A knitted component may include a first portion, where the first portion at least partially forms an underfoot area of an article of footwear. A second portion may be included, where the second portion at least partially forms an outer surface of a medial or a lateral side of an article of footwear. A forward portion may extend from an end of the first portion and may include a toebox area in a toe region of the knitted component. A knitted connection structure may be located between the toebox area of the forward portion and the second portion, where the second portion includes a first course, where the toebox area of the second portion includes a second course, and where the first course is secured to the second course through the knitted connection structure.

There is provided an instep cover in which various designs can be provided on a side surface portion of the instep cover even when a shoelace holding section is provided, and a shoe upper including the instep cover. In a shoe upper (100) configuring a shoe, an instep cover (1) that covers a portion on an instep side of a wearer includes a slit (5S) extending from a foot insertion opening for the wearer to insert a foot toward a toe, and a shoelace holding section (4) that holds a shoelace for adjusting a spacing of the slit (5S). The shoelace holding section (4) includes a holding unit (4U) configured by a hole (4h) formed in a slit edge region (11) that shapes the slit (5S), and an annular strap (4s) being formed to an annular shape by connecting one end and the other end of a lace-like body to the slit edge region (11) and having a length that can be pulled out from the hole (4h) when an intermediate portion of the lace-like body is brought to a position of the hole (4h).

Flat knitting allows production of textile structures (e.g., for use in footwear uppers) of a final desired shape such that textile cutting steps can be avoided. Flat knitted elements also can be formed directly in desired three dimensional shapes, which can help avoid the need to use additional support structures (e.g., in footwear construction). By selectively placing multiple different yarns and/or stitch patterns at multiple different locations in the overall structure during the knitting process, flat knitted products may have multiple different physical properties (e.g., different stretchability, different moisture management capabilities, etc.) at multiple different locations or zones within a single, unitary construction (e.g., different properties at different zones or locations within a single footwear structure). Additionally, flat knitting can be used to produce pockets, tunnels, or other layered structures in the final product.

There is provided a footwear having a three-dimensional shape that fits a foot of a wearer regardless of a stretchability of a knitted fabric. A seamless footwear (1) including an instep cover section (3) and a sole cover section (2) is provided. The sole cover section (2) is divided to a heel portion (20) and a sole main body portion (21). A setup portion (1S) or a knitting end portion is formed at a heel side end of the footwear (1), and such setup portion (1S) or the knitting end portion is extended in a height direction of the footwear (1) and also connected to the heel portion (20). The heel portion (20) is formed by a knitting of stacking a stitch row for plural tiers in a wale direction, and gradually differing the number of stitches in a knitting width direction of the stitch row when stacking tiers of the stitch row. The heel portion (20) is formed to a tongue shape in which a width gradually becomes narrower toward a heel side of the footwear (1) according to the change in the number of stitches.

There is provided a method for knitting a shoe upper that can allow the reinforcement degree of the shoe upper to be changed with a small number of yarn feeders. A method for knitting a shoe upper (1) including an instep cover section (3) that covers a portion on an instep side of a wearer and a sole cover section (2) that covers a sole of the wearer is provided. The instep cover section (3) and the sole cover section (2) are three-dimensionally knitted in a seamless manner; and in the knitting process, at least one base section (10) configuring a part of the shoe upper (1) is knitted using a base knitting yarn containing a non-thermal adhesive yarn and a thermal adhesive yarn, and a reinforcement knitting yarn containing a thermal adhesive yarn is interwoven in the base section (10) to reinforce the base section (10). In this case, the number of knitting with the reinforcement knitting yarn with respect to the base section (10) is changed.

Systems and methods for manufacturing knitted shoe uppers. An article of fully finished three-dimensionally weft knitted footwear is manufactured through a knitting process which can be performed by an automated V-bed flat knitting machine. During the knitting process, a plurality of knitted members are knitted into shape sequentially and connected to one another through knitted live hinges, each member being a ply, a layer, a layer portion or an appendage. The knitting machine manipulates the knitted members into their destined places as in the final product without cutting and sewing, thereby forming a seamless unitary textile construction. The process creates a seamless, full gauge, dimensionally stable footwear upper, as a unitary textile construction with an integrated anatomically appropriate heel. The entire upper, including the closure element of the upper, may be completed exclusively by the knitting machine, ready for the following shoe making process.

A flat-knitted material in the form of a pants part comprising the seat for a compression pant, consisting of at least one yarn forming the stitches and an interknitted elastic weft yarn, with an upper base knitted section, to which is adjoined a seat section comprising two adjacent 3-dimensionally curved parts, wherein each 3-dimensionally curved part is formed by several knitted gussets, wherein each gusset comprises several rows of stitches, and the gussets of the one 3-dimensionally curved part is knitted with an offset in the transverse direction of the knitted material from the gussets of the other 3-dimensionally curved part.

Systems and methods for manufacturing knitted shoe uppers. An article of fully finished three-dimensionally weft knitted footwear is manufactured through a knitting process which can be performed by an automated V-bed flat knitting machine. During the knitting process, a plurality of knitted members are knitted into shape sequentially and connected to one another through knitted live hinges, each member being a ply, a layer, a layer portion or an appendage. The knitting machine manipulates the knitted members into their destined places as in the final product without cutting and sewing, thereby forming a seamless unitary textile construction. The process creates a seamless, full gauge, dimensionally stable footwear upper, as a unitary textile construction with an integrated anatomically appropriate heel. The entire upper, including the closure element of the upper, may be completed exclusively by the knitting machine, ready for the following shoe making process.

A 3D shoe blank is an integral knit fabric without any sewn portion made by a flat knitting machine and includes an upper portion knitted from at least a yarn, a front sole portion knitted from the upper portion with a folding line therebetween and two connection lines at two sides of the front sole portion and the upper portion, so the front sole portion is folded and connected to the upper portion to form a pocket structure, a rear portion knitted from the front sole portion, and a heel portion extending from a center rear end of the rear portion, two opposite sides of the heel portion respectively connected to a left rear end and a right rear end of the rear portion to form a 3D rear shoe portion with two joining lines between the heel portion and the rear portion on the two opposite sides.

Systems and methods for manufacturing knitted shoe uppers. An article of fully finished three-dimensionally weft knitted footwear is manufactured through a knitting process which can be performed by an automated V-bed flat knitting machine. The knitting process includes manipulating one or more double-knit stitch types and joining the stitches exclusively in the knitting process to create a seamless upper to fit a foot. A resulting upper advantageously has no sewn seams and requires no manual post process to cut or sew the upper to create the dimensional shape. The process creates a seamless, full gauge, dimensionally stable footwear upper, as a unitary textile construction with an integrated anatomically appropriate heel. The entire upper, including the closure element of the upper, may be completed exclusively by the knitting machine, ready for the following shoe making process.