US2464483A - Knitting needle - Google Patents

Description

March 15, 1949.

E. BIRMINGHAM 2,464,483

} KNITTING NEEDLE Filed June 2, 1947 E" F/E' ZN VENTUR EDI/VA BIRMINGHAM iwa w;

I ATTURNEY Patented Mar. 15, 1949 .UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,464,483 KNITTING NEEDLE Edward Birmingham, Albany, Calif. Application June 2, 1947, Serial No. 751,887

This invention relates to an improved combined knitting and crocheting needle construction and has special reference to an improvement on my patent of January 14, 1947, and bearing Letters Patent Number 2,414,353.

The said patent provides an improved means for knitting, whereby knitting is made easier, can be accomplished faster, producing more uniform stitches and the danger of splitting yarn is eliminated.

An object of the present invention is to provide a pair of elongated grooved needles and a hook needle having a short tubular stem capable of being positioned on either one of the said grooved needles and in which position the said hook needle will be frictionally retained in use and can be readily removed enabling the pair of grooved needles and hook needle all to be employed in combination when effecting a combined knitting and croch'eting operation.

A further object of the present invention is to preferably construct the pair of grooved needles of metal and form the hook needle and the short hollow stem thereon of a resilient material, such as plastic, whereby the said hook needle is frictionally retained on the stem of the grooved needle in the most efficient manner.

A still further object of the present invention is to eliminate the removable spring retained cap from the hook needle stem as provided in my said Patent Number 2,414,353 and to greatly shorten the length of the stem of the hook needle relative to the length of the grooved needle stem, thus simplifying the positioning of the stems one in the other.

And a still further object of the present invention is to provide a knitting and crocheting needle construction of the character described that is durable, economical to manufacture, positive in operation and highly emcient and serviceable in use.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of the specification, wherein for the purpose of illustration like numerals designate like parts throughout the same:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of one of the grooved needles and the elongated stem thereof;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of a second grooved needle employed, which needle is identical to that illustrated in Fig. 1, and also shows the hook needle assembled thereon;

Fig. 3 is a central vertical sectional view of the hook needle and the short hollow stem thereof; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on 1 Claim. (01. ere-117) 2 line 4-4 of Fig. 2, looking in direction of the arrows.

Referring in detail to the drawing and the numerals thereof, the numerals 6 and I designate, as a whole, two grooved needles, each of which is identical with the other. The grooved needles are equipped with curved pointed ends 3 and 9, respectively, and with elongated tapered grooves l0 and II, respectively, extending from the said pointed ends. Each of thesaid tapered grooves gradually diminishes in width and depth as indicated at I2 an I 3 in Figs. 1 and 2. The said needles 6 and 1 are each provided with fixed head portions l4 and [5, respectively.

The reference character B designates, as a whole, the tubular hook needle, having a hook it formed on one end thereof and is made hollow as at H, and is capable of fitting on the grooved needle 6, or the grooved needle 1, as shown to advantage in Fig. 2. The said hook needle is constructed of a hard resilient material and the inside diameter of the stem is of such dimension relative to the outside diameter of either grooved needle as will cause the said hook needle to be frictionally retained on the grooved needle.

In the use of the needles to efiect a combined knitting and crocheting operation, the grooved end portion of either the needle 6 or the needle 'l is positioned in the hollow portion of the hook needle B as shown in Fig. 2, which illustration shows the hook needle B on the grooved needle 1. The yarn is cast on the other grooved needle 6 as in common practice. When the desired number of stitches have been cast on, the grooved needle 6 is held in the left hand with the grooved side up, and the yarn is held over the first finger. The hook needle B is then positioned in the tapered groove Ill between the first and second loop, then pushed toward the end of the needle until it slips out of the groove and through the loop. At this time, the loop is on the end of the groove needle '6 with the hook through it.

The next step is to hook the yarn and draw it through the loop, keeping it on the hook needle B, as in ordinary knitting. When the next stitch is taken and the hook needle B is slipped through the loop, the stitch first taken is forced back on the hook needle B, which operation will draw the yarn snug. Each stitch in turn will be forced on in the same manner, which action will make all stitches uniform.

When a row has been completed and all the stitches are on the hook needle B, the said hook needle B is removed leaving the stitches on the grooved needle 1 that was inserted in the hollow end portion of the said hook needle. The said hook needle B is then transferred to the grooved needle 6 and the knitting continued as before.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A combined knitting and crocheting device, comprising a hollow knitting needle having a hook shaped barb on an end portion thereof, a pair of elongated grooved needles each of which is formed with a pointed curved extremity, each of the said grooved needles being receivable in the said hollow knitting needle and frictionally retained therein, whereby the knitting needle is transferable from one grooved needle to the other during the knitting operation.

EDWARD BIRMINGHAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

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