Straight-line knitting machine, for preselection of the needles, with stitch forwarding

A rectilinear knitting machine for preselection of the needles with stitch transfer comprising:

• needlebeds arranged in pairs and provided with grooves;
• a plurality of needles disposed in the grooves of the needlebeds and having a butt portion;
• a plurality of flexible clavettes disposed in the grooves of the needlebeds and having a butt portion, the butt portion of the flexible clavette being movable above or below said needlebed independently of said needles, said flexible clavettes having legs at each end for supporting the clavettes in the needlebed;
• a plurality of clavette pressers associated with the flexible clavettes and having a butt portion, the clavette pressers engaging a central area of the flexible clavettes not selected for knitting;
• said clavette pressers having a plurality of transverse grooves at a second end thereof opposite a first end of the clavette pressers, one of said transverse grooves being placed on a clavette presser support, said clavette presser support having a bulge thereon for engaging one of the transverse grooves in the clavette presser, the selection of one of the transverse grooves controlling the preselection of the clavette presser;
• lock means having lock cams for acting on the butt portions of the needles and for action on the butt portions of the flexible clavettes;
• a plurality of vertical cams having at least one vertical cam for engaging the clavette presser and driving the butt portion of the flexible clavette into the groove of the needlebed;
• and
• said vertical cams being independent of each other and extending from an operating portion of said lock means over at least part of the ascending slopes of the lock cams acting on the butt portions of the flexible clavettes.