How Designing Is Done

Having explained the theory of making designs on the jacquard system we will now show in detail how it is done in actual practice. With the jacquard system there is no limit or end to the designs that may be made, as there is with the other systems used on knitting machines.

Fig. 71 is a photographic reproduction of a design made on this machine. The reader who has studied well and thoroughly digested what has gone before will realize that this design could not be made in any other way, on a machine of this type, without an expenditure of time and labor which would be far beyond the bounds of practicability.

The designer will first sketch out his design on a piece of plain paper, then take a piece of cross section paper and lay it down as illustrated in Fig. 72. This is the layout of the design shown in Fig. 71. Each of the crosswise rows of squares represents one round or two courses, and each of the vertical rows represents a wale or needle. In other words each one of the squares in a crosswise row represents a needle or the loops in one round, and each one of the succeeding squares represents that same needle in the succeeding rounds.

Fig. 71.
Design Made on Automatic Jacquard Purl Stitch Machine.

Fig. 72.
Layout of Design Shown in Fig. 71.

Now to cut the cards we would start with No. 1 and cut them consecutively. Referring to Fig. 72, the blank squares, or the spaces in the cards these represent, should be cut out, and the squares marked with an x would remain intact. Starting at the right side, one needle space is not cut out; then sufficient space to cover three needles or jacks is cut out; then the space of eleven jacks is left intact, then three cut out. This is the full width of the first round of the design, therefore this cutting would be repeated until it covers the desired width of fabric. Card No. 2 would be cut as follows: One space cut, one left intact, three cut out, nine left intact, three cut out, and one left intact. This should be repeated as with No. 1 card. Each card thereafter should be cut according to the marking of the cross section paper, and numbered as cut, so as to avoid trouble in assembling them in their proper order when finished.

It should be understood that the part of this layout from the right side to the dotted line is the complete design, and all to the left as well as above and below, would be a duplicate of this.

After these cards are put on the card cylinder, attached like an endless belt, and the machine is in operation, when card No. 18 has finished the last part of the design, card No. 1 will start immediately in the next round on its part of the design. When it comes to card No. 6, that square will have been completed, and a new square in the center section will have been started.

The two-tone color effect is made by using two different colored yarns and using a plating yarn carrier. This throws one color on the face in the jersey stitch and the other color on the face in the purl stitch.

Fig. 73.
Claes and Flentje Automatic Narrowing Machine.

CHAPTER XI
Flat Latch Needle Automatic Narrowing Machine

The flat latch needle automatic narrowing machine as built by Messrs. Claes & Flentje is shown in Fig. 73, and a piece of fabric from this machine narrowed down fourteen needles is shown in Fig. 74. This machine is quite complicated when compared with any that have been taken up before, but those who have studied what has gone before carefully, especially that part treating on fashioned garments and how they are made by hand, should have no trouble in understanding the principles and movements necessary to do this work automatically.

Fig. 74.
Fabric Narrowed Down on Automatic
Narrowing Machine.

The machine shown is really four separate and complete units mounted upon one frame or stand and driven by one belt, with the automatic movements operated from one control. It is evident from this that the garments or parts of garments made on each one of these four units must be the same, or rather they must have the same number of rounds with the same number of needles narrowed down, but they may be made from different yarns both in kind and color.

There are four points that should be understood to begin with: First, the machine is operated by power. Second, the power is transmitted to the driving pulley on the machine at all times when the machine is being operated. Third, the knitting mechanism must be stopped while the narrowing mechanism is in operation. Fourth, the narrowing mechanism must be at rest during the time the knitting mechanism is in operation.

Fig. 75.
Changing Mechanism on Right End of Automatic Narrowing Machine.

We will first show how it is arranged to automatically stop one part of the machine, say the knitting operation, and put the narrowing mechanism in work, and after this part has performed its functions or narrowed down one needle on each needle plate, front and back, how it is stopped until time to narrow again, and the knitting parts set in operation.

Fig. 75 is a view of the right end of the machine, and it is here that the driving mechanism is located, also the automatic controls. The number 1 indicates the belt and pulley which drive the machine. The pulley is mounted loose upon the shaft and operates the machine through a clutch which is thrown in or out, as the case may be, by the handles marked x in Fig. 73. The number 13 (Fig. 75) indicates a plain balance wheel on the outside end of the shaft.

When the clutch is in, the driving wheel on which the belt 1 runs will of course turn the shaft 2, on the other end of which there is a small spur gear which drives the large gear 3. This large gear is automatically connected with, and disconnected from the crank wheel 5, which wheel drives the knitting mechanism through the connecting rod 6 and lever y, Fig. 73, whose fulcrum is at s, and is connected to an extension of the carriage at r. The lever y comes up between two ways or slides, on which is mounted a crosshead at the end of this extension, and where the lever connects at r, to keep the extension in alignment with the carriages.

Referring to Fig. 75, when the machine is being operated the following parts are always in motion: The driving wheel 1 with the shaft 2, together with the small spur gear on the end of the shaft 2, which cannot be seen but drives the large gear 3, also the large gear 3 with the shaft upon which it is mounted, which may be seen running behind the vertical connecting straps toward the right of the illustration and terminates back of the large bevel gear 4. Upon this end of the shaft there is mounted a small bevel or pinion gear to drive the large bevel gear 4.

Now then let us understand that the crank wheel 5 operates the knitting mechanism of the machine, and the bevel gear 4, through a shaft which runs the entire length of the machine with a series of cams mounted on it, operates the narrowing mechanism. We have seen that the driving parts from the driving pulley 1 on the back of the machine, over to and including the large gear 3, and back to and including the small bevel gear which drives the large bevel gear 4 are in motion at all times while the machine is in operation. The gear 4 is engaged with the small gear only at the time the narrowing is done; while the crank wheel is connected with the large spur gear 3 and turning only while the knitting parts are in operation. The connection between the crank wheel 5 and the gear 3 is simply a key-like lever which may be disconnected by lifting out of place and connected again by dropping back, though there is only one place on the circumference of the wheel where it can connect the two together.