428,537. Knitting-machines. MELLOR, BROMLEY, & CO., Ltd., BROMLEY, T. C., and SHORTLAND, A., St. Saviour's Road East, Leicester. Nov. 15, 1933, No. 31853. [Class 74 (ii)] In yarn or thread supplying means, one or more rubber or other yarns a, Fig. 2, held in a non - feeding position are picked by nippers 48 and taken thereby to the needles of the machine. This may be a circular rib machine of the rotary cylinder and dial type furnished with yarn - changing means whereby any one of several yarns passed through guides 21,18 and tension devices 8, 9, shown in plan in Fig. 5, may be positioned in the path of the nippers 48. These, whilst open, move from their normal position below the needles upwardly and outwardly, thereby clearing the needles, and then inwardly into engagement with the selected yarn, upon which they close, as shown in Fig. 2. The nippers then move outwardly, downwardly, and inwardly, drawing the yarn out of its tension device and inserting it through a flared gap, 72, Fig. 6, into a slot 71 in a feeder plate 70 in line with the tension device, and laying the yarn between adjacent dial needles. The previously knitting yarn, which has been moved to one side or the other of the gap in the slot, is severed by a horizontally-moved blade 76 co-operating with the edge of the slot. The shear blade 76 is notched at 85 and the newly-introduced yarn is kept in a central position by a pin 84, so that it is not severed. The yarn guides and tension devices are carried by an arm 14 on a slide 24, which is moved in a tangentially-arranged guide by lever mechanism 41, 40, 39, 38, operated by cam bits of varying heights on a cam wheel, which is turned by ratchet mechanism operated by a cam revolving with the needle cylinder. The guides &c. are thus operated to position a particular yarn in the path of the nippers 48, which close upon it between the corresponding guide 18 and tension device and pull it from the latter. The nippers 48 are carried by a lever 44, which is pivoted on a lever 45 rocked by an arm 54 and a roller or adjustable part 55 operated by a cam track on the rotating cylinder gear ring. As it is moved up and down, the lever 44 is rocked about its pivot by a truck &c. 60 engaging a fixed cam slot 62. After a change, a cam raises the part 55 and the arm 54 &c. out of the cam track, the arm &c., being held in this raised position by a detent 78 until a further yarn change, whereupon the detent is operated, the arm is freed and falls on to the cam track. The nippers comprise spring-controlled horizontal fingers 47 and an intermediate slotted pivoted finger 48 having a part 53 engaged by a lever 63 carried on the same pivot as the lever 44 and rocked as this is raised and lowered by adjustable pins &c. 66 on a bracket 7, whereby the nippers are opened and closed. The yarn picking and laying device may move in relation to the several ends of yarn. The selection of yarns may be governed by a pattern chain, drum or a jacquard. Various yarn changing arrangements are described, one being shown applied to a non rib machine. The yarn changing means may comprise yarn holding devices carried by a wheel, disc, or ring moved to bring the various holding devices successively into position for their yarns to be taken by the picking device. A multifeeder machine may be used having several yarn changing means. There may be several yarn picking devices and a finger &c. may be operated to cause a yarn to be incorporated as a non knitted thread. The yarn severing device may be actuated so as not to sever a feeding yarn when another is introduced. According to the Provisional Specification, the yarns may pass through tension devices and one or more guides situated nearer to the needles.