Provided is a weft-knitted fabric having excellent stretchability, and providing excellent comfort in a hot environment. The weft-knitted fabric contains non-elastic fibres and elastic fibres, and is characterised: by being formed of a mesh part where a stitch of a welt structure and a stitch of a knit structure are alternately repeated to complete one course, and the course having the same structural arrangement is employed once or continuously repeated twice, and a plain-knit part where a course of an all-knit structure is employed once or continuously repeated up to three times; and in that said mesh part and said plain-knit part are each alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction.

In one aspect, an upper for an article of footwear may include a knit element, a collar area configured to form an ankle opening, and a cuff in the collar area. The cuff may be at least partially formed by the knit element and may include a ribbed knit structure of the knit element. In another aspect, an upper for an article of footwear may include a knit element with a first area, the first area including a first side and a second side opposite the first side. The first side may be formed of at least 30% more material than the second side such that the first area is configured to curve convexly away from the first side.

Knitted components may include a first knit layer including a first yarn, a second knit layer, and a plurality of inlaid courses of a high tenacity yarn having a tenacity of at least six grams-force per denier. The plurality of inlaid courses of the high tenacity yarn may include at least three courses of high tenacity yarn, each of which may be separated from an adjacent course of the first plurality of courses of the high tenacity yarn by no more than five courses of the first yarn.

An upper for an article of footwear may have a knitted component, where the knitted component has a first edge extending from a first side of a throat area of the upper, through a heel area of the upper, and to a second side of the throat area. At least a portion of the first edge may include a lattice structure, the lattice structuring having a first lattice band and a second lattice band, the first lattice band and the second lattice band having loops that are intermeshed in at least one location, where a plurality of first openings are located between the first lattice band and the second lattice band. At least one of the lattice bands may include a yarn having a tenacity of at least 5 g/d, and/or the first and second lattice bands may be formed from separate yarns.

A knitted element may include at least three zones. The first zone may include terry loop knitting. The second zone may include mesh knitting. The third zone may include jersey knitting. The knitted element may include at least one seamless transition between the first zone and the second zone, or between the first zone and the third zone so that terry loop knitting is continuous with either the mesh knitting or the jersey knitting. The first zone, the second zone, and the third zone may each include wool knitting. The terry loop knitting may be adapted to provide warmth in areas where it is needed, while the mesh knitting may be adapted to provide breathability in areas where it is needed. The jersey knitting may provide an intermediate level of warmth and breathability.

The present disclosure provides an upper for an article of footwear. The upper may include a knit element defining a portion of at least one of an exterior surface of the upper and an opposite interior surface of the upper. The interior surface may define a void. A tongue and the knit element may have a common yarn, and the tongue may extend through a throat area of the upper. The tongue may comprise a lateral edge, a medial edge, and a forward portion. At least one of the lateral edge, the medial edge, and the forward portion may be unsecured to the knit element. The tongue may be secured to the knit element at least at one of the lateral edge, the medial edge, and the forward portion of the throat area.

An upper for an article of footwear may be at least partially formed with a knitted component. The knitted component may include a sock portion and a tongue portion, the sock portion having a hollow structure and a toe area, the hollow structure (a) forming an ankle opening in a heel region of the footwear and (b) extending between the heel region and a forefoot region of the footwear to define a void within the footwear for receiving a foot. The tongue portion may have an elongate configuration (a) located in at least a portion of a length of a throat area of the upper and (b) including at least two knit layers that are coextensive.

A knitted component may include a boundary, a first course extending from the boundary, and a second course extending from the boundary. The first course and the second course may be interlooped at a first location, the first location being adjacent to the boundary. A contour section may be located between the first course and the second course at a second location, and the second location may be spaced from the boundary such that the boundary is curved in a concave manner at the first location.

A knit component may include a knit-in tensile area, which may include an opening at least partially bounded by a first intersecting portion and a second intersecting portion. A course of tensile material that is integrally knitted with the first intersecting portion via a knit stitch may include a float extending from the first intersecting portion, across the opening, to the second intersecting portion. A knitting method may knit courses of the knit component on needle beds and then widen and/or narrow parts of the opening by transferring stitches of one of the courses of the knit component to different needles.

A process for manufacturing a tubular knitted item (1) with intarsia design, comprising the steps of: programming a circular weft knitting machine for intarsia design by defining a tubular intarsia knitted item (1) to be manufactured, extending longitudinally between a first end (2) and a second end (3) and consisting of a plurality of knitted courses following one another;
wherein the programming step comprises the steps of: defining a turning position (4), which divides the tubular item into a first fabric (5) and a second fabric (6), wherein the tubular item is configured for being manipulated so as to be at least partially turned over itself, by folding it in the turning position so that the second fabric overlaps the first fabric in order to obtain a double fabric item; defining at least one first area (10) of the first fabric, delimited by a needle section and by a number of successive courses of the area, and having a desired shape; defining at least one first counter-area (20) of the second fabric, delimited by a needle section and by a number of successive courses of the area, in which the first counter-area has a respective shape; producing intarsia knitted fabric so as to manufacture the tubular knitted item according to the programming step; wherein the first area (10) is manufactured according to a first knitted structure and the first counter-area (20) is manufactured according to a second knitted structure.