Improvements in or relating to Circular Seamless Fashioned Ribbed Stockings and Socks and other Knitted Ribbed Articles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Circular Seamless Fashioned Ribbed
Stockings and Socks and other Knitted Ribbed Articles.
We, WILLIAM SPIERS and THOMAS SCOTT GRIEVE, of Queen Street, Leicester,
Hosiery Machine Builders, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to knitted ribbed goods and its object is to improve the
fashioning of the same.
The invention is designed principally, though not exclusively, to improve
the shaping of the legs of circular seamless ribbed stockings, but it is also
applicable to the fashioning of other circular seamless ribbed articles.
A circular seamless ribbed stocking constructed according to this invention,
consists, so far as the leg is concerned, of two different kinds of ribs, one part of
the fabric, viz. that at the back of the leg, being in the form of a gusset, which
is removed by the gradual reduction of the ribs in the gusset until, when the
narrow part of the leg is reached, the whole circle of the fabric is of the same kind
of rib.
As an illustration, the leg may be formed at its upper part of 2/1 ribbed fabric at
the front, and of 1/1 ribbed fabric at the back, the latter in the completed stocking
having the appearance of a gusset.
This combination of fabric may continue down to the point where the fashion-
ing commences, which may be effected by removing one of the ribs on each side of
the 1/1 rib gusset, working a few courses between, and then removing a further
pair of ribs until every alternate rib has been removed and the fabric at the ankle
or narrow part of the leg assumes a 2/1 rib all round the circumference of the
stocking.
The fashionings are effected during the knitting of the fabric by removing
alternate needles from the dial or ribber and transferring the loop to the next
frame needle until the full complement of needles assumes the arrangement to
produce the 2/1 fabric.
The next stocking or sock made on the machine might be made in the reverse
way, first the toe, then the foot and heel and next the leg piece.
Other combinations of ribs than those hereinbefore described may be employed
the smaller combinations of ribs being at the back of the fabrics.
Gussets formed as hereinbefore described may be employed at each side of the
foot to fashion it, and other ribbed articles may also be fashioned in a similar
manner.
1000

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Circular Seamless Fashioned Ribbed
Stockings and Socks and other Knitted Ribbed Articles.
We, WILLIAM SPIERS and THOMAS SCOTT GRIEVE, of Queen Street, Leicester,
Hosiery Machine Builders, 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 knitted ribbed fabrics and its object is to improve the
fashioning of the same.
The invention is designed principally, though not exclusively, to improve
the shaping of the legs of circular seamless ribbed stockings, but it is also
applicable to the fashioning of other circular seamless ribbed articles.
A circular seamless ribbed stocking constructed according to this invention,
consists, so far as the leg is concerned, of two different kinds of ribs, one part of
the fabric, viz. that at the back of the leg, being in the form of a gusset, which
is removed by the gradual reduction of the ribs in the gusset until, when the
narrow part of the leg.is reached, the whole circle of the fabric is of the same kind
of rib.
The leg may be formed at its upper part of, for example, 2/1 ribbed fabric at
the front, and of 1/1 ribbed fabric at the back, the latter in the completed stocking
having the appearance of a gusset.
This combination of fabric may be continued down to the point where it is
necessary to commence the fashioning, which may be effected by removing one of
the ribs on each side of the 1/1 rib gusset, working a few courses between, and
removing a further pair of ribs, repeating this process until every alternate rib
from the gusset has been removed, when the fabric at the ankle or narrow part of
the leg will assume a 2/1 rib all round the circumference of the stocking."
These fashionings are effected during the knitting of the fabric by removing
alternate ribbing needles from the dial or ribber and transferring the loop to the
next frame needle until the full complement of needles assumes the arrangement
to produce the 2/1 fabric.
The next stocking or sock made on the machine may if desired be made in the
reverse way, first the toe, then the foot and heel and next the leg piece.
Other combinations of ribs than those herein before described may be employed,
the smaller combinations of ribs being at the back of the leg or fabric.
Gussets formed as hereinbefore described may be employed at each side of the
foot to fashion it, and other ribbed articles such as sleeves may also be fashioned
in a similar manner.
The invention will be understood from the following further description in
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 represents a part of a leg of a stocking, cut open lengthwise and laid
out in the flat, constructed in accordance with this invention, and
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same leg, before being cut open.
In the example illustrated, the upper part of the leg is made of two-and-one
rib fabric A, except at the back where it is made of one-and-one rib fabric B,
the needles in the knitting machine being so disposed that two frame or cylinder
needles alternate with one ribbing needle or dial needle to produce A and one
frame or cylinder needle alternates with one ribbing or dial needle to produce B as
will be understood.
This combination of ribs is continued down to the point where the fashioning
of the leg commences, when a rib C on each side of the one-and-one rib part is

page_text: removed. This is effected by taking out of the knitting machine a corresponding
ribbing needle and transferring the loop thereon to the next adjacent frame
needle.
Several courses are then knitted and two more ribs D are taken out by removing
a similar number of ribbing needles, this process being repeated until the whole
of the alternate ribs in the one-and-one rib part is removed and the complete
circle or width of fabric assumes a uniform two-and-one rib A, and the fabric
reduced in width correspondingly for the narrow part of the leg.
This has the effect of leaving a gusset of one-and-one rib fabric in the upper
part of the leg where the greatest width is required.
The part E represents the plain fabric of the upper portion of the heel.
The latter and the remaining parts of the article may be made in the. well
known manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. A ribbed knitted fabric consisting of two different combinations of ribs
fashioned by the removal at intervals of ribs from one of the combinations until
the whole fabric assumes the same uniform combination of ribs substantially
as described.
2. A circular seamless fashioned knitted ribbed stocking or sock the leg of
which consists of two different combinations of ribs arranged substantially in
the manner and for the purpose described and illustrated with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
3. A circular seamless knitted ribbed stocking or sock the upper part of the
leg of which is provided with a gusset of a different combination of ribs from the
other part of the leg, the said gusset being gradually eliminated from the leg
by the removal of ribs at intervals of several courses in the fabric as and for the
purpose described.
4. The improved fashioned ribbed stockings and socks having legs manufactured
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 15th day of June 1900
Witness:-
E. N. LEWIS,
Berridge Street Chambers, Leicester.
WILLIAM SPIERS.
THOMAS SCOTT GRIEVE,
Boult, Wade & Kilburn,
Agents for the Applicants.