Carriage for a hand-operated single bed knitting machine

In a carriage for a hand-operated, single flat needle bed knitting machine of the type which includes a pair of main cams disposed in left and right symmetrical positions and an auxiliary cam mounted in contiguous relationship to each of said main cams for advancing a latch needle mounted in a single flat needle ed of the machine from a retracted position within said needle bed to an intermediate position in which the latch needle extends across a gap between adjacent sinker elements and a forward edge of said needle bed, the improvement which comprises a brush wheel having hairs mounted radially from an outer circumference thereof, and means for mounting said brush wheel for rotation in a plane substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the latch needle and in a position forwardly of each of said auxiliary cams in which position a lower portion thereof extends into said gap to push down a loop or loops suspended from another loop carried on a hook of the latch needle while the latch needle is advanced from said retracted to said intermediate position.