Sinker system for knitting face-loop and reverse-loop fabrics as well as face-loop jacquard and reverse-loop jacquard fabrics

A sinker system for a knitting machine having a knitting needle, comprising:

• a) a movable sinker plate holder having a master sinker drive slot and an auxiliary sinker drive slot;
• and,
• b) at least one pair of sinkers located adjacent to each other, each sinker of the pair having a sinker butt, the sinker butt of one of the pair of sinkers engaged with the master sinker drive slot and the sinker butt of the other of the pair of sinkers engaged with the auxiliary sinker drive slot such that movement of the sinker plate causes movement of the sinkers of the a least one pair of sinkers, the at least one pair of sinkers comprising two different sinkers selected from the group of sinkers consisting of:
• i) a master sinker comprising a smooth, flat metal plate having a throat for retaining a fabric, a nose for hanging a yarn and holding down the fabric during an up stroke of the knitting needle, and a flank for forcing the yarn into a new loop during a down stroke of the knitting needle, movement of the master sinker controlling the length of a loop;
• ii) a face-loop sinker comprising a smooth, flat metal plate having an upper throat and a lower throat separated by a parting rod, a nose for hanging the yarn and holding down the fabric during an up stroke of the knitting needle and a flank for forcing the yarn into a new loop during a down stroke of the knitting needle, the face-loop similar holding a base yarn during face-loop knitting;
• iii) a reverse-loop sinker comprising a smooth, flat metal plate having a shallow upper throat and a lower throat separated by a parting rod, a nose for hanging the yarn and holding down the fabric during an up stroke of the knitting needle, and a flank for forcing the yarn into a new loop during a down stroke of the knitting needle, the reverse-loop sinker holding the base yarn during reverse-loop knitting, the depth of the upper throat of said reverse-loop sinker being shallower than the depth of the upper throat of said face-loop sinker;
• and
• iv) a jacquard sinker comprising a smooth, flat metal plate having a throat for retaining the fabric, a stepped nose for hanging yarns and holding down the fabric during the up stroke of the knitting needle, and a flank for forcing yarns into loops during the down stroke of the knitting needle, movement of the jacquard sinker controlling the length of the loop;
• wherein a face-loop fabric is knitted by using said master sinker and said face-loop sinker as the pair of sinkers and reciprocating them by said master sinker slot and auxiliary sinker slot, respectively on said sinker plate holder;
• a reverse-loop fabric is knitted by using said master sinker and said reverse-loop sinker as the pair of sinkers and reciprocating them by said master sinker slot and said auxiliary sinker slot respectively on said sinker plate holder;
• a face-loop jacquard fabric is knitted by using said jacquard sinker and said face-loop sinker as the pair of sinkers and reciprocating them by said master sinker slot and auxiliary sinker slot respectively on said sinker plate holder;
• and a reverse-loop jacquard fabric is knitted by using said jacquard sinker and said reverse-loop sinker as the pair of sinkers and reciprocating them in said master sinker slot and auxiliary sinker slot respectively on said sinker plate holder.