Loop presser, flatbed knitting machine having loop presser, and fabric knitting method using loop presser

A method for making a knitted fabric using a loop presser in a flat knitting machine comprising at least a pair of needle beds including front and back needle beds, the pair of needle beds forming a tooth mouth, the front and back needle beds being opposed to each other and forming an angle such that top sides are oriented upward, and wherein compound needles are provided in each of the front and back needle beds as knitting needles, said loop presser having a top portion capable of advancing and retracting from an auxiliary bed supported on at least one of the front and back needle beds with respect to the tooth mouth in a process of making a knitting stitch loop from a knitting yarn fed from a yarn feeding port traveling in a longitudinal direction of the front and back needle beds above the tooth mouth to make a downwardly suspended knitted fabric, said method comprising:

• forming, in the top portion of the loop presser, at different positions in the advancing and retracting direction,
• a portion operable to guide the knitting yarn fed from the yarn feeding port to a position where the knitting yarn can be held by a hook of one of the compound needles and press the knitting stitch loop between the knitting needles on a lower side, and
• a portion operable to hold knitting yarn for end stitches fed from above the tooth mouth on the outside of a knitting end of the knitted fabric in a width direction thereof;
• switching the loop presser between being operable to press the knitting stitch loop and being operable to hold the knitting yarn by switching a position to which the top portion of the loop presser is advanced to the tooth mouth;
• making the knitting yarn hold so as to advance the portion operable to hold the knitting yarn in the top portion of the loop presser to the tooth mouth on the side before the compound needle used at first in knitting in knitting a knitted end, reversing a traveling direction of a yarn and starting knitting a next course, pressing the knitting yarn suspended from the compound needle in which the knitting end is knitted to the yarn feeding port on the lower side of the portion operable to hold knitting yarn until the yarn feeding port passes through a position of the compound needle, and feeding the knitting yarn to the compound needle used at first in knitting from the upper side of the portion operable to hold knitting yarn;
• and
• after the yarn feeding port passes through the compound needle used at first in knitting, making the loop presser cooperate so as to advance another loop presser to the tooth mouth and preventing the knitting yarn fed to the compound needle used at first in knitting by guiding with the portion serving the loop presser function from approaching a tongue top in a state where a hook is open with an upper side of the loop presser that advances the portion operable to hold knitting yarn to the tooth mouth serving as a wall.