Circularly knit brassiere having knit-in-lift and support panels, and a blank and method for making same

A circular knit blank for the manufacture of a brassiere comprising:

• a cylindrical tubular fabric torso encircling portion in the form of a turned welt;
• an upper torso portion comprising a series of courses knit to said turned welt and defining a tubular fabric portion having a pair of breast cups on a front portion thereof and including first and second discrete generally walewise extending support panels being separated by said breast cups and having a greater resistance to coursewise stretch than the remainder of the upper torso portion;
• a shoulder portion comprising a series of courses knit to said upper torso portion and defining plural elongated areas in which the courses are simple knit, each of which is separated from the other by an elongate panel area;
• and
• a plurality of courses knit to said shoulder portion and forming a non-raveling edge.

A method of making a brassiere comprising the steps of:

• knitting a series of courses defining a cylindrical tubular fabric torso encircling portion in the form of a turned welt, then
• knitting to the turned welt a series of courses defining a tubular fabric upper torso portion, said upper torso portion including at least first and second discrete integrally knit generally walewise extending support panels having a greater resistance to coursewise stretch than the remainder of the upper torso portion, said support panels being separated by first and second differentially shaped breast cups;
• and
• knitting to said upper torso portion a series of courses defining a shoulder portion including plural elongated areas in which the courses are simple knit with the areas being divided by elongate panel areas, and
• knitting several courses forming a non-raveling edge, then
• cutting and removing from the upper torso and shoulder portions of the blank predetermined areas to define arm openings and a neck opening, and
• attaching together front and rear portions of the shoulder portion of the blank at opposite sides of the neck opening to form a completed brassiere.

A brassiere made from a circularly knit tubular fabric comprising:

• a cylindrical tubular fabric torso encircling portion in the form of a turned welt;
• an upper torso portion knit to the turned welt and including at least first and second discrete integrally knit generally walewise extending support panels having a greater resistance to coursewise stretch than the remainder of the upper torso portion and spaced from each other by a pair of differentially shaped breast cups;
• and
• first and second pairs of shoulder portions integrally knit with said upper torso portion, said shoulder strap portions being joined together to form shoulder straps.