Description:

This invention relates to a method of manufacturing a double-layer knitted fabric, especially a compression article, on a knitting machine having at least two needle beds, wherein the knitted fabric comprises an outer layer made of a hydrophilic yarn on the first needle bed and an inner layer made of a hydrophobic yarn on the second needle bed.

The inner layer acts to move moisture away from the skin of the wearer of a garment made of such a knitted fabric. Especially compression articles and medical garments like stockings, bandages and medical soft goods that usually are worn many hours every day have to guarantee that moisture caused by perspiration is moved away from the wearer's skin to avoid discomfort or even skin irritations.

DE 42 04 339 A1 for example describes such a medical knitted garment having a hydrophobic inner layer and at least one outer layer that is able to store moisture. By a capillary effect the inner layer is moving moisture from the skin to the outer layer. The hydrophobic yarn of the inner layer is floated over several needles and/or forms bows and loops on the inner surface of the garment. The disadvantage of these garments are the relatively extended areas where the outer layer made of a hydrophilic material can still touch the skin of a wearer and therefore cause

discomfort by retaining the moisture close to the skin.

Another fabric according to the state of the art has an inner hydrophobic layer knitted on a first needle bed and a hydrophilic outer layer knitted on the second needle bed. However, some of the needles of the first needle bed knit the hydrophilic yarn that is used to form the outer layer. These hydrophilic stitches within the inner layer move the moisture away from the skin into the outer layer. However, also this fabric can cause

discomfort because the hydrophilic stitches in the inner layer touch the skin of a wearer. And only the feet of the stitches are able to transport the moisture into the second layer what still retains a lot of moisture close to the skin.

Thus, an objective of the present invention is to provide a method to manufacture a double layer knitted fabric having an inner hydrophobic layer and an outer hydrophilic layer capable of providing more comfort for a wearer of a garment made of such a fabric.

This objective is achieved by a method of manufacturing a double-layer knitted fabric, especially a compression article, on a knitting machine having at least two needle beds, wherein the knitted fabric comprises an outer layer made of a hydrophilic yarn on the first needle bed and an inner layer made of a hydrophobic yarn on the second needle bed, wherein stitches with the hydrophilic yarn are also knitted on selected needles of the second needle bed, that is characterized by comprising the steps of and carried out in the following order: a. Forming of stitches with a hydrophilic yarn material with all

needles of the first needle beds and with selected needles of the second needle bed;

b. Transferring the stitches made of the hydrophilic yarn material and formed on the selected needles of the second needle bed to needles of the first needle bed;

c. immediately after transferring the stitches in step b. forming of stitches with a hydrophobic yarn material on the selected needles of the second needle bed (= split-stitches) as well as with all other needles of the second needle bed.

By splitting the stitches originally formed on selected needles of the second needle bed and knitted by a hydrophilic yarn the heads of these stitches are incorporated in the outer layer after the transfer of these stitches in step b and replacing them on the second needle bed by hydrophobic stitches. Only the legs and feet of each of these split stitches are part of the inner layer touching the skin of a wearer of a garment made of such a fabric. Therefore, less moisture is retained in the inner layer close to the wearer's skin. On the other hand, not only the feet of these stitches but also the legs are able to move moisture away from the skin into the outer layer. Thus, the push and pull effect on the skin moisture is considerably better than in fabrics according to the state of the art. The wearer of such a garment feels dry and comfortable. Further benefits can be obtained if before the transfer of stitches in step b. an inlay thread is laid onto the stitches made of hydrophilic yarn and extending between the two needle beds.

Inlay threads are frequently used in compression articles to provide the desired compression on the wearer's body part. By inserting these threads before the stitch transfer in step b. the threads can be fixed in the fabric by the transferred stitches.

The inlay threads are usually elastic threads especially if the fabric is a compression article. They can also be hydrophobic threads or have a hydrophobic coating. It is also common to use inlay threads having an elastic core that is covered by a hydrophobic fiber material.

In order to fix the inlay threads safely in the fabric it is advantageous if in step b. the stitches from selected needles of the second needle bed are transferred to needles of the first needle bed that are laterally offset with regard to the selected needles of the second needle bed. In this way, the stitches transferred in step b. are wrapped around the inlay thread and fix it securely.

In a preferred embodiment of the method of the invention in step a.

stitches are formed with a hydrophilic yarn on every second needle of the second needle bed. Thus, every second stitch in a course on the second needle bed is a split stitch that is capable of moving moisture away from the skin. However, these stitches can also be formed further spaced apart from each other depending on the use of the fabric. It is also possible to knit one or more courses with a hydrophilic yarn on ail needles of the first needle bed after step a, i.e. before transferring back the stitches on selected needles of the second needle bed to needles of the first needle bed in step b. Thus, courses with split stitches are spaced further apart from each other.

In order to knit a whole garment or larger areas of the fabric having good moisture discharging properties steps a. to c. are repeated several times wherein each time in step a. the stitches on selected needles of the second needle bed are formed on different needles than in the preceding execution of step a. Thus, the split stitches are distributed evenly over the fabric.

It is further preferable that a moisture transporting and/or an elastic yarn is used as a hydrophilic yarn. If the hydrophilic yarn has capillaries moisture can easily be moved away from the skin. Especially for a compression article it is also advantageous if the hydrophilic yarn is elastic. For the same reason, also the hydrophobic yarn can be an elastic yarn.

The invention also relates to a double layer knitted fabric, in particular a compression article, comprising an outer layer made of a hydrophilic yarn and an inner layer made of a hydrophobic yarn and manufactured by a method according to the invention and characterized in that the inner layer of the fabric has spaced apart split stitches made of a hydrophilic yarn. Preferred embodiments of the method and of the double layer knitted fabric according to the invention are illustrated with reference to the drawing. In the drawing

Fig. 1 shows a knitting process diagram for a section of a fabric,

Fig. 2 shows a portion a double layer knitted fabric.

The diagram of Fig. 1 shows a sequence of courses knitted on a front needle bed V and a rear needle bed H of a flat knitting machine wherein the needles of these needle beds V, H are marked by dots 10. The knitting direction is indicated by an arrow 11.

In a first course 1R stitches are knitted with a hydrophilic yarn 12 on all needles of the front needle bed V and on every second needle of the rear needle bed. On the front needle bed V an outer hydrophilic layer of the fabric is knitted and on the rear needle bed an inner and hydrophobic layer. In a second course 2R stitches are knitted with a second hydrophilic yarn 13 on all needles of the front needle bed V. This course 2R is optional. Instead of a different yarn 13 again yarn 12 could be used to knit this course 2R.

In a third course 3R that is pictured as two separate courses just for reasons of clarity an inlay thread 14 is laid between the stitches formed in the previous courses 1R and 2R on the front and rear needle bed V, H. Immediately after placing the inlay thread 14 the stitches of the rear needle bed H formed in course 1R are transferred to the opposite needles of the front needle bed V and on all needles on the rear needle bed H stitches are formed with a hydrophobic yarn 15. The transferred stitches or split stitches fix the inlay thread 14 in the fabric. Their feet are still on the rear needle bed H and therefore part of the inner hydrophobic layer of the fabric. Thus, these stitches are able to move moisture from the inner layer to the outer layer of the fabric. The courses 4R to 6R are a repetition of courses 1R to 3R with the one difference that in course 4R stitches are formed with the hydrophilic yarn 12 on needles of the rear needle bed that have not formed stitches with that yarn 12 in course 1R. In further repetitions of courses 1R to 3R the knitting of these stitches on the rear needle bed H always alters between odd and even needles of the rear needle bed. Thus, the split stitches can be uniformly distributed over the surface of the inner layer of the fabric.

It is also possible to knit only on every third needle of the rear needle bed H in course R1 with yarn 12. In further repetitions of course R1 each time the first needle on which a stitch with yarn 12 is formed is moved by one to the right in order to achieve a uniform distribution of the split stitches.

The stitch pattern picture of a double layer knitted fabric in fig. 2 shows a view onto the outer layer formed by hydrophilic yarns 12, 13 wherein the yarn 12 is formed by two yarns 12a, 12b. The inner layer is formed by stitches made of hydrophobic yarns 15a, 15b. Also, elastic inlay threads 14 are hydrophobic. In the center portion of fig. 2 the inlay thread 14 is omitted and a split stitch formed by hydrophilic yarns 12 can be seen. Its feet are part of the inner layer while its head and legs are part of the outer layer. Thus, moisture can be moved from the inside of the fabric to the outer layer.