An Improved Knitted Stocking and Method of Forming same.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Mar., 1890-Accepted, 5th Apr., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Knitted Stocking and Method of Forming same.
A communication from abroad by THE WILCOMB KNITTING MACHINE COMPANY, of
Jersey City, New Jersey, United States of America.
I, PHILIP MIDDLETON JUSTICE of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane in the County of
Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, 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 :-
a
The invention which is the subject of the following specification relates to the
manufacture of tubular knit stockings, and seeks to improve the article and and
also to facilitate the manufacture of the same. The knitting is performed on
straight knitting machine provided with transfer points, such as described in the
specification of British Letters Patent No. 13013 dated the 12th of October 1886.
In the method hereinafter described eleven transfer points are used on each side
of the machine at one end in the narrowing of the leg and foot, and the same number
of points on each side at both ends in the narrowing of the toe. For convenience of
illustration the stocking is hereinafter described as made of a, definite number of
stitches, but the number of points and number of stitches is of course a matter which
is not material to the invention.
In order that the invention may be fully understood the detached stocking is shown
in the accompanying drawings, as well as the series of stockings connected to each
other as made. In these drawings
Fig. 1 represents a rear view of the detached stocking with the foot extended.
Fig. 2 represents a stocking in side elevation.
Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive show cross sections of the stocking outlines marked on Fig. 2
with the respective numbers of these sectional figures.
Fig. 7 represents in side elevation a series of the stockings as they come from the
machine before they are separated..
The stocking is begun at the top of the leg with one hundred and ninety two
(192) stitches, and is knit continuously in tubular form down to, the lines & where
the narrowing begins for the ankle. At this line the stocking is narrowed by one
stitch for each narrowing at desired intervals, and is continued until there have been
thirty two (32) narrowings in each row, thus reducing the circumference in the
section shown in Fig. 4 to one hundred and twenty eight (128) stitches, this being
the narrowest part of the ankle. It will be understood that in the use of a series
of transfer points, for narrowing the circumference, the stitches are transferred from
one needle to the other leaving the outer needle of each row inactive and empty
while the needle on each side in advance of the position of the inner transfer point
of each set receives the first loop transferred from the adjacent needle, making two
loops held by the needle and the point where the narrowing is effected, this being at
the inner ends of the sets of transfer points, which has the effect in the completed
stocking of leaving a series of wales or lines of knitting in the centre of the stocking
back in line with the regular lines of knitting, the number of these lines of knitting
depending upon the number of transfer points used. Thus when the stocking is
completed in accordance with this invention there are a series of wales or lines of
knitting extending continuously (and unbroken except at the heel and toe) from
the top of the stocking to the toe along the rear of the leg and the sole of the foot,
and a short distance on the upper side of the foot, while the lines of narrowing at
the ankle, gusset, and toe, appear on the margins of the continuous wales. It will
be observed that the narrowing for the ankle is only at one end of the two rows of
stitches, at what constitutes the back of the stocking leg.
At the line y―y is the beginning of the heel,

page_text: This is formed by dropping stitches from a sufficient number of needles on one
side of the machine which makes a break from the back of the leg to about the
middle thereof, the stitches on the front being left on the needles. After dropping
the loops from the needles the work is immediately set up again, and this leaves the
stocking at this line half severed on the back. Instead of dropping the stitchos
from the needles as above described the knitting may be continued and the heel
opening may be formed by cutting on the same line and with the same depth as
that of the gap formed by the dropping of the stitches above described.
If the knitting is continuous, or when the work is set up again on the needles a
few rounds are knit straight, and then the transfer points are again brought into
action, eleven on each side of the machine at one end as before, and the stocking at
this point is narrowed six times on each side which reduces the circumference by
twelve stitches. This forms the gusset, and the wales between the narrowings are
still at the back and in a central line, and the narrowing stitches are on each side on
the bottom of the foot when the foot is turned up to its proper position as shown in
Fig. 2.
The foot is then knit in the form of a tube to the line 2-2 without
narrowing. As the twelve stitches are taken out, this tubular part which forms the
foot is one hundred and sixteen (116) stitches in circumference. At the line 2-2
the narrowing for the toe commences. This narrowing is on both bottom and top of
the foot and has wales alike between the narrowings formed by the use of eleven
transfer points on each side of the machine and at each end of the needle rows.
foot is narrowed eighteen (18) times on as many rounds of knitting at each end
of each of the rows of needles. This reduces the circumference of the foot to forty
four (44) stitches, the number of the transfer points, and at this point the knitting
ceases.
The
Immediately all the needles originally used are brought into work again, and the
machine commences the knitting of the second stocking, which is continued in pre-
cisely the same manner as described above, and so on throughout the whole series as
long as may be convenient. In the method described transfer points are used on
each side of the machine at one end for the narrowing of the leg and gusset, and at
both ends of the machine at each side for the narrowing of the toe, and a series of
wales or lines of stitches with the narrowing on each side thereof will thereby be
formed in the narrowed portions at the back of the stocking which extend as a con-
tinuation of a corresponding number of wales or stitches in the part of the stocking
above the narrowed portion, down to the toe and for a short distance up the front side,
a break occurring between the end of the ankle portion and the under part of the foot
portion where the heel is inserted, and also at the toe opening where the parts are
brought together and stitched.
When however the heel portion is formed by cutting into the seamless blank the
break referred to will not occur during the knitting operation. When a series of
stockings are thus knit in a continuous piece, and by a continuous operation they may
be severed at a point between the toe of one and the top of the leg of another, and
the opening in the toe of each stitched in any convenient manner. A portion of the
upper edge of the stocking including the severed part is turned in and stitched to
form a hem.
The heel piece bounded by the lines m, n, o, p, is knit separately and may be con-
nected by the edges thereof to the stocking proper on the line of the heel opening or
in any manner known to those skilled in the art.
A stocking made according to this invention presents a seamless fashioned article
with an unbroken rear surface with simply three sets of narrowings in line and to
one side of the central rear line of the stocking, these narrowings being respectively
at the ankle, gusset, and toe.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The hereinbefore described method of knitting stockings, consisting in knitting

page_text: the first stocking from the top to the toe and shaping by the transfer of stitches;
then bringing into operation the original number of needles without dropping the
stitches from the toe of the first stocking to form the leg of the next stocking; then
knitting the next stocking in like manner, and repeating the same order of operation
as desired, whereby a plurality of stockings are produced connected lengthwise; then
severing the series and finally completing the stocking by inserting the heel and
closing the opening at the toe of each, substantially as described.
2. The herein before described method of knitting stockings, consisting in knitting
a straight tubular leg, then narrowing by transferring a number of stitches on each
side of one end of the row of needles, then knitting straight upon the ankle; again
narrowing to form gussets by transferring stitches in the same line with the previous
narrowings, again knitting straight to form the foot, then narrowing at both ends
of the rows of knitting to form the toe, bringing the original number of needles into
work to form another stocking, and repeating the same order of operation as desired,
then severing the stocking blanks from each other, and finally completing the stockings
by inserting the heel and closing the opening at the toe of each.
3. A knit tubular stocking having a fashioned seamless leg and foot with a con-
tinuous line of wales or stitches running the length of the stocking in the back, the
sole of the foot, and a portion of the upper side of the foot, with lines of narrowings
on the margin thereof.
4. A knit tubular stocking having a fashioned seamless leg and foot, and a con-
tinuous line of wales or stiches on the rear with lines of narrowings on the margins
of the continuous lines, substantially as described.
Dated this 4th day of March 1890
PHILIP M. JUSTICE.