Knitting technology, Third Edition

16.1.1
The plain fabric welt
On machines with no facilities for rib welt sequences, the plain fabric is formed into
either a turned-over 
inturned-welt
or a 
mock rib welt
. The ability to produce a
knitted welt sequence usually distinguishes an article-producing machine from a
fabric-producing machine. Some machines start at the closed toe end or finger-tip
and finish with the welt end of the article. The last knitted course will unrove back-
wards from the last knitted loop unless it is secured.
Sometimes the curling edge of plain fabric is used as the start of a garment or
the curl of a collar instead of a welt.
16.1.2
The inturned welt
The 
inturned welt
is used particularly for manufacturing ladies’ hose and sports
socks on circular machines (Fig. 16.1) and some knitwear on Cottons Patent
machines (Fig. 16.2). Jacks or hooks collect the sinker loops of the third course or
the set-up course and hold them, drawing the fabric away until sufficient has been
knitted for the double-thickness welt.

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Knitting technology
The welt is then turned by transferring the held course back onto the needles
that knit it into the structure. A 
picot edge
at the turn of the welt is achieved either
by an alternate needle tuck sequence or by alternate needle loop transfer.
Cottons Patent plain machines often produce garment panels by knitting onto a
rib border that has been run onto the needles, having been previously knitted on a
V-bed rib machine.
16.1.3
Accordion top
An 
accordion top
(Fig. 16.3), welt and mock rib, can be produced on single-cylinder
half-hose and sock machines, and on other machines using a single set of needles in
a tubular arrangement. Elastomeric yarn is laid-in to odd needles only for a few
courses so that when the first plain course is knitted by the textile yarn, the straight
contracted elastomeric yarn lies through its sinker loops, forming a neat roll edge.
The elastomeric yarn is then usually inlaid on a two-tuck two-miss or a one-and-
one basis at each course or alternate courses for a number of courses. As the elas-