A HYBRID WOVEN/KNITTED FABRIC, A METHOD OF MAKING SAME AND

AN APPARATUS FOR USE IN SAID METHOD

The present invention relates to a new type of hybrid woven/knitted fabric, and also to a new apparatus which is required for the manufacture of the new fabric.

The concept of a hybrid woven/knitted fabric, which is also known as a combined woven knitted fabric or a co-woven knitted fabric, has been in existence since the 1920’s. It has consisted of a shed warp and weft insertion combined with a knitted fabric of single jersey construction.

Previously, hybrid knitted/woven fabrics have been produced using just one set of needles. This has been done experimentally using a modified V-bed flat knitting machine and removing one of the needle beds. The warps are positioned at 90 degrees to the needles.

Existing hybrid (single needle) machines are able to feed the knitting yarn on to the hook of the needles above the warp sheet. Since a single needle arrangement employs a conventional weaving technique, precise control of the warp tension during shedding is not thought important. When the shed is complete, tension is re-imposed by the full extent of the shed. Shedding is the accepted term in the industry for the parting of the warp threads. A‘shed warp’ is therefore a gap between the warp threads through which other yarns or needles may pass. A weaver may refer to a‘shed warp’ as an open warp.

However, there is always a desire for the new and original fabric designs.

Therefore, in accordance with the invention, there is provided a fabric material, the fabric material comprising a first section comprising a woven fabric, the first section being located between second and third sections each comprising a knitted yarn; wherein the first section comprises a plurality of warp yarns interlinked with a plurality of weft yarns; and wherein the second and third sections are connected through the first section by two or more knitting yarns passing through the first section.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the fabric of the invention comprises a woven inner core section ( i.e . the first section) comprising a plurality of warp yarns which are shed in alternate directions across a weft insertion. Typically, there are a minimum of two weft insertions per shed, with the weft insertions per shed being employed in multiples of two. Typically, the plurality of warp yarns is arranged in a substantially perpendicular orientation to the plurality of weft yarns.

The second and third sections may be interconnected in the Z axis by two or more knitting yarns passing between adjacent warp yarns, and/or below and above adjacent weft yarns. The two or more knitting yarns which pass through the first section in the Z axis add a further dimension to the strength and reinforcement properties of the overall fabric. Typically, a plurality of knitting yarns passes between adjacent warp yarns of the first section.

The knitted component of the fabric is of an interlock construction and the passage of the Z axis yarn is dictated by this. However, different interlock constructions can be produced. For example, a 2 x 2 construction would halve the knitting yarn in the Z axis. The production of knitted tubes would only have Z axis knitting yarns where the tubes close.

As used herein, the second and third sections each comprising a knitted yarn may also be interchangeably referred to as front and back knitted structures, respectively; i.e. the second section corresponds to the front knitted structure and the third section corresponds to the back knitted structure.

Uniquely, the fabric of the invention requires the use of a double needle bed construction. Current hybrid woven/knitted fabrics comprise a single jersey, made with a single needle bed, with the warp shed such that it passes underneath and above a sinker loop with a weft insertion placed in a shed warp in a conventional manner. In contrast, the fabric of the invention has knitted loops both on the front and back of the first section comprising the woven fabric, the woven fabric being located between these loops, and the shed encapsulating both the weft insertion and cross connections of knitting yarn passing from front to back from the second section to the third section in the Z axis.

Non-limiting materials for use in the manufacture of the fabric of the invention include, for example, a material comprising a polyester (such as high tenacity polyester having a denier value of about 150 to about 6000, the denier value being a measurement of the linear mass density of the polyester fibre) for the knitted component; and a material comprising carbon fibre for the woven yarn.

This fabric design is new to the art. Due to the complexity of the design of the fabric, existing apparatuses were not able to carry out the simultaneous weaving and knitting processes required to be able to manufacture it, due to a number of factors. On the existing single needle machines, the woven component is bi-axial and the knitted component, being a single jersey, is essentially lamina. Further, these machines are not capable of maintaining precise control of the tension of the warp yarns during shedding, which is required in the manufacture of the fabric of the invention. In manufacturing the fabric of the invention, it is essential that accurate control of the warp yarns is maintained to place the warp yarns precisely in the‘wale space’. Further, existing single needle machines are unable to propel the knitting systems and reach inside the shed warp to place the knitting yarns, and simultaneously insert the weft.

The development of a new apparatus which is capable of manufacturing the fabric of the invention was therefore necessary.

Therefore, in accordance with the invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing a fabric material as defined hereinabove, the apparatus comprising:

(i) a plurality of needle beds;

(ii) a mechanism to maintain a desired level of tension in a plurality of warp threads; and

(iii) a mechanism to extend inside a shed warp to place one or more knitting yarns and simultaneously insert one or more weft threads.

The apparatus of the invention enables the manufacture of a design of the hybrid knitted/woven fabric of the invention that has never before been manufactured.

A needle bed is a flat surface, or bed, which comprises a plurality of needles thereon for the production of a knitting pattern.

Typically, in the present invention, there are two needle beds. When there are two needle beds, they are typically arranged in an inverted "V", at an angle of about 60° to each other, so that the knitted fabric is formed with the yarn substantially evenly tensioned between the needle beds.

The needle beds are arranged in an interlock gaiting arrangement. Interlock gaiting is where opposing front and back needles on each needle bed are directly opposed to each other, so when a warp thread is shed in an interlock gaiting it will occupy a space on the opposite side of the apparatus which is also between two needles. In the apparatus of the invention, the needle beds cannot be arranged in a rib gaiting arrangement, which is another commonly used needle arrangement in knitting processes, i.e. where the opposing front and back needles are laterally offset from each other. This is because a warp thread would shed across the machine to be located directly in front of a needle in the opposing needle bed, and would therefore be an obstruction. As mentioned above, hybrid knitted/woven fabrics have been produced in the past using just one set of needles. In contrast, the present invention employs two sets of opposing needles, which are set in an interlock gaiting. The sets of needles are provided both in front and behind the warp in a substantially V-shaped formation, where the needle beds are arranged at about 60° to each other, rather than in the conventional 90° arrangement, which means that the hooks of the needles are closer together at their clearing height. This in turn means the warp has to make a reduced shed - i.e. the shed space is smaller - to be clear of the needle hooks and reduces the likelihood of contact between the warp and the needle bed verges. Additionally, the point at which the front and back needles cross is higher in a 60°V-arrangement. This, in turn, provides additional clearance for the weft insertion which must be placed such that the needles are raised over it, to pull knitting yarn over the top of it.

In contrast, on a single needle set up, the woven component is bi-axial and the knitted component is essentially lamina.

The double needle bed arrangement allows for the creation of cross connections to the front and back needle beds which pass knitted yarns through the woven threads, both above and below the weft, and to the right and left of the warp. This gives a bi-axial woven component combined with a three-dimensional knitted structure.

The mechanism to maintain a desired level of tension in a plurality of warp threads may be any device suitable for achieving the purpose, but is typically in the form of one or more bars, rails or rods. For convenience, they shall be known herein as tension bars. There may be as many tension bars present as desired, such as two, three or four; however, typically there are two tension bars in the apparatus.

As a single needle bed arrangement employs a conventional weaving technique, precise control of the tension of the warp during shedding is not considered important. When the shed is complete, tension is re-imposed by the full extent of the shed.

However, in the double needle bed arrangement according to the invention, it is essential that accurate control of the warp thread is maintained to place the warp thread precisely in the ‘wale space’. The‘wale’ is a column of loops along the length of a knitted fabric, with the‘wale space’ being the space within the loops. The present invention therefore employs the tension bars to accomplish this precise control of the tension. In conventional weaving and warp knitting, fabric formation is instantaneous upon either beat up or knock over. However, the formation of a weft knitted fabric, as in the present invention, is progressive as adjacent needles knock over in succession to form a fabric. This means the consumption of the warp yarn is also progressive. To accomplish this, the invention may have a mechanism to release the tension on the warp sheet during the knitting cycle at a desired rate. The tension on individual warp threads is typically maintained by the use of spring wires. Such a mechanism could be used to process more difficult yarns, such as spun yarns where the‘hairiness’ of the yarns tends to lock the yarns together.

When present, the tension release mechanism releases the tension on the warp sheet during a knitting and weft insertion cycle, to facilitate the progressive nature of fabric formation. An additional provision is made to individually tension the warp threads during this cycle to maintain the placement of the warp in relation to a trick wall. A trick is a groove in which a knitting element, such as a needle, is located and is able to slide up and down when selected. An adjacent trick is positioned next to it and a piece of metal which separates the two tricks is known as the trick wall.

In operation, the warp threads used to make the fabric material of the invention are engaged with the tension bars. There are as many tension bars as there are warps. The function of the tension bars is to maintain the tension of the one or more warp sheets. During the shedding, the tension bars work by moving in a direction away from the direction of movement of the warp threads, in order to increase the tension in the warp threads as one or more weft threads are inserted in the shed space. Once the shedding is complete, the tension bars move back towards their position before the shedding, to relax the tension on the warp threads.

The apparatus is designed in such a way that the tension of the warp, weft and knitting yarns can be adjusted to any level as desired. However, typically, a relatively low tension is employed, for example in the region of 5-20, or 10-15 grams of tension per end of yarn.

The apparatus also includes a mechanism which allows for the simultaneous placement of both knitting yarns and weft insertions through a shed warp, and is able to extend inside a shed warp in order to place one or more knitting yarns on the needles from within the shed warp, and simultaneously insert one or more weft insertions on top of the knitting yarn connecting the front and back needles and at the fell of the fabric construction, respectively. The fell is the edge of the weaving where the last pick was beaten into place, and against which the next pick will be beaten; it is the line where woven cloth meets yet unwoven warp. This is something which has not been previously possible with existing apparatuses, but which is possible using the apparatus of the invention.

To achieve this, the mechanism comprises what shall be referred to herein as a‘weft insertion arm’.

On a conventional V-bed knitting machine, the front and back knitting systems of a carriage are connected by a bridge arrangement which passes from front to back across the machine. In common with a V-bed machine, the apparatus of the invention also has front and rear/back needles set in a V-formation with attendant front and rear knitting systems.

However, since the needles are set in an interlock formation, and a warp thread occupies the space between the needles, a conventional bridge from front to rear would occupy the same space as the warp. The inventors therefore needed to devise an alternative solution to the bridge arrangement.

This is achieved by means of a mechanism which is able to provide the same effect. Typically, the mechanism is in the form an arrangement of bars or rods, called herein‘push rods’ for convenience, which extend and protrude from the side of knitting systems in parallel with the needle beds.

Herein, a knitting system is a term given to a carriage arrangement containing a plurality of carriages on a V-bed knitting machine.

The carriages (also called locks in the art) are mechanisms that cause the needle movements required to produce each next stitch as it passes across or over the needle bed. They are adapted from current V-bed technology, but they do traverse on linear bushes which encapsulate linear shafts. This is to ensure they remain in accurate alignment with the needle beds despite the weight of the overhanging push rods and weft insertion arm.

The carriage arrangement contains cams and, if appropriate, needle selection mechanisms which activate the needle as a carriage passes it. A conventional single knitting system is one which will make one needle selection per pass. A double system, as in the apparatus of the invention, is one which will make two selections. As the apparatus is a V-bed knitting machine, two knitting systems are present. As the conventional bridge arrangement used in the art is inappropriate for the apparatus of the invention, the two knitting systems are propelled simultaneously by an arrangement of push rods which connect the two knitting systems around the machine. The push rods, both front and rear, are connected at an end of the apparatus, and extend to the knitting systems. Therefore, when the front knitting system is pushed by the front push rod, the rear knitting system will also move, the connection of the front and rear knitting systems now being around the machine, rather than across it. This overcomes the problem of a conventional bridging arrangement of a V-bed machine which would clash with the warp.

Again, in a conventional V-bed machine, the knitting yarn is fed to the needles at the point where knitting cams are raising the needles to their maximum height. This is accomplished by either the provision of a slide way down the central axis of the apparatus, along which the feeders are propelled along with the knitting systems, or by simply attaching a feeder to the knitting system.

Again, any such arrangement on the apparatus of the invention would occupy the same space as the warp threads. This problem is overcome by the attachment of the weft insertion arm, which is typically attached to an area near or on the connection between the front and back push rods.

The weft insertion arm is typically aligned along a central axis of the apparatus. As the knitting systems move, the weft insertion arm moves along the central axis above the apex of the needle bed. Knitting yarn feeders and the weft insertion arm can deliver yarn along the central axis of the machine in the correct place relative to the needle selection. The weft insertion arm moves with the carriages and contains knitting yarn feeders and a weft insertion unit. When the warp is shed, the weft insertion arm can move inside the warp shed. When the machine is in its rest position, e.g. when the push rods are at their maximum extension, the warp can be shed across the machine without impediment.

In essence, the apparatus of the invention employs weft knitting techniques used in V-bed flat production methods, but in interlock gaiting together with a weft insertion. This is combined with weaving techniques. The V-bed element is orientated in a conventional way and the weaving element is orientated above it vertically instead of the conventional horizontal orientation.

The apparatus of the invention also typically includes other features which are entirely conventional in weaving or knitting machinery, such as a machine bed; a machine frame for combining all the elements of the machine in alignment; a shedding mechanism for creating the shed space between the warp threads; a mechanism for fabric take-up by the apparatus; reeds; healds and heddles; and warps and warp let offs, which are entirely conventional and widely used in both warp knitting and weaving, and which regulate the speed at which the warp threads are released for use and incorporation into the fabric.

With the hybrid apparatus of the invention, fabric formation is progressive, as the knitting systems move from left to right, and from right to left. To accommodate this, it is envisaged that the tension bars are only active during shedding, with warp sheet tension being required to place the warp thread precisely relative to the wale space. During the knitting phase, progressive consumption of warp threads is accommodated by individually tensioning the warp threads. Let off, that is to say, feed of the warp threads off the warp, is accomplished by restraining the rotation of the warp using pulleys and belts. This is known as‘negative feed’. During shedding, when the tension in the warp sheet exceeds the friction of the belt and pulley, the warp will turn slightly to restore equilibrium.

In existing weaving machines, these are deemed unnecessary, and reliance is placed on minimising the shed just to accommodate the weft insertion to minimise the angle of the shed. In a warp knitting machine, tension bars are provided. However, in warp knitting and weaving in existing machines, fabric formation is instantaneous at knock over and beat up respectively. This means that all of the needles are raised simultaneously, and, upon lowering of the needles, each needle will knock over and therefore produce its stitch at the same instant. When the insertion and shed are complete, the reeds will‘beat up’ the yarns to compress the weft into the required cloth density, with the beat up being across the entire fabric width at the same instant.

The warp threads extend from the tension bars and each pass through a plurality of heald shafts. A heald shaft, which may be made of metal or wood, carries a number of heald wires, through which the ends of the warp threads pass. The number of heald shafts employed depends upon the warp repeat of the weave. It is decided by the drafting plan of a weave.

In the present invention, the following terms are ascribed the meanings provided below:

By‘shed’ is meant herein a temporary separation between front and back, or upper and lower, warp threads or yarns through which the weft and knitting yarns are woven. In weaving techniques, the shed is created to make it easy to interlace the weft into the warp and thus create a woven fabric. Also as used herein, the term‘shedding’ refers to the action of creating a shed. In the present invention, typically the warps are positioned above the knitting elements, so there are front and back warps rather than top and bottom warps. By‘ shed warp’ is meant herein the warp threads or yarns which are used to make the fabric of the invention, and which create the shed, which is the space between the threads.

The‘shed space’ is the space between the warp threads or yarns, into which the one or more weft threads are inserted in order to create a fabric material.

By‘beat up’ is meant herein a part of the manufacturing process when the weft is inserted into the shed warp, the shed moves across to wrap the warp yarns around the weft insertion, and the yarns are compressed or compacted within the woven structure.

By‘knock over’ is meant herein a part of the manufacturing process when the needle takes a new knitting yarn onto its hook, the needle descends, and the previous knitting yarn on the needle closes a latch on the needle and passes over (‘knocks over’) the top of the needle to form a loop.

Also, as used herein, the terms‘yarn’ and‘thread’ are used interchangeably, and are considered to have the same meaning within the context of the invention.

Also provided within the present invention is a method of manufacturing a fabric material as defined hereinabove, the method comprising: i) providing a plurality of warp yarns, a plurality of weft yarns and a plurality of knitting yarns;

ii) weaving a first section of a fabric material, the first section comprising the plurality of warp yarns interlinked with the plurality of weft yarns;

iii) knitting a second section and a third section, the second and third sections being knitted on either side of the first section;

iv) connecting the second and third sections with one or more knitting yarns passing through the first section.

As used herein, the first and second needle beds may also be interchangeably referred to as front and back needle beds, respectively; i.e. the first needle bed corresponds to the front needle bed and the second needle bed corresponds to the back needle bed.

In a typical method according to the invention, a knitting yarn is placed first on a needle on a first, or front, needle bed, then passes across to a needle on the second, or back, needle bed in an adjacent position to the needle on the front needle bed. The knitting yarn passes from front to back to produce a knitted structure In front and behind the woven structure. A weft insertion is then placed on top of the knitting yarn in the X axis and between the warp yarns in the Y axis which are shed in alternate front and back positions. Following the weft insertion, a second knitting yarn is typically placed first on a needle on a back needle bed and then on a needle on a front needle bed in an adjacent position to the back needle bed. As the carriage returns this process is repeated to give two weft insertions and two complete courses of interlock knitting, and the warp yarn is then shed. A warp yarn moving from front to back and an adjacent warp thread moving from back to front encapsulate both the weft insertions in the X axis and the knitting yarns, forming a cross connection in the Z axis.

The invention will now be described further by way of example with reference to the following figures, which are intended to be illustrative only and in no way limiting upon the scope of the invention.

Figure 1 depicts a simplified view of an apparatus according to the invention at the beginning of a knitting/weaving cycle.

Figure 2 depicts a simplified view of an apparatus according to the invention in the next stage of the knitting/weaving cycle.

Figure 3 depicts a simplified view of an apparatus according to the invention in the next stage of the knitting/weaving cycle, once shedding is complete.

Figure 4 depicts a schematic end view of an apparatus according to the invention during the knitting and weft insertion cycle.

Figure 5 depicts a simplified view of an apparatus according to the invention with the knitting systems at the opposite ends of the apparatus.

Figures 6(a) and 6(b) depict views of the knitting systems and heald shafts used in an apparatus according to the invention.

Figures 7(a)-7(f) depict a schematic top view of the needle beds to illustrate the yarn path at the various stages of the hybrid knitting weaving cycle in the fabric formation using an apparatus according to the invention.

Figures 8(a)-8(c) depict side, plan and front elevations of needles set in a 60° Vee.

Figure 9 depicts a schematic view of an existing hybrid knitting/weaving machine. In Figure 1, a previous knitting/weaving cycle is complete, and a new one is about to begin. The knitting systems (not shown) are positioned at this stage at the far ends of the apparatus 2.

Two weft insertions 4,6 can be seen between the needle beds 8, 10, and the right and left warp threads 12, 14, which are derived from right and left warp drums 16, 18 are illustrated crossing and encapsulating a further two weft insertions 20,22 below this. For clarity purposes, the knitting yarn is not shown in Figure 1. Shedding has not yet taken place in this knitting/weaving cycle. This stage in the manufacturing process is also depicted in Figure 7(a).

Two tension bars 24,26, which are able to rotate about fixed points A and B, keep the right and left warp threads 12, 14 under a desired level of tension. The right and left warp threads 12, 14 pass through two heald shafts 28,30 before they engage with or encapsulate the weft insertions 4,6,20,22.

In Figure 2, the process of shedding is underway. The two heald shafts 28,30 have moved relative to each other in the direction shown by the respective arrows, bringing the right and left warp threads 12, 14 closer together, and the two tension bars 24,26 are moving in a direction away from the heald shafts 28,30 in order to maintain or increase the tension levels of the right and left warp threads 12, 14.

In Figure 3, the shedding is complete. It can be seen that the two heald shafts 28,30 are now in the respective opposite positions to those they occupied in Figure 1. The right and left warp threads 12, 14 have been moved beyond the vertical so that they cross over, and the two tension bars 24,26 have dropped back down in order to maintain the same or similar level of tension in the right and left warp threads 12, 14. The right and left warp threads 12, 14 have now also encapsulated the weft insertions 4,6. This stage in the manufacturing process is also depicted in Figure 7(b).

In Figure 4, front and back knitting systems 32,34 are shown, together with a knitting yarn feeding tube 36 and a weft insertion tube 38. The heald shafts are stationary and the feed arm is able to pass in the centre of the warp shed. The figure shows front and back needles 40,42 in their raised position at clearing height.

In Figure 5, the front and back knitting systems 32,34 are located at the opposite side of the apparatus to their positions in Figure 1, and the apparatus has now completed one complete course of knitting and one weft insertion. The front and back knitting systems 32,34 now return to their start positions, i.e. their positions in Figure 1, making the opposite needle selection to produce a second course of knitting and a second weft insertion.

Figures 6(a) and 6(b) depict the knitting systems 32,34 being made to pause while the heald shafts 28,30 move in the opposite direction to that shown in Figure 2. This motion then encapsulates the next set of weft insertions 40,42, and cross links to complete the knitting/weaving cycle.

Figure 7 overall illustrates the apparatus of the invention in action, with the needles labelled as A and B, the knitting yarn moving from front needle to back needle, the weft insertion running down the centre between the needles, and the warp threads shown parallel to the needles between the A and B needles.

Figure 7(a) shows the yarn after one complete knitting/weaving cycle and the machine is ready to produce another cycle. The knitting system is at the right-hand side, as also depicted in Figure 1;

The position in Figure 7(b), corresponds to those in Figures 2 and 3. The yarn is shown after the shed, and warp threads which were to the left have now passed to the right, and the warp can be seen to lie across the knitting yarn, cross connections and the weft insertion;

Figure 7(c) shows the yarn after the leading knitting system has made its needle selection. The front needle bed is illustrated on the left-hand side and the back needle bed on the right. The leading system has selected needle A on the front needle bed and needle B on the back needle bed (see also Figure 4);

What is meant by‘leading’ and‘trailing’ knitting systems will be explained herein. Many of the knitting techniques used in the apparatus are employed in conventional V-bed knitting. The knitting carriage moves across the needle beds to activate the needles. The knitting carriage contains cams. If the cams make one needle selection per pass, this is known as a single system. However, two sets of cams in tandem are capable of making two selections ( e.g . in an all knit construction, two knitted courses per pass). This is known as a double knitting system. As the carriage moves, say, from left to right, the set of cams on the left-hand side of the carriage make the first selection. This is known as the leading system. The cams on the right-hand side of the carriage will make the second selection. This is known as the trailing system. Conversely, as the carriage returns from the right to the left the set of cams on the left-hand side of the carriage become the leading system. The knitted construction on this apparatus is formed on two sets of needles set at 60° in an inverted V-arrangement. The needle beds are orientated along the longitudinal axis of the apparatus. One side of the machine is designated as the front and one the back. Therefore, the corresponding needle beds (and knitting systems) are also designated as front and back.

Figure 7(d) shows a weft insertion yarn on top of the knitting yarn which was placed on the needles in Figure 7(c). It can be seen that the central weft insertion tube lays the weft over the knitting yarn (see also Figure 7(a)), and between the leading and trailing knitting system and their attendant yarn feeders (see also Figure 8);

Figure 7(e) shows the knitting yarn which is placed on the needles by the trailing knitting system. The trailing knitting system makes the opposite selection to the leading knitting system:

Needle A Front: - Welt (miss)

Needle A Back: - Knit

Needle B Front: - Knit

Needle B Back: - Welt (miss)

When the knitting carriage moves over the needle bed, which are stationary, it makes a selection of which needles to use or not use as a part of the knitting process. A selection can be to ‘hit’ (use) or‘miss’ (not use) any given needle; a welt is when a needle is selected for a‘miss’. An identical carriage moves over the needle bed on the other side of the apparatus.

At this stage the machine has made a warp shed and the knitting systems have moved to the far end of the machine. Having reached the far end, the knitting systems return. This is not illustrated here; the sequence is as follows:

Needle selection as Figure 7(c);

Weft Insertion as Figure 7(d); and

Needle Selection as Figure 7(e).

In Figure 7(f), the yarn as the machine has made a complete cycle and the warps have shed in the opposite direction to Figure 7(b) (see also Figure 6).

Figure 8 shows a front elevation, side elevation and plan view of the needle beds, knitting systems, feed arm and push rods to demonstrate the needle beds set on a 60° V-arrangement, and the connection between the front and back/rear knitting systems via push rods and the feeder/weft insertion arm along the central axis of the machine. The needles are shown in an interlock gaiting.

Figure 9 shows a representation of a single needle hybrid knitting/weaving machine which was already in existence, with the warp yarns 44,46 extending through heald shafts 48,50, about to encapsulate a weft insertion 52. The knitting yarn 54 is also ready to be incorporated into the fabric, with the aid of the needle 56.

It is of course to be understood that the present invention is not intended to be restricted to the foregoing examples which are described by way of example only.