CHAPTER IX
Purl Stitch, or Links and Links Machine, for Hand or Manual Power
The purl stitch or links and links machine is a type which may be termed unique in the class of machinery built to make knitted fabrics. It is entirely a European development; in fact, to my knowledge there had been none of these machines built in this country until some time after the war started, when it was impossible to import them.
The chief individual characteristic of purl stitch machines lies in the fact that they have two needle plates, but only one set of needles, and the cams do not act directly on the needles, but act indirectly through what are called jacks. First we will try to get a thorough knowledge of the fabric this machine was primarily designed to make, and the stitch formation required to produce this fabric; then the mechanism and movements of the different parts of the machine will be more readily understood as we proceed with the explanation.
Character of Fabric
Fig. 57 shows a photographic reproduction of the fabric with the top turned over to show both sides, which it will be noted are exactly the same. Fig. 58 is a line drawing showing the formation of the stitch; the course that the yarn takes may easily be followed. This is called the purl stitch and is very popular with milady when making hand knit sweaters, children’s suits, etc.
If the reader will refer back to Fig. 12, he may be surprised to note how near this fabric is like the back of the jersey fabric, while the face of the jersey fabric is so different. I do not think that I should go very far wrong if I put this in the same class as the jersey fabric, the same as the half and full cardigan are classed as rib fabrics. It is made the same as the jersey on one set of needles, but with this difference: In making the jersey fabric the loop is always drawn through the previous loop in the same direction. That is, we will suppose we were making this jersey fabric on an ordinary flat machine, on the front plate only. In this case the loops would always be drawn toward you through the previous loops. Now if we should reverse every course the direction in which we draw these loops, or in other words, if we should draw them towards you when moving the carriage from right to left, and away from you when moving the carriage from left to right, and continued this reversal, we would make a purl stitch fabric.
But, you say, how are we going to do this? The solution is the purl stitch or links and links machine, with its double ended needle, or a needle with a hook and latch on both ends to permit the whole needle to be pushed through the loop every course, thereby casting the previous loops off one end on one course, and off the opposite end on the next course. This system of knitting is such that there can be no obstruction to the free movement of the stitch over any part of the needle, therefore this fact precludes the use of a butt projecting up from any part for the cams to operate on, even if there were no other reason, which there is as the reader will understand after a study of the subject.
Fig 57.
Plain Purl Stitch Fabric.