Patent ID: 7203566

Claim:
A method of designing a knitted fabric by dividing a design of the knitted fabric into a plurality of parts, the method comprising the steps of: designing a pattern spread over a plurality of parts on a composite image of the plurality of parts such that the pattern is spread above and below a narrowing course or a widening course, and forming narrowing stitches and widening stitches at borders between the parts in the narrowing course and the widening course, respectively; then, determining the number of non-uniform narrowing stitches or widening stitches above and below the narrowing course or the widening course from the central side in the left-right direction of the knitted fabric to the outer side in the left-right direction of the knitted fabric; shifting a portion of the pattern on the upper side of the narrowing course, and extending over the plurality of parts, toward the central side in the left-right direction of the knitted fabric relative to a portion of the lower side of the narrowing course by the amount corresponding to the non-uniform stitch number of the narrowing stitches, or shifting a portion of the pattern on the upper side of the widening course, and extending over the plurality of parts, toward the outer side in the left-right direction of the knitted fabric relative to the portion of the lower side of the widening course by the amount corresponding to the non-uniform stitch number of the widening stitches; wherein the central side and the outer side of a portion along the left-right direction of the knitted fabric, on the upper side of the narrowing course and the widening course, are shifted respectively, toward the left-right direction of the knitted fabric non-uniformly, in correspondence with the difference in the non-uniform narrowing or widening stitch number between the central side and the outer side; and assigning the portion of the shifted pattern to the plurality of parts.