Patent ID: 7908889

Claim:
A knitting apparatus for forming a tubular-shaped knitted covering for a paint roller having pile extending from an outer surface of the covering, the apparatus comprising: a dial knitting arrangement mounted in a frame defining a vertically oriented axis of rotation and having a cylinder mounting arrangement for optionally receiving a cylinder operatively disposed along the axis of rotation with the cylinder being operatively mounted to the frame below the dial knitting arrangement such that the tubular-shaped knitted covering passes though the cylinder mounting arrangement, regardless of whether or not the cylinder is mounted on the cylinder mounting arrangement, after being at least partially formed by the dial knitting arrangement, wherein: the dial needle knitting arrangement comprises a dial, a plurality of dial needles operatively disposed in the dial, a dial cam box disposed adjacent to the dial and operatively connected to the dial needles, a backing yarn feeding arrangement, and a pile yarn feeding arrangement; the dial needles each have a hooked end thereof that is outwardly extendable beyond the periphery of the dial; and the backing yarn and pile yarn feeding arrangements are operatively disposed adjacent the periphery of the dial and adapted for feeding the backing yarn and pile yarn to the dial needles along selected segments of the periphery of the dial.