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   This invention relates to the method of knitting a sock or stocking in a flat blank form and then joining the blank at the edges thereof to form a wearable article.
   In the past socks or stockings have been knit from wool by hand with the use of four needles. The wool being retained on three of the needles while the knitting is accomplished by the fourth.
   An object of the invention therefore is to pro­vide a method whereby the knitter may with the use of only two needles make a sock or stocking that will in appearance be similar to a sock made by the use of four needles.
   With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of the novel details of con­struction, arrangement and combination of parts more fully hereinafter described, claimed and il­lustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:
   Figure 1 shows the manner of knitting the sock from the method embodying the invention;
   Figure 2 shows the completed blank and;
   Figure 3 the completed sock.
   In knitting the sock, using the method forming the invention only two needles (10) are used and these needles may be of any size desired for close, fine knitting or large open knitting.
   The blank is started by knitting the cuff (12) first and this cuff may be knit 1, purl 2, knit 1, purl 1, or any combination of this type of stitches, depending upon the design of the sock to be knitted.
   After the cuff (12) has been knitted for any de­sired width, the leg portion (14) is then knitted and this portion may be ribbed as shown or may be of any stitch desired. At the heel portions (16) a reg­ular knit stitch is used and the gussets (18) are made by picking up the stitches and thus joining the gussets to the heel portions upon their com­pletion.
   The foot portion (20) is made by continuing the stitch used in the leg portion and the stitch used in the gussets until the toe portion (22) is made when the gusset stitch is used entirely for the completion thereof.
   After the blank has been knitted, the blank is joined along the marginal edges (24) by a straight needle and wool to form the sock shown in Fig­ure 3.
   A sock made by this method requires only the use of two needles and when completed the sock cannot be distinguished readily from a sock made by the use of four needles.
   It is believed that the method by which the sock is knit will be apparent to those skilled in the art of knitting and it is to be understood that changes in the manner of forming the stitches may be resorted to providing such change falls within the method of knitting with two needles as covered by the appended claim.
   Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters. Patent is:
   The method of flat knitting a sock blank by the use of only two needles comprising the integral knitting of the cuff, leg portion, heel portions, gussets, foot and toe portions, the knitting of the gussets including the picking up of stitches in the heel portions, and then joining the marginal edges of the blank to form the sock.

REFERENCES CITED

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS

FOREIGN PATENTS