Patent ID: 8156767

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 frame: a dial knitting arrangement mounted in the frame and defining a vertically oriented axis of rotation, the dial needle knitting arrangement comprising: a dial; a plurality of dial needles operatively disposed in the dial to knit a length of tubular-shaped fabric in such a manner that the backing yarn is exposed on an interior surface of the length of tubular-shaped fabric and the pile extends outward from an exterior surface of the length of tubular-shaped fabric; 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; and 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.