Method of forming convertible tights
AssigneeHBI Branded Apparel Enterprises, LLC
InventorsDonald R. Seawell, Ronald W. Brown, Patsy H. Adams
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of forming an article of hosiery for being worn by a wearer in a footed or footless configuration includes forming a foot portion, leg portion, and panty portion, where the foot portion is formed by turning in an end portion of a circularly knitted fabric tube and connecting a first portion of an end edge to the fabric tube using transfer loops to form a turned welt around only a first portion of the perimeter of the fabric tube. A second portion of the end edge remains unattached and defines an opening between the second portion of the end edge and the fabric tube. The opening is dimensioned to receive toes of the wearer.
Claims19
A method of forming, on a conventional circular knitting machine of the type having a knitting head with dial jacks and needles, an article of hosiery for being worn by a wearer in a footed or footless configuration, the method comprising:
- forming a foot portion of the article of hosiery by
- circularly knitting with yarns on about one-half of the dial jacks, creating a fabric tube having an end portion and a perimeter, wherein the end portion of the fabric tube includes an end edge of the fabric tube, and
- turning in the end portion of the fabric tube and connecting a first portion of the end edge to the fabric tube using transfer loops to form a turned welt, wherein the turned welt extends around only a first portion of the perimeter of the fabric tube, so that a second portion of the end edge remains unattached and defines an opening between the second portion of the end edge and the fabric tube;
- and
- transferring the yarns to all of the needles to form a leg portion and a panty portion of the article of hosiery,
- wherein the leg portion is dimensioned to surround a leg of a wearer, the foot portion is dimensioned to receive a foot of the wearer, and the opening is dimensioned to receive toes of the wearer.
A method of forming, on a conventional circular knitting machine of the type having a knitting head with dial jacks and needles, hosiery for being worn by a wearer in a footed or footless configuration, the method comprising:
- circularly-knitting with yarns on all of the dial jacks a fabric tube having an end portion and a perimeter;
- turning in the end portion of the fabric tube and completing a turned welt around the entire perimeter of the fabric tube with transfer loops to define a foot portion of the hosiery;
- transferring the yarns to all of the needles to form a leg portion and a panty portion of the hosiery;
- and
- cutting the transfer loops of the turned welt around a portion of the perimeter to create an opening,
- wherein the leg portion of the hosiery is dimensioned to surround a leg of a wearer, the foot portion of the hosiery is dimensioned to allow a foot of the wearer to extend therethrough, and the opening of the hosiery is dimensioned to accept toes of the wearer.
A method of forming hosiery for being worn by a wearer in a footed or footless configuration, the method comprising:
- knitting a continuous fabric tube using a circular knitting machine having dial jacks;
- turning in an end portion of the fabric tube along a fold line to form a two-ply portion of the tube, the fold line defining a periphery of a first opening;
- and
- connecting an edge of the end portion back to the fabric tube with transfer loops to form a turned welt, wherein the edge has a circumference, and only about one-half of the circumference is connected to the fabric tube by the transfer loops and the other one-half of the circumference defines a second opening, the second opening being into a pocket formed between the two-plies of the fabric tube,
- wherein
- in the footed configuration, the pocket is for accepting toes of the wearer through the second opening, and
- in the footless configuration, the first opening is for accepting an ankle of the wearer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.