Knitted shirt collar with plastic stays

A method of pocketing a plastic stay in a knitted shirt collar comprising the steps of:

• A. knitting a shirt collar of upper and lower superposed plies of knitted construction material having left and right side edges bounding a neck opening therebetween;
• B. forming in each side edge between unattached surfaces at an interface of said upper and lower plies a pocket incident to the positioning therein of a plastic stay;
• C. joining with a seam of first and second separated length portions said upper and lower plies along each said side edge;
• D. using as a side opening into said pocket said separation of said seam in said side edge;
• E. projecting a distal end of a plastic stay through said pocket side opening and positioning a proximal end thereof in a protruding relation therefrom;
• F. holding said plastic stay distal end under external finger pressure against movement while simultaneously stretching said side edge lengthwise for an extent aligning said protruding plastic stay proximal end with said pocket side opening;
• and
• G. maneuvering said proximal plastic stay end through said pocket side opening;
• whereby a release of said stretched side edge results in the pocketing of said plastic stay in a condition confined against movement.