRAVE BURCHNALL and THOMAS STIRK
ROWLEY, trading as R. Rowley & Co., of Queen Street, Leicester, Hosiery Manu-
facturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of stockings and socks, either rib or
plain, upon rotary or straight bar knitting frames and embodies improvements
the nature of which is hereinafter set forth.
The stocking or sock forming the subject of the present invention, may, so far
as the leg is concerned, be of the wrought or fully fashioned type, and as regards
the foot, it comprises what is known as a seamless or Niantic" heel, a fashioned
gusset and a fully fashioned toe.
66
The production of our improved stocking or sock may be carried out upon a
straight bar knitting frame provided with self-acting covering points for the
transfer of loops from one needle to another, to narrow or shape the fabric as the
knitting proceeds.
.
Such a knitting frame is well exemplified in the "Cotton's" and is the one we
may use in the manufacture of our improved stockings and socks.
Upon the said frame we commence the knitting, by first forming the welt at the
top of the leg in the usual manner and then proceed to knit the leg upon a certain
predetermined number of needles, subsequently bringing into operation the narrow-
ing points to fashion or narrow the calf of the leg by transferring the stitches to
adjacent needles to narrow the fabric as will be understood.
The narrowing machine is then placed out of action and the seamless or Niantic
heeling tackle is next brought into operation to produce the seamless or Niantic
heel which consists of a pouch formed by knitting successive courses
upon a gradually decreasing number of needles until only a certain number
remain in action and then reversing the process and knitting successive courses
upon a gradually increasing number of needles until the whole of the needles
have again come into action.
The Niantic heeling tackle is then put out of action and the ordinary narrowing
mechanism is brought into work to fashion the gusset of the foot bottom and also
to fashion the toe by transferring loops, one or more at a time as desired after
which the foot may be seamed in the usual manner.
We do not confine ourselves to a fully fashioned leg, as if desired we may employ
a leg and instep produced upon a circular reversible knitting machine then transfer
it to a straight bar frame of the Cotton's type provided with the seamless or
Niantic heeling tackle and narrowing points and knit to such leg fabric the

page_text: Niantic heel, fashioned gusset and fashioned toe as hereinbefore referred to and
unite the toe and sides of the foot in the well known manner.
2
1 1807
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in or relating to the Manufacture of Stockings and
Socks.
We, ROBERT ROWLEY, WILLIAM ANGRAVE BURCHNALL and THOMAS STIRK
ROWLEY, trading as R. Rowley & Co., of Queen Street, Leicester, Hosiery Manu- 1
facturers, 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:
-
This invention relates to the manufacture of stockings and socks, either rib or
plain, upon rotary or straight bar knitting frames and embodies improvements
the nature of which is hereinafter set forth.
The stocking or sock forming the subject of the present invention, as regards the
leg, may be of the wrought or fully fashioned type, and as regards the foot, it
comprises what is known as a seamless or Niantic heel, a fashioned gusset and a
fully fashioned toe.
a
The production of our improved stocking or sock may be carried out upon
straight bar knitting frame provided with self-acting covering points for the
transfer of loops from one needle to another to narrow or shape the fabric as the
knitting proceeds.
Such a knitting frame is well exemplified in the "Cotton's" and is the one we
prefer to use in the manufacture of our improved stockings and socks. In the
annexed drawing a diagrammatic view of one of our improved stockings is shown,
the said stocking having a ribbed leg and instep and a plain fabric heel, foot
bottom and toe.
To produce a stocking or sock of the character hereinbefore described we employ
a'rib knitting frame of the type stated and commence by first forming the welt A
at the top of the leg in the usual manner.
We then proceed to knit the leg B upon a certain predetermined number of
needles variable according to whether it is women's, children's or men's goods to
be produced, the number of needles in any case being well understood by manu-
facturers, without further description.
Knitting then proceeds upon this number of needles, down to the finish B¹ of
the widest part of the leg.
The operator then brings into operation in the well understood manner the
narrowing points to fashion or narrow the calf of the leg which is effected by trans-
ferring the stitches to adjacent needles, then working a few courses and repeating
the operation to contract the fabric by narrowings Cas will be understood.
When the width of the fabric has been thus reduced to fit the ankle or narrower
part of the leg the narrowing machine is placed out of action and a number of
courses upon this reduced number of needles to produce the ankle D and a further
number of courses upon a still further reduced number of needles to form the
instep E are knitted in the usual manner.
The ribbed leg and instep fabric thus knitted is then removed from the ri
frame and the loops at the bottom D¹ of the ankle are transferred to the needles

page_text: 66
of a plain frame of similar type, viz: a Cotton's" provided with the seamless
or Niantic heeling tackle, an accessory apparatus of the said frame. The said
tackle is then brought into operation to produce the seamless or Niantic heel which
as is well understood consists of a pouch F formed by knitting successive courses
upon a gradually decreasing number of needles until only a certain number remain
in action, half of the heel being thus formed.
The process is then reversed and successive courses knitted upon a gradually
increasing number of needles until the whole of the needles have again come into
action, when the heel will be completed.
The Niantic heeling tackle is then put out of action and the ordinary narrowing
mechanism is again brought into work to fashion at G¹ the edges or gusset of the
foot bottom G as the knitting of the latter proceeds and also to fashion the toe by
transferring loops, one or more at a time to narrow it as desired.
In the stocking shown the toe is made in two halves or parts H H¹ and seamed
at H
The first half of the toe is made as a continuation of the foot bottom G and
fashioned by narrowings H and removed from the needles at the point H².
The loops at the end E¹ of the instep E are then placed upon the needles and the
second half H¹ of the toe knitted and fashioned at intervals by narrowings H.
The two ends are then seamed at H2 and the sides of the instep E and foot bottom G
are seamed along the line G2.
In making an all plain fabric stocking or sock the leg and instep fabric would
not necessarily require to be transferred to another frame to have the foot knitted
thereto. These latter kind of stocking, are however not in such demand as the one
described herein and shown in the drawing.
We do not confine ourselves to a fully fashioned leg, as if desired we may employ
a tubular leg and instep produced upon a circular reversible knitting machine and
upon the same number of needles throughout, and then transfer it to a straight
har frame of the "Cotton's" type provided with the seamless or Niantic heeling
tackle and narrowing points, to knit to such leg fabrics the Niantic heel, fashioned
gusset and fashioned toe as hereinbefore referred to and unite the toe and sides of
the foot in the well known manner.
Although as a general rule we prefer to employ a fashioned gusset in the foot
bottom, we may omit such gusset in certain of the cheaper classes of goods when
desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. A stocking or sock produced upon a straight bar knitting frame and con-
sisting of a fashioned leg, a seamless pouch or Niantic heel, a fashioned gusset on
the foot bottom and a fashioned toe substantially as described.
2. A stocking or sock consisting of a circular or tubular leg knitted upon the
same number of needles throughout upon a circular knitting machine, and a
seamless pouch or Niantic heel, a fashioned gusset on the foot bottom and a
fashioned toe knitted upon a straight bar knitting frame substantially as described.
3. The improvements in stockings and socks produced upon straight bar knitting
frames of the type specified, and in the manner substantially as hereinbefore
described.
4. The process of knitting stockings and socks upon, straight bar knitting
frames of the character specified which consists in first knitting the welt and leg
upon a predetermined number of needles; narrowing the calf by the usual narrow-
ing machine, then knitting a pouch or seamless heel, by the Niantic heeling
mechanism, then narrowing the gusset of the foot bottom and also the toe by the
first named narrowing machine substantially as described.
5. The process of manufacturing a stocking or sock with a fashioned leg, a
fashioned foot bottom gusset and a fashioned toe and a Niantic or pouch heel upon

page_text: a
straight bar knitting frame of the type specified, substantially
described.
1007
as hereinbefore
Ba
Witness:-
E. N. LEWIS,
Berridge Street Chambers,
Leicester.
W. A. BURCHNALL.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicants.