Fig. 44.
Outline of Fashioned Sleeve.
Fig. 44 is an outline of approximately the shape the sleeve should be when finished and shows the direction of the wales and the places where the ones doubled up terminate. This is shown on one side and edge only, although the other side and edge would be the same.
It is understood, of course, that the sleeve is shown opened up flat, and in being put on a garment would be doubled over and the edges joined on the underside of the arm. To reduce the size from the forearm to the wrist or cuff it is usual, in sweaters, to depend on the change to the plain rib stitch, for as explained previously the plain rib will come out much narrower than the half or full cardigan with the same number of needles and the same yarn. In underwear and theatrical tights it is customary to fashion down the forearm to the cuff.
Many knitters consider it good practice to reverse this formula in fashioning; that is, to start at the cuff in order to have the rack stitch on the end of the cuff to save the hand finishing. In this event the narrowing operation as described would be reversed, or a widening operation.
This is done by pulling up the three end needles and pushing them down until the stitches drop off on to the decker, as in narrowing, but instead of setting these stitches in towards the center we would push up another needle and set them out one. This would leave the fourth needle without a stitch, so we would pick up the previous stitch, which had been cast off of what is now the fifth needle and raise it up and hook it over the fourth. This is done with one point of the decker. After having done this on both plates and on both sides of the sleeve, while we would have pushed four needles up into operation, we would have widened only two.
Where it is not considered an advantage to have the widening stitches show, this operation may be expedited quite a little by using the hook shown at b in Fig. 42, which is a convenient size to handle, about one-eighth inch in diameter by 6 inches long. By this method we push up into operation the new needle and simply catch with the hook the previous stitch cast off of the end needle and hook it on to the new needle on the four corners as before described. It is best to do this one needle at a time with a course between, taking the one on the plate that contains the inside needle.
CHAPTER VII
Automatic Flat Latch Needle Machines—Single Lock
The term “automatic” as applied to this class of machine means that all the changes are made automatically, as from plain stitch to half cardigan or full cardigan, or vice versa, changing colors to make striped work, making the rack stitch and back to plain rib, changing from rib to tubular or jersey stitch, making the French rack, etc. All these changes may be made at any predetermined place in the work without any attention from the operator. The machines discussed up to this point may be presumed to have been hand machines, that is, operated by manual power. Therefore, all changes of the stitch, yarn, racking, etc., may be done to advantage at the proper time and place by the operator as the machine requires his whole attention anyway.
A prerequisite of an automatic machine is the operating of the machine by other than manual power, therefore automatic machines are first of all what are called power machines. This does not imply by any means that all power machines are automatic, but rather that all automatic machines are power machines.