Improvements in the Manufacture of Hosiery.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Mar., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Dec., 1890-Accepted, 10th Jan., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Hosiery.
I, HENRY BRIGHT ASHFORD of 20 Marlow Road, South Penge Park, in the County
of Kent, Commercial Traveller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to bo
as follows:-
=
According to this invention I make the heels or ankles and heels and it may be the
feet of two thicknesses of material-I proceed as follows:-
The leg of the hose down to the place where the thickening of the ankle is to
commence is knitted in the usual way. I also knit separately two pieces of fabric
which are to form the thickening for the ankle and heel. The loops along the upper
edges of these are put on to the needles with which the hose is being knitted and the
knitting is proceeded with and they are thus secured to the leg and are then held out
of the way while the knitting proceeds. When the leg and heel have been completed
and the stocking is turned off and transferred to other needles to produce the sole of
the foot the lower part of the side edges of the thickening pieces, as well as the side
edges of the heel of the hose, aro placed upon the needles, and the knitting of the sole
proceeded with, so that both edges are secured together and to the sole the knitting
is then completed in the usual manner.
If the foot also is to be double one edge of a separately knitted piece which is
to form the thickening is run on to the needles at the time of commencing to forin
the sole of the foot piece and so is attached as above described.
When the knitting is finished the hose is sewn up in the usual manner, one side
edge of each thickening piece being sewn at the back of the heel to the edges of the
hose where they are joined at the back of the leg whilst the other side edges of the
thickening pieces are sewn to the leg at about the middle of its two sides.
In order to prevent the latter seams from being so prominent I prefer to make
the hose with what is known as a split heel, in which case the edges of the thickening
pieces are secured along the seams thus produced.
Dash: 14th
L 1400
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Hosiery.
I, HENRY BRIGHT ASHFORD of 20 (now 55) Marlow Road, South Penge Park, in
the County of Kent, Commercial Traveller, 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 :-
According to this invention 1 make the heels or ankles and heels and it may be the
feet of two thicknesses of material-I proceed as follows:-
The leg of the hose down to the line A¹ & Figure 1 where the thickening of the ankle
is to commence is knitted in the usual way. I also knit separately two pieces of
fabric A B C D and a bed which are to form the thickening for the ankle and heel.
The loops along the upper edges A B and ab of these are put on to the needles
with which the hose is being knitted and the knitting is proceeded with and they
are thus secured to the leg on the lines A B¹ and a band are then held out of the
way while the knitting proceeds. When the leg and heel and instep have been
completed the edges DC, D¹ C, e d and c¹ d are seamed together as shown in
Figure 2, and the stocking is transferred to other needles for the sole of the foot to
be knitted on to it. The lower parts E D and e c of the side edges of the thickening
TU 11

page_text: pieces, as well as E' D' and 'c' of the side edges of the heel of the hose, are placed
upon the needles, and the knitting on of the sole proceeded with, so that both elges
are secured together and to the sole as represented in Figure 2.
If the foot also is to be double one lge of a separately knitted piece which is
to form the thickening is run on to the needles at the time of commencing to
knit the sole of the foot piece and so is attached as above described. In place of
making the pieces A B (JD) and a bed on a separate machine as above describe!
they may be made on the same machine. In this case the stocking is worked in
the ordinary way un'il the line A'' is reached a slack course is then made the
needle bar is thrown out of work, and a separate bar is booked into the slack
course. The needle bar is then thrown into work again and the work proceeds until
it reaches the top of the heel the beeling carrier is then put in work and works
to the end, when it is pressed off-this finishes the outer or first heel.
The separate bar, which was attached, is then used for placing the slack course
on the needle bar, the frame is put in motion and the heel is worked through to the
end and pressed off.
When the knitting is finished the hose is seamed up in the usual manner down
the back of the leg one side alge of each heel thickening piece being at the same
time seamed in at the back of the heel to the edges of the hose where they are joined ;
whilst the other side edges of the upper part of these thickening pieces where they
are thickening the ankle are sewn by hand down to the leg at about the middle
of its two sides and so held down neatly to these sides. The side edges of the heel
and the solo pieces are run on together in the usual way.
Figures 3 and 4 are silo and back views of the finished hose the shading indicating
the places where the fabric is double at the heel. Figure 5 is a side view of the
finished hose when both the sole and heel are made of double fabric.
In order to prevent the seams B' E' a' from being prominent I sometimes make
the bose with what is known as a split heel, in which casu the edges of the thickening
pieces are secured along the seams thus produced just in the same way that the
remainder of the edges are secured along other seallis.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my suid inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The manufacture of hose and half hose with the ankles and heels or the ankles
and heels and underside of the feet made of two separate and distinct pieces of
fabric and seamed together at their edges and with the edge of the ankle thickening
pieces sewn by hand to the leg at about the middle of its sides substantially as
described.
2. The manufacture of hose and half hose with double heels or heels and feet
substantially as herein before described.
Dated thin and day of December 1800