A Right and Left Knitting Needle.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 28th Nov., 1896
A Right and Left Knitting Needle.
GEORGE FREDERICK STURGESS Hosiers Engineer of Overdale Leicester in the
County of Leicester 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 :-
The object of this invention is to provide a needle that will by virtue of its
construction, give its own loop a side turn from the knitting line, and facilitate the
linking of one loop around two needles, in order to avoid holes or menders in the
fabric, at the point of incorporation or withdrawal of a needle.
It consists of a right and left stemmed needle having a knitting stem on the right,
and a loop-linking stem on the left side of its longitudinal axis, constructed in a
manner, that the said needle in sliding through the loop will first turn the loop
to a side line, then carry in forward into position for linking on to an adjacent
needle.
The invention further consists of cutting away the back of the needle to a
knife edge, at a point level with the longitudinal line of travel of a rib needle, in
order that when a hook collides with a stem, the needles may be guided off each other
sideways.
The invention also consists of thinning some part of the needle stem between the
foot and the latch in order that the needles when engaged with each other, will yield
sideways.
The nature features and scope of my invention will be fully understood by the
specification.
The original drawings are on an enlarged scale.
•
Figs. 1 and 2 are views in elevation of a plain needle shewing the knife edge at 11,
to guide the rib needle off sideways should a rib and plain needle collide. The
position of the knife edge varies slightly in a right and left needle, owing to the
curved construction of the stems.
Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of a plain needle shewing the stem thinned at 8, to
allow the needle to yield sideways when engaged with a rib needle.
Fig. 4 is a plan view of the upper face of a rib needle with the hook to the
observer, having the knitting stem 4 on the right side, and the linking stem 5 on the
left side.
Fig. 5 is a view in elevation shewing a horizontal rib needle with a loop on
its linking stem, and a vertical plain needle about to penetrate it in its upward
stroke.
Fig. 6 is a view in elevation shewing the loop baving been penetrated in the
upward stroke, linked around two needles, the said loop being large enough to
admit the whole hook of the plain needle in its upward stroke, as is the case in loose
fabric.
Fig. 7 is a view in elevation shewing a loop on the cross-bar 6 and how, when the
loop is too small to admit the whole of the hook, the needle rises up the side of the
loop, between the needle and its loop as is the case in tight fabric.
Fig. 8 is a view in elevation shewing how, after the needle has risen up the side of
the tight loop, the point of the hook penetrates the loop and links it up in its down-
ward stroke.
Figs. 9 and 10 are views in elevation shewing the loop of a plain needle on its
in

page_text: linking stem, and around an adjacent plain needle on the same plane, the said adjacent
needle having penetrated the loop.
Figs. 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 are front elevations, shewing the rib and plain
needles in position for knitting, (see full lines of rib hooks) and after the hook of the
rib needle has received and is receding with the loop, (see hooks in dotted lines).
Fig. 16. is a side elevation, Fig. 17 a plan of the face, and Fig. 18 a plan of the
underside of a rib needle.
I may say in order to clearly show the working of the invention, it has been
necessary to draw the knitted loops on a very much enlarged scale, for whilst the
hook in its downward stroke, would penetrate and pierce into a very small loop on
the linking stem, it would be impossible to demonstrate in this specification how the
loop was penetrated, unless the loop is drawn an abnormal size relative to the said
knitting stem.
Those needles having an arrow are supposed to be moving in the direction of the
arrow.
1 refer to the right and left stems when looking at the latch face of a needle lying
horizontally, with its book pointing towards me as seen in Fig. 4.
The longitudinal axis on the needle is represented by the dotted vertical line, as
seen in Fig. 11.
The right and left needle has the following usual parts, latch 1, hook 2, shoulder 3,
knitting stem 4, shank 7, foot 9, and pivot 10, also the following improved parts,
cross-bar 6, linking stem 5, thinned part 8, and knife edge 11.
Bar 6 is that part of the stem that crosses the axis and forms the junction of the
two stems, where the needle stem deviates from one line to another line, and at this
junction the width of the needle is greater than the width or gauge of the knitting
stem 4.
Stem 4 is the knitting stem and is the fore part of the needle, stem 5 is the loop-
linking stem and is in the rear of stem 4, although the two stems are on lines parallel
to each other, and situated on that part of the needle forward of the foot.
The needle is formed either out of steel of normal gauge by cramping to the
required shape, (see Figs. 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14,) or by cutting out of a steel
blank of greater width than the normal gauge, (see Figs. 15, 16, 17 and 18).
By this construction of needle the knitting stem 4 of one needle rides in the axis
line of a neighbouring needle and vice versa, and in the longitudinal travel of the
needle the adjacent needle can slide either in front of, or in the rear of the cross-
bar 6, and pass from right to left of the needle and vice versa.
When in front of the cross-bar 6 the adjacent plain needle would be sliding on the
left side of the rib needle, for the purpose of loop-building, and when in the rear of
the cross-bar 6, it would be sliding on the right side of the rib needle for the purpose
of loop-linking see Fig. 17.
To merely cut a piece out of the side of the stem of a needle of normal gauge,
will not allow one needle to pass from the right to the left side of its neighbouring
or adjacent needle in this manner, the knitting stem must be put outside the axis line,
after the manner of this invention.
The foot 4 and shank 7 may be of any style of make or take the form of a jack,
soldered to the other parts of the needle in the ordinary manner, in the rib needle
Figs. 4 and 11 the foot and shank are continuation of the left stem 5.
In Figs. 9, 10, 12, and 14, the left stem 5 is again brought back across the axis.
bringing the foot and shank into line with the right stem 4, in some of the figs.
the foot and shank are omitted as unnecessary.
In Figs. 9 and 10 the linking stem is also bent forward of the face of the needle in
front of the hook line, as is required in order for a needle to link its loop round an
adjacent needle working in the same plane.
To prevent a rib hook jambing on the back of a plain needle should they collide, 1
cut the back of the stem away to a knife edge 11, this guides the rib needle off and
prevents damage.

page_text: As a further precaution against damage I thin the stem of the plain needle between
the hook 2 and foot 9 at 8, this thinning of the needle stem makes the needles yield
sideways when engaged with each other. In very small rib needles where the length of
stem will not allow of it, this thinning of the stem is omitted.
At every course knitted a loop may be looped around two needles, it will therefore
be seen that a needle may be incorporated or withdrawn when required, without
making menders in the fabric.
While the ordinary length of thrust is given to a needle, ordinary knitting proceeds
on the knitting stem 4 in the usual manner. By increasing the thrust of a needle
the linking stem 5 is brought into requisition, and the loop 12 takes a side turn and
slips on to, and is thrust forward by the cross-bar 6 or shoulder 3, into the longitudinal
line of travel of the adjacent needle, which links up the loop. If the loop is small
and fits the needle it will stop at the first bend of the cross-bar 6, and be penetrated
by the hook of the adjacent needle in its downward stroke, as seen in Fig. 8.
If the knitted loop is very slack it will slide still further sideways, and slip by the
curves of the cross-bar 6 entirely, and to prevent it going too far on the linking stem
the shoulder 3 cut in the needle is provided, against which the loop will impinge.
When a slack loop slides right across the axis, the loop will be penetrated by the
needle in its upward stroke as seen in Figs. 5 and 6.
With all the needles in their respective beds 1/1 fabric would be produced. To
change the pattern to plain fabric the knitting thrust of the rib set of needles is
increased, causing their loops to take a side turn thrusting them into line with the
adjacent plain needles, which link them up as aforesaid. The rib needles then have
their loops thrown off and are withdrawn. Plain fabric being then proceeded
with, until 1/1 pattern of fabric is again required when the order of things is
reversed.
It will be noticed in this case the change from 1/1 to plain pattern, reduces the
fabric to half the number of loops in width, and the change from plain pattern to
1/1 pattern again increases the width.
:
The two patterns of fabrics may however have the same width of loops simply by
using every other rib needle only, withdrawing every other plain needle at the
commencement of the 1/1 fabric, and again incorporating them when the rib needles
are withdrawn for changing to plain fabric. That is, by replacing plain needles for
rib needles and vice versa as now obtains.
In my invention it is not necessary to take a loop off one needle to transfer it to
another. It will therefore be seen that a needle may continue knitting, after it has
linked its loop on to an adjacent needle.
I have shown one way of making my invention without attempting to show the
many forms of making applying and using the same.
Having now described the nature and object of my said invention, what I claim as
new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is :-
1. A knitting needle having provisions whereby should it collide with an adjacent
needle, the two needles will guide off each other sideways without damage substantially
and for the purposes set forth.
2. A knitting needle having provisions to guide off an adjacent needle, and to
yield sideways when engaged with an adjacent needle, substantially and for the
purposes set forth.
3. A knitting needle having provisions whereby it will cause its loop to take a
side turn, from its knitting line, for linking to an adjacent needle, substantially and
for the purposes set forth.
4. A knitting needle having provisions whereby it will cause its loop to take a side
turn, and slide sideways across the axis, to the knitting line of an adjacent needle,
substantially and for the purposes set forth.
5. A knitting needle having provisions whereby in its longitudinal travel an adjacent
needle may slide at its right hand side and at its left hand side, and have connection

page_text: on one side for loop-building, and on the other side for loop-linking, substantially and
for the purposes set forth.
6. A knitting needle having its knitting stem diverted to a side line, forming a
loop-linking stem parallel to but in the rear of the knitting stem, in a manner that an
adjacent needle may slide in the front of, or at the back of the junction of the two
stems, substantially and for the purposes set forth.
7. A knitting needle having a left side clear stem and a right side clear stem, the
loop-building stem being of less width, than the width of the needle at the junction
of the two stems, substantially and for the purposes set forth.
8. A knitting needle having a right stem and a left stem, connected to each other
in a manner that a loop thereon may take a side turn, for an adjacent needle to link it
up, substantially and for the purposes set forth.
9. A right and left knitting needle having a right stein for knitting loops, and a
left stem for linking its loops on to an adjacent needle, for the purpose of getting one
loop around two needles, substantially and for the purposes set forth.
10. A knitting needle having a side stem disposed on a line outside the axis of the
needle, substantially and for the purposes set forth.
11. A knitting needle having a stem outside the axis of the needle, bent across the
axis and continued on another line on the opposite side of the axis, substantially and
for the purposes set forth.
Doted this 90th dow of July 1896
Witnesses
_:
THOMAS SCOTT.
WALTER EDWIN STURGESS.
GEORGE FREDERICK STURGESS,
Inventor.