818 HOSIERY 



Working of the Frame. In order to work a frame, the whole apparatus being pre- 

 viously put into complete order, the hosier places himself on the seat B in front, and 

 provides himself with a bobbin of yarn or stuff. This bobbin ho places loosely on a 

 vertical pin of wire, driven into one side of the frame contiguous to the needles, so 

 that it may turn freely as the stuff is unwound from it. Taking the thread in his 

 hand, he draws it loosely along the needles, behind the barbs, and under the throats 

 of the sinkers. He then presses down one of the treadles to puss the slur along, 

 :md unlock the jack from the back springs, that they may fall in succession. 

 When this is done, the numbei of loops thus formed is doubled by bringing down the 

 lead sinkors, and the new formed loops are lodged under the barbs of the needles 

 by bringing forward the sinkers. The preceding course, and former fabric, be- 

 i ;ig then again pushed hack, the barbs are shut by depressing the middle treadle, 

 and forcing down the pressor upon the needles. The former work is now easily 

 brought over the shut needles, after which, by raising the hands, both sets of sinkers 

 are raised ; the jacks are locked by the back springs, and the hosier goes on to 

 another course. 



From this it will be apparent, that the remark made in the outset is well founded, 

 that there are in reality no complicated or difficult movements in the stocking-frame. 

 Almost the whole are merely those of levers moving upon their respective fulcra, 

 excepting that of the carriage which gives the horizontal motion to the sinkers, and 

 that is merely an alternate motion on four wheels. Yet the frame is a machine which 

 requires considerable experience and care, both to work it to advantage, and also to 

 keep it in good order. This circumstance arises greatly from the small compass in 

 which a number of moving parts must be included. Owing to this, the needles, unless 

 cautiously and delicately handled, are easily bent or injured. The same circumstance 

 applies with equal or greater force to the sinkers, which must be so very thin as to be 

 easily injured. But as these must work freely, both in a perpendicular and horizontal 

 direction between the needles, in a very confined and limited space, the slightest 

 variation in either, from being truly and squarely placed, unavoidably injures the 

 others. When a hosier, either ignorant of the mechanical laws of their relation to 

 each other, or too impatient to wait for the assistance of another, attempts to rectify 

 defects, he in most cases increases them tenfold, and renders the machine incapable of 

 working at all, until repaired by some more experienced person. This circumstance 

 lias given rise to a set of men employed in this trade, and distinguished by the name 

 of upsetters ; and these people, besides setting new frames to work, have frequently 

 more employment in repairing old ones injured by want of care or skill. 



It seems unnecessary to go further into detail respecting a machine so well known, 

 and which requires practical attention even more than most others. It may, there- 

 fore, be sufficient to describe shortly some of its varieties, the most simple and 

 common of which is the rib stocking-frame. 



Eib stocking -frame, This frame, which, next to the common frame, is most exten- 

 sively in use, is employed for working those striped or ribbed stockings, which are 

 very common in all the different materials of which hosiery is formed. 

 In principle it does not differ from the common frame, and not greatly 

 in construction. ''The preceding general description will nearly apply 

 to this machine with equal propriety as to the former ; that part, 

 however, by which the ribs or stripes are formed is entirely an addi- 

 tion, and to the application of this additional machinery it may bo 

 proper to pay the chief attention, referring chiefly to fig. 1161, which 

 is a front elevation. This figure has been already 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 hosiery has considerable affinity to that 

 of weaving that kind of cloth which is distinguished by the name 

 of tweeling, for the formation of stripos, with some variation arising 

 merely from the different nature of the fabric. In cloth -weaving, 

 two different kinds of yarn intersecting each other at right nn^lrs, 

 are employed ; in hosiery only one is used. In the tweeling of cloth, 

 striped as dimity, in tho cotton or kerseymere, and 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 tho loops, a 

 second set of needles is placed upon a vertical frame, so that, 1 li< 

 of the hooks may bo nearly under those of the common needles. These net-tiles an- cast. 

 into tin moulds, pretty similar to tho former, but more oblique or bevello.l tmvanls tins 

 point, so as to prevent obstructions in working them. They aro also screwed to a liar 

 of iron, generally lighter than the other, and secured by means of plates : this bar is 



