A shaped sinker (1) for knitting machines includes a main horizontal body (2), destined to be slidingly housed inside a radial groove of a sinker-holding crown of a knitting machine and having a main longitudinal development between a rear portion (2A) and a front portion (2B); an upright (3) developing vertically from the main body near the front portion (2B) and ending on top with an upper portion (4) defining an upper resting plane (30) destined to receive one or more yarns resting thereupon during stitch formation; and a protrusion (6) rising from the upper portion of the upright, developing towards the front portion of the main body and having on top a sliding plane (60). The protrusion rises from the upper portion of the upright so that the sliding plane is moved forward with respect to the upper resting plane of the upright. The protrusion is laterally offset or inclined with respect to the upright, from which it rises, and is configured for loading and stretching an interstitch and arrange it on an adjacent needle of the knitting machine so as to form an open work. The sliding plane of the protrusion is lowered with respect to the upper resting plane of the upright.

A circular knitting machine includes a needle-holding cylinder having plurality of longitudinal grooves arranged around central axis, and plurality of needles, each being housed in longitudinal groove. Drive chain for each needle is inserted into each groove and operatively placed between needle and actuating cams. Drive chain includes sub-needle slidingly arranged in groove and having a butt. Butt is radially movable between operating position, extracted to engage with respective first paths and cause activation of needle and stitch formation, and non-operating position, retracted so as not to engage with first paths. A selector is arranged under sub-needle, and punch is arranged between sub-needle and selector. An activating element is slidingly arranged in groove between sub-needle and selector, can be longitudinally moved with respect to punch and sub-needle, and can be operatively engaged with sub-needle to switch butt of sub-needle into and retain it in operating position.

A circular knitting machine includes a needle-holding cylinder having plurality of longitudinal grooves arranged around central axis, and plurality of needles, each being housed in longitudinal groove. Drive chain for each needle is inserted into each groove and operatively placed between needle and actuating cams. Drive chain includes sub-needle slidingly arranged in groove and having a butt. Butt is radially movable between operating position, extracted to engage with respective first paths and cause activation of needle and stitch formation, and non-operating position, retracted so as not to engage with first paths. A selector is arranged under sub-needle, and punch is arranged between sub-needle and selector. An activating element is slidingly arranged in groove between sub-needle and selector, can be longitudinally moved with respect to punch and sub-needle, and can be operatively engaged with sub-needle to switch butt of sub-needle into and retain it in operating position.

A knitting system includes a seamless circular knitting machine. It has a circular set of needles having a particular number of needles (M), in the range of 500 to 2,500 needles, arranged in a circular pattern; and a knit controller to selectively operate each one of the needles on a needle-by-needle basis. The system includes a digital computational design tool, to receive a bitmap image, having a pixel width resolution that is identical to the particular number of needles; and based on analysis of the bitmap image, to generate and to send knitting instructions to the knit controller of the seamless circular knitting machine, based on direct correlation between (I) a particular Nth pixel in a particular Rth row of the bitmap image, and (II) needle activity of a corresponding particular Nth needle needles when said Nth needle knits the Rth row of a knitted product.

A knitting system includes a seamless circular knitting machine. It has a circular set of needles having a particular number of needles (M), in the range of 500 to 2,500 needles, arranged in a circular pattern; and a knit controller to selectively operate each one of the needles on a needle-by-needle basis. The system includes a digital computational design tool, to receive a bitmap image, having a pixel width resolution that is identical to the particular number of needles; and based on analysis of the bitmap image, to generate and to send knitting instructions to the knit controller of the seamless circular knitting machine, based on direct correlation between (I) a particular Nth pixel in a particular Rth row of the bitmap image, and (II) needle activity of a corresponding particular Nth needle needles when said Nth needle knits the Rth row of a knitted product.

The invention relates generally to a method for combining multiple knit constructions in a single fabric using a double selection circular knitting machine. It is in particular directed of seamlessly combining in a single fabric an air circulating construction with a double-knit construction. It further provides a fabric obtained using the method of the present invention.

The invention relates generally to a method for combining multiple knit constructions in a single fabric using a double selection circular knitting machine. It is in particular directed of seamlessly combining in a single fabric an air circulating construction with a double-knit construction. It further provides a fabric obtained using the method of the present invention.

The invention relates generally to a method for combining multiple knit constructions in a single fabric using a double selection circular knitting machine. It is in particular directed of seamlessly combining in a single fabric an air circulating construction with a double-knit construction. It further provides a fabric obtained using the method of the present invention.

The invention relates generally to a method for combining multiple knit constructions in a single fabric using a double selection circular knitting machine. It is in particular directed of seamlessly combining in a single fabric an air circulating construction with a double-knit construction. It further provides a fabric obtained using the method of the present invention.

A circular knitting machine includes a needle-holding cylinder having plurality of longitudinal grooves arranged around central axis, and plurality of needles, each being housed in longitudinal groove. Drive chain for each needle is inserted into each groove and operatively placed between needle and actuating cams. Drive chain includes sub-needle slidingly arranged in groove and having a butt. Butt is radially movable between operating position, extracted to engage with respective first paths and cause activation of needle and stitch formation, and non-operating position, retracted so as not to engage with first paths. A selector is arranged under sub-needle, and punch is arranged between sub-needle and selector. An activating element is slidingly arranged in groove between sub-needle and selector, can be longitudinally moved with respect to punch and sub-needle, and can be operatively engaged with sub-needle to switch butt of sub-needle into and retain it in operating position.