Angled Cable Knitting Needle for Stitch Retention

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional cable needles for producing cable-like knitted products often result in lost stitches due to insufficient depression, leading to inefficiencies and misalignments, especially in larger projects like sweaters.

Innovation Solution

A cable needle design with leg-shaped sections connected at an angle between 60° and 120°, featuring a curved shank section and cylindrical or flattened cross-sections to securely hold and pick up stitches, ensuring they do not slip off, with the center of gravity balanced within the shank section for stability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional cable needles with straight design and short depression are used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but stitches slip off and are lost during knitting

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestitch retentionVSAvoidneedle structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The knitting needle is designed with a curved configuration where the first and second working ends extend at an angle of 60°-120° relative to each other, forming an arc-shaped path. This curvature allows stitches to be contained within the angular space created by the curved needle, preventing them from sliding off the end, thereby improving stitch retention while maintaining a relatively simple continuous needle structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

2Reliability

If the depression on conventional knitting needles is made longer to prevent stitch loss, then stitch retention improves, but the needle becomes longer and less maneuverable

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestitch retentionVSAvoidneedle maneuverability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of extending the linear length of the needle to create a longer depression, the invention uses a curved configuration with an angle of 60°-120° between working ends. This angular geometry creates an effective containment space for stitches without increasing the overall needle length, maintaining maneuverability while improving stitch retention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

3Productivity

If cable needles are used for large embroidery products, then production capacity increases, but the risk of losing stitches increases due to insufficient depression length

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveknitting speedVSAvoidstitch retention
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The curved needle design with 60°-120° angle between working ends creates an angular containment space that effectively holds stitches during cable knitting operations. This allows knitters to work with larger embroidery products and more stitches on the needle without fear of stitches sliding off, thereby enabling higher productivity while maintaining reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the geometric parameters of the knitting needle by introducing a specific angle range (60°-120°) between working ends. This parameter optimization creates the ideal angular space for stitch containment, allowing increased stitch capacity for large embroidery projects while preventing stitch loss through the geometric configuration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP2718491B1Knitting needle
Publication Date: 2016.09.28 ZORBACH DIANE
  • EP2718491B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2718491B1 patent drawingFigure 3~5
  • EP2718491B1 patent drawingFigure 6~7

AI summary

The invention relates to a knitting needle (200) for producing plait-pattern knitware, comprising a shank portion (204), a first limb-like portion (206), which extends in a first direction of extent (A) and has an outwardly directed first free end (209), and a second limb-like portion (208), which extends in a second direction of extent (B) and has an outwardly directed second end (210), wherein the two limb-like portions (206; 208) are connected rigidly to one another via the shank portion (204), wherein the first direction of extent (A) and the second direction of extent (B) are at an angle φ between 60° and 120° in relation to one another.