This Figure has been already frequently referred to for the illustration of those parts of the machinery which are common to both, and those parts therefore require no recapitulation. The principle of weaving ribbed ho siery possesses considerable affinity to that which sub sists in the weaving of that kind of cloth, which is dis tinguished by the name of tweeling, for the formation of stripes, with some variation, arising merely from the dif ferent nature of the fabric. In cloth weaving, two dif ferent kinds of yarn, intersecting each other at right an gles, are employed; in hosiery only one is used. In the tweeling of cloth, striped as dimity, in the cotton or ken seymere, in the woollen manufacture, the stripes are produced by reversing these yarns. In hosiery, where only one kind of yarn is used, a similar effect is pro duced by reversing the loops. To effect this reversing of the loops, a second set of needles is placed upon a vertical frame, so that the bends of the hooks may be nearly under those of the common needles. These nee dles are cast into tin moulds, pretty similar to the for mer, but more oblique or bevelled towards the point, to prevent obstructions in working them. They are also screwed to a bar of iron, generally lighter than the other, and secured by means of plates: this bar is not fixed, but has a pivot in each end, by means of which the bar may have a kind of oscillatory motion on these pivots. Two frames of iron support this bar; that in which it oscillates being nearly vertical, but inclined a little towards the other needles. Fig. 9, which is a pro file elevation, will serve to illustrate. the relative posi tion of each bar to the other. The lower, or horizontal frame, the ends only of which can be seen in Fig. 5, un der a a, appears in profile in Fig. 9, where it is distin guished by d. The vertical frame at a is attached to this by two centre screws, which serve as joints for it to move in. On the top of this frame is the rib-needle bar at f, in Figs. 1 and 9, and one needle is represented is Fig. 9, at/. At g is a small presser, to shut the barbs of the rib-needles, in the same manner as the large one does those of the frame. At his one or the frame lit to show the relative position of the one set to the other. The whole of the rib-bar is not lilled w ith nee dles like the other ; for here needles are only placed ribs or stripes are to be formed, the intervals be ing filled up with blank leads, that is to say, with sockets of the same shape as the others, but w ithout needles, being merely designed to fill the bar and preserve the intervals. Two small handles depend from the needle bar, by MiliCh the oscillatory motion upon the upper cen tres is given. The rising and sinking motion is com municated to this machine by chains, which arc attached to iron sliders below, mid which arc wrought by the ho sier's heel Nrhen necessary. The pressure takes place partly by the action of the small presser, and partly by the motion of the needles in descending. A small iron slider is placed behind the rib-needles, which rises as they descend, and serves to free the loops perfectly from each other.
In the weaving of ribbed hosiery, the plain and rib courses are wrought alternately. When the plain is finished, the rib-needles are raised between the others, but no additional stuff is supplied. The rib-needles in tersecting the plain ones, merely lay hold of the last thread, and by again bringing it through that which urns on the rib-needle before, give it an additional looping, which reverses the line of chaining, and raises the rib above the plain intervals, which have only received a single knitting.
Plated Stocking Frame.
The next description of stocking frame to which we would draw the attention of the reader, is that used for the manufacture or a cheap and show description of stockings, whose fabric chiefly consists or cotton. but in
which silk is so artfully intermixed as to give them an appearance when new, nearly, if not altogether, equal to those which are composed entirely of silk, although, after being exposed to repeated washings, this deception almost entirely disappears, from the swelling of the cot ton, which forms the chief part of the fabric. The chief points of difference in this frame consists in the way of shutting or rather covering the barbs of the needles, in order to form the chaining. Of this variety some idea may be formed, by referring to Fig. 10. This Figure is a horizontal plan of the needles, and that part of the ap paratus which supersedes the use of the presser, and in some respects fits the frame for purposes to which the presser is not well adapted. It has not been deemed necessary to represent any part of the machinery of this frame, excepting the needles. and a set of points cor responding with them, which supersedes the operation or a presser. The needles are cast into metal sockets like those of any other frame, and only differ from those commonly used in the length of the barb, which, in this frame, requires only to be of sufficient length to receive the loops, and guard against any danger of their off after being so received. The sockets or leads appear between A and 13, and are attached and secured to the needle bar much in the same way as in any other stocking frame. The points are at C, and the short barbs are represented by a black line drawn from each point. At F. is another bar which slides freely backward and ;Omani in two grooves of iron, one being at each side of the frame. This bar has also a I ircular motion on ends or pivots, in so far as the points may hi CleSSti or depreSS•d at pleasure, as rued as !nay be in re sal.). Both these motions are given by the 110,ier's bat d, la) hug hold for that purpose of the Ilan Ile at I'. The or.. ration of these is as follow : In the stem of the needle there is a groove, as in any other stocking-n- (Ili', in each point there is also a grow e. When c,, I into the socket, the needle is so plant d that the grnov ma) be above, us iu the common w ; but in 11 c pout, •h( reverse takes place, the grooves being below. M.( it it becomes necessary to shut the needles, the points . ing pushed forward over the needles, and a little de pressed, the point sinks into the groove in the stem of the needle, and at the same time the groove in the :.tern of the point being below, receives the short barb of the needle, so that both are completely covered ; and the loops may he transferred from the needles to the points, and returned at pleasure. The bar, also, upon Ai Lich the points are fixed, being fitted so as to have a late ral shift, the loops which were upon one needle ma) he transferred to another, and returned at pleasure. The effect of the point when the needle is short, ins) be si CO in Fig. 12, which exhibits a needle and point in this si tuation in profile elevation. The needle is at A, and the point at B. By these means, the texture, instead of being confined to a straight lineal direction, as in the rib frame, may be varied at pleasure ; and where colours are used, a great variety of stripes, zigzags, and other co mments, may be introduced at pleasure. This opera tion is very analogous to that of weaving lappets by the common weaving loom, and also to what has been al ready described in the account of the tambouring machi nery; all of them depending upon the resolution of two direct into one oblique motion, and the production of cir cular, elliptical, and other curves, by varying the ratio of inclination.