Binding off method with use of a flat knitting machine and a knit fabric

Abstract

A binding off method for binding off stitches of at least two fabrics which form a tube requires a plurality of steps. A first step is providing a flat knitting machine with a first needle bed and a second needle bed, with each needle bed having a plurality of needles, and being slidable relative to each other. The needle beds are configured to hold stitches, with the stitches being transferable between the first and second needle bed. A second step is knitting a first knit fabric and a second knit fabric, with the first knit fabric corresponding to the first needle bed and the second knit fabric corresponding to the second needle bed. The first and second knit fabrics are configured to face each other on the first and second needle beds. A third step is overlapping a stitch of the first fabric and a stitch of the second fabric by holding a first stitch of the first fabric on a needle of the second needle bed, holding a second stitch of the second knit fabric on a needle of the first needle bed, and holding a third stitch as a binding off stitch on a needle of one of the first and second needle beds. At least one of the above three stitches is transferred between the first needle bed and the second needle bed. The first, second, and third stitches are alternately overlapped with each other to form a triple stitch. A fourth stitch is formed on the needle of the one of the first and second needle beds upon which the triple stitch is held. A triple stitch is then removed from the needle bed upon which it is held, and the first, second, and third stitches of the triple stitch are rotated to suppress a protrusion formed by the binding off of the triple stitch. The overlapping step, the step of forming the fourth stitch, and the removal and rotation steps are repeated.