Method and apparatus for forming composite drawcord/elastic waistband

A knitting machine for forming a composite band including an elongate knitted band and a drawcord secured to a front face of the knitted band by a covering yarn overlying the drawcord and stitched to the elongate band, said knitting machine comprising:

• a) a frame;
• b) a first knitting station supported by said frame for forming said elongate knitted band, said first knitting station including:
• i) a first reciprocating elongate needle bed, said first needle bed having a length extending along a first plane;
• ii) a first warp yarn guide bar operative to reciprocate up and down and to reciprocate side to side;
• and
• iii) at least one first filling yarn guide bar;
• c) a second knitting station for receiving the knitted band after it exits said first knitting station, said second knitting station operative to stitch the covering yarn to the knitted band from opposite sides of and across the drawcord to form a channel area defined between the covering yarn and the front face of the knitted band, the drawcord disposed in said channel area, said second knitting station including:
• i) a second reciprocating elongate needle bed separate and distinct from said first needle bed, said second needle bed having a length extending along a second plane spaced apart from said first plane, said second needle bed supported by said frame and spaced from and downstream of said first needle bed;
• ii) a second warp yarn guide bar spaced apart from said first warp yarn guide bar operative to reciprocate up and down and to reciprocate side to side;
• and
• iii) at least one second filling yarn guide bar spaced apart from said first filling yarn guide bar;
• d) a take-up mechanism mounted on said frame and downstream of said second knitting station, said take-up mechanism operative to draw the composite band away from said second knitting station;
• e) said first and second needle beds interconnected such that their respective reciprocating movements are separately driven and synchronized with one another by mechanical synchronization means;
• and
• f) said first and second warp yarn guide bars spaced apart and interconnected such that their respective reciprocating movements are separately driven and synchronized with one another.

A method for forming a composite band including an elongate knitted band and a drawcord secured to a front face of the knitted band by a covering yarn overlying the drawcord and stitched to the elongate band, comprising the steps of:

• a) forming the elongate knitted band at a first knitting station of a knitting machine by progressively knitting a first set of yarns on a first set of knitting needles carried along a first needle bed;
• b) providing the first needle bed with a length extending along a first plane;
• c) directing the elongate knitted band downstream to a second set of knitting needles carried along a second needle bed of a second knitting station forming a part of said knitting machine, the second needle bed;
• d) spaced apart, separate and distinct from the first needle bed, the second providing the second needle bed with a length extending along a second plane spaced apart from the first plane;
• and
• e) at the second knitting station, stitching the covering yarn to the elongate knitted band from opposite sides of and across the drawcord to form a channel area defined between the covering yarn and the front face of the knitted band, the drawcord disposed in the channel area.