A needle bed and needle combination for a flat knitting machine includes a needle bed, a plurality of parallel sinkers provided at a front end of the needle bed, knitting needles and stitch elements provided in needle grooves, and a needle selection unit. Two knitting needles are arranged in parallel in the needle groove between every two adjacent sinkers, and are separately configured to make a knit stitch, a tuck stitch and a loop transfer stitch. The stitch element includes a control stitch element and elastic stitch elements. The control stitch element, the elastic stitch elements and the needle selection unit form the needle selection mechanism. Two elastic stitch elements are connected to the two knitting needles, respectively. The control stitch element is located above and engaged with the two elastic stitch elements. The needle selection unit is provided above the two elastic stitch elements.

A needle bed and needle combination for a flat knitting machine includes a needle bed, a plurality of parallel sinkers provided at a front end of the needle bed, knitting needles and stitch elements provided in needle grooves, and a needle selection unit. Two knitting needles are arranged in parallel in the needle groove between every two adjacent sinkers, and are separately configured to make a knit stitch, a tuck stitch and a loop transfer stitch. The stitch element includes a control stitch element and elastic stitch elements. The control stitch element, the elastic stitch elements and the needle selection unit form the needle selection mechanism. Two elastic stitch elements are connected to the two knitting needles, respectively. The control stitch element is located above and engaged with the two elastic stitch elements. The needle selection unit is provided above the two elastic stitch elements.

Provided is a footwear knitting method for knitting footwear that partially has a two-layer structure. The footwear knitting method is a method for knitting footwear (1) provided with a base knitted fabric portion (2) that has a foot insertion opening (5), and is shape of an item of footwear, using a flat knitting machine. The footwear knitting method includes: starting knitting of the base knitted fabric portion (2) from a toe side or a heel side of the base knitted fabric portion (2) to complete the base knitted fabric portion (2) with a left side part and a right side part of the base knitted fabric portion (2) facing each other in a front-back direction of needle beds; knitting an additional knitted fabric portion (3) that is separate from the base knitted fabric portion (2), and is bag-shaped with one end open and the other end closed, before or during the knitting of the base knitted fabric portion (2); and joining, using double stitches, a part of an opening edge of the additional knitted fabric portion (3) with a toe-side edge part or a heel-side edge part of an edge of the foot insertion opening (5) of the base knitted fabric portion (2).

Provided is a footwear knitting method for knitting footwear that partially has a two-layer structure. The footwear knitting method is a method for knitting footwear (1) provided with a base knitted fabric portion (2) that has a foot insertion opening (5), and is shape of an item of footwear, using a flat knitting machine. The footwear knitting method includes: starting knitting of the base knitted fabric portion (2) from a toe side or a heel side of the base knitted fabric portion (2) to complete the base knitted fabric portion (2) with a left side part and a right side part of the base knitted fabric portion (2) facing each other in a front-back direction of needle beds; knitting an additional knitted fabric portion (3) that is separate from the base knitted fabric portion (2), and is bag-shaped with one end open and the other end closed, before or during the knitting of the base knitted fabric portion (2); and joining, using double stitches, a part of an opening edge of the additional knitted fabric portion (3) with a toe-side edge part or a heel-side edge part of an edge of the foot insertion opening (5) of the base knitted fabric portion (2).

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for knitting a fabric using a knitting machine. The knitting machine is arranged to knit with a plurality of yarns using a corresponding plurality of knitting needles, each knitting needle being arranged during knitting of a stitch to connect with and knit with one of the plurality of yarns. The method controllably varies the stitch length for each stitch in dependence on the pattern to be knitted.

There is provided a method for knitting a knitted fabric capable of forming a decoration unit of a novel shape using a flat knitting machine. A decoration unit (2) is formed on a surface of a base knitted fabric portion (1), the decoration unit (2) being configured by a lower edge (2D) extending in a knitting width direction of the base knitted fabric portion (1), a left edge (2L) extending in a direction intersecting the knitting width direction from a left end of the lower edge (2D), and a right edge (2R) extending in a direction intersecting the knitting width direction from a right end of the lower edge (2D). The lower edge (2D) is configured by a cross-over yarn extending in the knitting width direction of the base knitted fabric portion (1). The left edge (2L) and the right edge (2R) are configured by stitches stretched in a direction intersecting the knitting width direction. The cross-over yarn and the stitches are knitted all at once.

There is provided a method for knitting a knitted fabric capable of forming a decoration unit of a novel shape using a flat knitting machine. A decoration unit (2) is formed on a surface of a base knitted fabric portion (1), the decoration unit (2) being configured by a lower edge (2D) extending in a knitting width direction of the base knitted fabric portion (1), a left edge (2L) extending in a direction intersecting the knitting width direction from a left end of the lower edge (2D), and a right edge (2R) extending in a direction intersecting the knitting width direction from a right end of the lower edge (2D). The lower edge (2D) is configured by a cross-over yarn extending in the knitting width direction of the base knitted fabric portion (1). The left edge (2L) and the right edge (2R) are configured by stitches stretched in a direction intersecting the knitting width direction. The cross-over yarn and the stitches are knitted all at once.

A method for producing a trim part includes the following steps: generating a surface covering, wherein a knitted semi-finished product is generated on a flat knitting machine; the knitted semi-finished product is washed; the washed knitted semi-finished product is heat set; and laminating, in particular press-laminating or compression-laminating, the generated surface covering onto a carrier part.

Aspects herein are directed to a knit lower-body garment, methods of manufacturing and/or forming the knit lower-body garment using a flat knitting process, and knit blanks used to form the knit lower-body garment. In example aspects, the knit lower-body garment is formed from a one-piece knit textile blank that includes partial-length knit courses in select locations to provide three-dimensional shaping to the resulting lower-body garment.

A knit fabric is created using on a flatbed knitting machine to create a whole garment having an inner surface and an outer surface. The knit fabric includes a support matrix comprised of base yarns with reflective yarns supported on the support matrix. The knit fabric comprises a jacquard knit structure formed from the base yarns and the reflective yarns, wherein elongate loops of the reflective yarns are outwardly exposed from the outer surface of the knit fabric. The inner surface of the knit fabric includes outwardly exposed floats of the reflective yarns.