Method and apparatus for manufacturing knit slide fastener stringer

A method of manufacturing a knit slide fastener stringer having a slide fastener element row which is continuously knitted in and along one longitudinal edge of a warp-knit fastener tape simultaneously with the knitting of the fastener tape while the slide fastener element row is formed by bending a linear synthetic resin monofilament, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) sliding a multiplicity of parallel knitting needles vertically in a first needle bed;
• (b) sliding one or more knitting needles vertically in a second needle bed disposed along one end portion of said first needle bed in a back-to-back relationship, with a predetermined distance from said first needle bed;
• (c) swinging and shogging a number of knitting yarn guides with respect to the corresponding needles of said first and second needle beds;
• (d) providing the linear synthetic resin monofilament for forming the slide fastener element row to a monofilament bending means;
• (e) reciprocating the monofilament bending means, which is disposed near one end of said first needle bed, in an upper space between said first and second needle beds longitudinally along said first and second needle beds;
• and
• (f) driving said needles, said knitting yarn guides and said monofilament bending means by a driving means at a predetermined timing in synchronism with one another,
• wherein said monofilament bending means reciprocates between said needles of said first and second needle beds at an underlapping position to continuously form individual slide fastener elements while bending the monofilament and also to knit the slide fastener elements in the fastener tape by the back-to-back needles of the first and second needle beds simultaneously with the knitting of the fastener tape.