The ribbed tops of half-hose, bottoms of drawers, and sleeves of shirts, are made separately from the other portion of the fabric, and, in the common sorts, are subsequently attached by a sewing machine ; in better goods, they are ingeniously united by a modified knitting-frame or turning-off frame. Fig. 877 gives a view of the automatic, rotary, rib-top frame. It is entirely self-acting, making the welt, and the slack course by means of which the top is joined to the other part, and putting in the splicing-thread, which, when withdrawn, separates the tops from each other. It is also adapted for, and much used in the production of, striped goods, the stripes obtained being in the direction of the width, not the length, of the fabric. It contains two sets of the bearded needle previously described. It is made in 1, 6, 8, or 12 divisions, and, in the larger size, is capable of producing 300 doz. tops in 54 hours.
Cheap hosiery for the million is made on the circular stocking-frame, Fig. 878, whose power of production is very great. In this machine, the tube web is woven sufficiently long to form a pair of hose, and is subsequently cut in a peculiar manner to form the foot, and finished by being sewn up. The machine is usually constructed with 12 heads, and is tended by one person. In a day of ten hours, it is capable of producing 1000 stockings, or, with fairly good superintendence, 250 doz. pairs a week. Of this description of hosiery, some of the large Nottingham firms manufacture 25,000-30,000 doz. a week. It is an exceedingly simple machine, requiring no skilled labour, and, on that account, better fitted than most others for introduction amongst populations whose mechanical aptitude and skill are comparatively undeveloped. As a consequence, it is the one most usually exported. At present, it is used extensively in Russia, Spain, and other parts of the Continent, and in America, and India.
Another important machine is the broad-ribbed circular stocking-frame, Fig. 879. This knits any size of rib. It contains two sets of the " tumbler " or " latch " needles, to the invention of which, allusion has been previously made. This needle is shown in CD, Fig. 872 It differs from the boarded or common needle in the manner in which it is closed, to enable the formed loops to be passed over its head. For many purposes, it is an important improvement upon the bearded needle, and its use enables the presser-bar or wheel, as the case may be, and the mechanism necessary for working them, to be dispensed with. The shank of the needle near the hook is flattened, and divided for the reception of the latch, which is retained by a pin on which it oscil lates. When the books have received their course of thread, being drawn down the preceding
course which is upon the shank, the latch is pushed up, and the hook is closed, which enables the threads to slip over the head of the needle, and upon the loops that am in the hooks, thus forming another course of the web. The needles being again elevated, the loops in the hooks slip down upon the shank of the needles, the latch falling back from the position shown in the illustration, in order to permit this action. The hooks, having received another thread, are again depressed, and the operation is repeated. This machine is also made for knitting cuffs, or tops, with welt and slack course, as in the rotary rib-top frame. It is self-acting in all parts, and is made in all gauges. A girl generally superintends it.
Of late, the demands of fashion have led to the adaptation of the knitting-machine to the production of wide-looped fabrics, composed of wool, and which may be finished as woollen cloths, or otherwise, so as to preserve on the front the characteristics of a knitted cloth. The advantage such a cloth possesses over an ordinary woven web is its greater elasticity, and equality of strength in each direction. The stockinette-machine, on which this class of fabric is produced, is illustrated in Fig. 880, which represents a 2-head machine, the heads being, of 35 in. dia. A tubular cloth knit upon this frame would be 105 in. wide, hut owing to shrinkage when taken from the machine, this would be reduced one-third, a shrinkage which applies to all machine-knit fabrics. When milled in the finishing processes, it is further reduced in width by 10-12 in. One person superin tonds a 2-head machine of this description, from which he produces 300 yd. of cloth in a week of 54 hours. Machines on the same principle, having four heads of less diameter, are used for making circular webs to cut up into pants and shirts. These also are superintended by one person. For other purposes, the heads aro made in varying diameters, as may be desired.
The great capacity of production attained on the stockinette-machine, in making wide woollen fabrics, almost impels to the conclusion that, for many purposes, it may in the early future supersede the ordinary loom. Up to the present, very mising results have been attained, and the dity with which it is being introduced into the woollen districts of Yorkshire lends countenance _ _ ' '" to this view. It would appear also teat con siderable economy will be effected in the cost of production by this process, owing to several opera tions in the ordinary system of manufacture being rendered unnecessary.