KNITTED PART

Abstract

A knitted part flat-knitted from at least one knitting thread, said knitted part including a ground fabric portion having a plurality of ground fabric courses, and also at least one wave portion which extends across a plurality of wales, which include a plurality of wave portion courses and in which, in each case, a loop has been knitted in a first wale in a first wave portion course and every further wave portion course, whereas, in each case, in an adjacent second wale, a loop knitted in the first wave portion course extends across a plurality of wave portion courses, wherein at least one elastic weft thread runs through at least a portion of the ground fabric courses and the wave portion courses.

Claims

1. A knitted part flat-knitted from at least one knitting thread, said knitted part comprising a ground fabric portion comprising a plurality of ground fabric courses, and also at least one wave portion which extends across a plurality of wales, which comprises a plurality of wave portion courses and in which, in each case, a loop has been knitted in a first wale in a first wave portion course and at least one further wave portion course, whereas, in each case, in a second wale, a loop knitted in the first wave portion course extends across a plurality of wave portion courses, wherein at least one elastic weft thread runs through at least a proportion of the ground fabric courses and the wave portion courses.

2. The knitted part according to claim 1, wherein the weft thread in the wave portion course or courses floats in the second wale.

3. The knitted part according to claim 1, wherein the weft thread runs at least through the first wave portion course and floats across the loop, which extends across a plurality of wave portion courses, of the particular second wale.

4. The knitted part according to claim 3, wherein the weft thread runs through one or more further wave portion courses and floats in the second wale.

5. The knitted part according to claim 3, wherein the weft thread runs through one or more further wave portion courses, wherein the weft thread of one or all further wave portion courses floats across the loop, which extends across a plurality of wave portion courses, of the particular second wale.

6. The knitted part according to claim 1, wherein the knitted thread of at least one or all further wave portion courses, in the particular second wale, likewise extending across one or more wale portion courses, floats across the loop, which extends across a plurality of wave portion courses, of the particular second wale.

7. The knitted part according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of first and second wales knitted from the same wave portion courses are knitted in an alternating manner, or in that a plurality of first and/or a plurality of second wales are knitted side by side, or in that sub-portions comprising one or more pairs formed of one first and one second wale or comprising just first or just second wales are knitted with mutual offset in the direction of the wales.

8. The knitted part according to claim 7, wherein in the fabric transverse direction, the sub-portions adjoin each other directly or are separated from each other by one or more wales.

9. The knitted part according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of wave portions are provided offset in the fabric longitudinal direction.

10. The knitted part according to claim 1, wherein, between, viewed in the direction of the wales, the ground fabric portion and the wave portion, a transition portion extending across a plurality of wales and courses is formed with a greater stitch density than the adjacent ground fabric portion.

11. The knitted part according to claim 10, wherein a transition portion has been formed not only before but also after the or every wave portion.

12. The knitted part according to claim 10, wherein the transition portion extends across the same number of wales as the wave portion.

13. The knitted part according to claim 10, wherein in the transition portion, every loop in every course is a knitted loop.

14. The knitted part according to claim 1, wherein in the ground fabric portion, every loop in a first course is a knitted loop, wherein every second loop extends all the way into the following second course, and in that every second loop in the second course is a knitted loop, wherein the first and second courses alternate in the direction of the wales.

15. The knitted part according to claim 1, wherein it is a stocking or a pantyhose, wherein the wave portion or portions are provided in a portion occupying the bottom of the foot in the donned position, or in that it is an arm stocking, an abdominal or upper part or a pant.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0023] In the drawing:

[0024] FIG. 1 shows a stitch pattern excerpted from a knitted part in a first embodiment,

[0025] FIG. 2 shows a stitch pattern excerpted from a knitted part in a second embodiment

[0026] FIG. 3 shows a stitch pattern excerpted from a knitted part in a third embodiment, and

[0027] FIG. 4 shows a stitch pattern excerpted from a knitted part in a fourth embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] FIG. 1 shows at 1 a knitted part of the invention in a first embodiment, as a partial view in the form of a stitch pattern. The knitted part 1 in the depicted example is formed as a flat knit from at least one knitting thread 2. It comprises a multiplicity of mutually adjoining ground fabric courses 3a, 3b, which mutually alternate in the fabric longitudinal direction L. These ground fabric courses form the ground fabric portion 4. In the depicted working example of FIG. 1 every ground fabric course 3a is knitted such that, while every loop is knitted, the loops 5a only extend to the next course 3b, whereas the loops 5b extend into the subsequent next but one course 3a, i.e., overbridge a course 3b. In consequence, it is necessarily only every second loop 6 which is knitted in every second ground fabric course 3b, since the elongated loop of the first ground fabric course 3a extends between two loops 6. The mesh volume reduces somewhat in the ground fabric portion 4 as a result.

[0029] The invention provides a wave portion 7, which is likewise knitted from the knitted thread 2. It consists of a plurality of wave portion courses 8a, 8b, 8c . . . 8f, where the wave portion course 8a is the first wave portion course whereto the other wave portion courses 8b, 8c, etc. adjoin. The wave portion courses adjoin the ground fabric courses 3a, 3b.

[0030] The wave portion 7 consists of a plurality of separate wales, namely pairs comprising a first wale 9 and a neighboring second wale 10. The wave portion 7 is both-sidedly terminated by a first wale 9. In the example shown, a loop 11 is knitted in every first wale 9 in every wave portion course 8a, 8b . . . . It is thus the case that, in the direction of wale 9, a loop 11 is followed by a loop 11.

[0031] The second wale 10 is distinctly different from this, however. The second wale 10 ultimately only has one “long” loop 12. The knitted thread 2 is “pulled” therein from the first wave portion course 8a across a plurality of further wave portion courses through to the last wave portion course 8f; that is, the loop of wave portion course 8a is held on the needle during the knitting action. Said loop is not knitted until the last wave portion course 8f is being knitted. The result is a longitudinal stretching of the knitted thread 2 due to the “long” loop 12. The latter tends to recontract somewhat owing to the thread elasticity, resulting in the formation of an elevation or bulge on the inside, i.e., on that side of the fabric which faces the wearer. A plurality of pairs consisting of first and second wales 9, 10 are seen to alternate within the wave portion 7.

[0032] There are further provided two transition portions 13, bordered by a broken line in FIG. 1, as is the wave portion 7. In these transition portions 13, the courses coming from the ground fabric courses, are knitted with a higher number of needle loops than in the actual ground fabric portion 4. As is clearly shown by FIG. 1, every loop 5, 6 is knitted here, so the mesh volume here is maximized. Thus the stitch density will be higher in every transition portion 13 than in the ground fabric portion 4. This increased number of needle loops ensures that every transition region 13 can serve as “length equalizer” as a result of the fact that due to the longitudinal stretching of the knitted thread 2 in the particular wale 10, i.e., the “long” loops 12, the wave portion is contracted in the fabric longitudinal direction L. Enlarging the mesh volume before and after wave portion 7 can thus ensure that contraction of wave portion 7 notwithstanding, the fabric does not distort or form small holes or the like.

[0033] The knitted part 1 further comprises at least one elastic weft thread 14 which, in the working example shown in FIG. 1, floats through every second course, whether ground fabric courses 3a or wave portion courses 8a, 8c, etc., are concerned. This elastic weft thread endows the ground fabric 1 with a sufficient level of elasticity all the way through to compressive properties. It enhances the development of the elevation in the particular wave portion 7 once it has been somewhat stretched longitudinally during knitting. It thus contracts somewhat in the fabric transverse direction Q, which is ultimately beneficial to the development of the elevation in the wave portion 7, since there will precisely also be a transverse contraction component in addition to the longitudinal contraction of the “long” loops 12.

[0034] FIG. 2 shows a knitted part 1 of the invention in a second embodiment that corresponds in terms of basic construction to the knitted part 1 of FIG. 1. It likewise has a ground fabric portion 4 formed from corresponding ground fabric courses, knitted in the differing way described. Again there is provided a wave portion 7 plus—therebefore and thereafter—transition portions 13 of increased stitch density as compared with the ground fabric portion 4. The knitted part 1 is again knitted from a knitted thread 2 and also the inlaid elastic thread 14. The elastic thread 14 again runs as inlaid weft thread through—by way of example—every second course. It is in each case floating therein.

[0035] A difference resides in the region of wave portion 7, as FIG. 2 clearly shows. It is apparent that the elastic thread 14 of the particular courses in the particular second wale 10 is not running floatingly through the course; instead it is likewise held on that needle on which the “long” loop 12 of the particular second wale 10 is held. In the illustrated example, quasi three elastic threads conjointly float across the particular “long” loop 12 in the particular second wale 10.

[0036] As FIG. 2 clearly shows, the elastic weft threads 14 of the individual courses of wave portion 7 are therefore also longitudinally stretched to different extents in the fabric longitudinal direction L. Since elastic thread material is concerned, the elastic thread 14 will accordingly develop a power of elastic recovery and have a tendency to contract. As a result and because the tensioning is primarily in the fabric longitudinal direction L, the knit will contract much more strongly in the longitudinal direction L in wave portion 7 than in the case of the embodiment in FIG. 1. A certain amount of transverse contraction likewise occurs here.

[0037] The knitted part as per FIG. 1 therefore displays a much more prominent development of elevation than the knitted part 1 of FIG. 1.

[0038] In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the knitted thread in the second wales 10 of wave portion 7 is floating in each of wave portion courses 8b etc., as FIG. 2 clearly reveals. It is only the elastic weft threads 14 of the individual rows which are elongated in the longitudinal direction L and float across the “long” loop 12 in the particular wale 10.

[0039] The design is different with the knitted part 1 shown in FIG. 3 of the invention. This design corresponds to the design as per the stitch pattern of FIG. 2; that is, here too the elastic thread 14 in the particular second wale 10 floats across the “long” loop 12.

[0040] In the illustrated example of FIG. 3, however, the knitted thread 2 in every second course 8b, 8d, 8f also floats across the “long” loop 12, whereas in every other course 8c, 8e it floats across the second wale 10. As a result, in this embodiment, the knitted thread 2 is likewise stretched not just in the “long” loop 12 in the fabric longitudinal direction L in wave portion 7, but also in higher courses, since, as described, the knitted thread 2 floats across the long loop 12 in the fabric longitudinal direction L.

[0041] This makes the recovery capacity within the wave portion 7 somewhat greater still than in the embodiment of FIG. 2, where the recovery capacity is only due to the “long” loops 12 and also the stretched elastic threads 14. The embodiment of FIG. 3 additionally benefits from the recovery capacity of knitted thread 2 insofar it runs across the “long” loop 12 and does not float in wale 10.

[0042] FIG. 4 finally shows an embodiment featuring quasi “maximal” capacity for recovery. FIG. 4 continues the embodiment of FIG. 3 still further by the knitted thread 2 no longer floating within the particular second wale 10, but floating in every wave portion course 8b-8e across the loop of the “long” loop 12. It is therefore clear here that the knitted thread 2 is repeatedly stretched within the wave portion 7 as well as naturally also the elastic thread 14. The result here therefore is a very pronounced contraction within the wave portion 7, especially in the fabric longitudinal direction, and to some extent also in the fabric transverse direction.

[0043] A feature common to all the working examples is the transition portion 13, which precedes and follows the particular wave portion 7 and wherein a higher stitch density is knitted than in the ground fabric portion 4, as already described in the introductory remarks regarding FIG. 1. A “length equalizer” is thereby realized to compensate the fabric shortening resulting from the contraction in wave portion 7.

[0044] Although the knitted thread 14 in each of the described working examples of FIGS. 2-4 floats in the wave portion courses or across the “long” loop 12, it is also possible, as will be appreciated, to also have the elastic thread 14—in a manner similar to the knitted thread 2 in these embodiments—only partly cross the “long” loop 12, i.e., have it stretch in the longitudinal direction L, and to have it partly float in the second wale 10. The recovery capacity within the wave portion 7 in the fabric longitudinal direction can be further varied in this way.

[0045] The knitting thread may be for example a PA, PE or PP thread or natural thread based on cotton or silk. The elastic thread 14 is for example a silicone or elastane thread, which is wrapped or unwrapped.

[0046] It will be appreciated that any desired number of wave portions 7 may be formed within the knitted part 1 which may each also vary greatly in geometry or size. For example, a wave portion 7 may extend in the fabric transverse direction Q in a quasi straight line to form a transversal rib. A plurality of such ribs may be knitted in the fabric longitudinal direction L with a transition region 13 between any two such ribs/wave portions 7.

[0047] It is also conceivable to knit a wave or zigzag pattern within the wave portion 7, i.e., within the resulting elevation. In this case, the individual pairs consisting of the first and second courses 9, 10 would be knitted mutually offset in the fabric longitudinal direction, for example offset by one or two loops in each case, while the offsetting direction varies to knit a wave or a zigzag shape.

[0048] It is further possible for a plurality of separate wave portions 7 to be knitted neighboringly to each other in the fabric transverse direction Q; they are spaced apart from each other by one or more wales. In the final analysis, any desired geometric configuration is conceivable.

[0049] The knitted part 1 itself may for example be embodied as a leg stocking. The diverse wave portions 7 in this case are preferably knitted in the fabric region which covers the bottom of the foot in order to use that fabric region to produce a massaging effect, in order to be able to treat plantar fasciitis for example.

[0050] Alternatively, the knitted part may also be embodied as pantyhose or as arm stocking or as an abdominal part or the like. The wave portion or portions 7 are always produced in those places on the inside surface of the fabric where a massaging treatment of the enclosed tissue or body part is to be effected.

[0051] While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.