ORDER XII.—TEXTILE WORKERS

Sub-order 1.—Textile Workers

374.—Hosiery Frame Tenters and Machine Knitters

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body maker (shirt, vest)

a frame hand q.v. engaged in knitting vest bodies, sleeves, and pant legs, usually on a Cotton's patent machine.

circular hand, circular fabric hand, circular fabric frame hand, circular fabric machine hand, circular seamless hand (plain or ribbed), circular web machine hand

attends machine or machines which knit tubular knitted fabric for underwear; guides yarn from bobbins to knitting needles, sets machine going, and mends broken threads; precise duties vary according to type of machine.

circular rib top maker

see rib top hand.

coat maker (machine knitted coats)

a frame hand q.v. who knits parts of knitted coats, to be sewn up by overlocker (419) q.v.; cf. coat maker (hand knitted coats) (375).

footer (hose)

a frame hand q.v. engaged, usually upon a Cotton's patent machine, in completing hose, received from legging frame, by knitting feet thereon; transfers stitches from a loose run-on bar to machine needles; starts and stops machine by means of lever, respectively before and after knitting.

frame hand, hosiery frame tenter, power frame worker ; frame work knitter (power), hosiery hand, hosiery machinist, hosiery worker, knitting frame worker, knitting machine worker, knitting machinist, machine knitter, stocking machinist

general terms for any operative employed on knitting frames driven either by power or by hand; sets up yarn through machine and sets machine running; by means of levers, alters adjustment of machine, during process of knitting, to shape hose or undergarment as required; joins broken threads; keeps machine clear of oil and fluff; two machines are often used for knitting hose, viz. , legging frame, and footing frame; sometimes specifically designated, e.g. Cotton's patent frame hand, Paget frame hand, rotary frame band.

garment maker (knitted garments)

general term covering frame hands, etc., making knitted garments of all kinds and also covering workers making up such garments, e.g., cutters (402/403), overlockers, machinists, buttonholers (419), embroiderers (407) q.v.

girdle maker

a frame hand q.v. who minds a power-driven knitting machine, on which girdles and other small wares are knitted.

glove fabric hand, glove fabric maker

operates Milanese or Atlas automatic machine which knits fabric for gloves in the piece; sets up machine by threading as many as 600 threads from bobbin to needle on steel bar; starts and stops machine by lever; rejoins broken threads as necessary; replaces empty bobbins.

glove hand (knitted gloves)

general term for workers on glove knitting machines, hand frame or rotary; includes frame hand on Cotton's patent machine, rotary frame hand, etc.

golf machinist (hosiery)

an automatic seamless machine hand q.v. who attends a golf hose knitting machine.

griswold hand ; griswold knitter

a frame hand q.v. who operates a frame fitted with a griswold attachment for producing knitting, plain and ribbed, as required.

hosier, elastic; surgical hosier

see knitter, framework (elastic hosiery).

hosiery hand, hosiery machinist, hosiery worker

see frame hand ; sometimes specifically designated, e.g. silk hosiery hand.

hosiery transferer, hosiery whaler

see runner-on.

joiner (hosiery)

see linker (hosiery).

knitter, frame work (elastic hosiery), belt knitter, elastic kneecap knitter, stocking knitter ; elastic hosier, surgical hosier

a frame hand q.v. who attends a power-driven frame adjusted to knit elastic hosiery.

knitter, gas mantle

attends automatic seamless machine which knits tubular fabric for use in gas mantle making; feeds machine with bobbins, guides yarn from bobbins to needles, mends broken threads, starts and stops machine as necessary.

knitter, griswold

see griswold hand.

knitter, tie

(i) a frame hand q.v. who minds a small circular frame on which ties are knitted; for duties, cf. circular hand;

(ii) minds a straight bar frame, on which ties are knitted.

knitter, frame work knitter, machine knitter, knitting frame worker, knitting machine worker

see frame hand ; sometimes specifically designated, e.g. stocking machine knitter, woollen knitter.

latch needle hand

attends to a set of four latch needle machines, which knit circular (tubular) web fabric for knitted underwear; guides yarn ends from bobbins, and threads yarn through latch self-acting knitting needles; keeps machines running, mends breakages to threads.

legger (hose)

a Cotton's patent frame hand q.v. engaged in knitting hose legs.

linker (hosiery) ; joiner, runner-off

operates linking machine, which joins two portions of hose or other knitted goods; places two fabrics to be joined, side by side and loop by loop on a circle of needle points which travel slowly round and finally pass into stitching zone where loops are connected by chain stitching.

loop worker, loop wheel machine hand, loop wheel machine worker, loop wheel worker

a circular hand q.v. operating a particular kind of machine, called a loop machine, which knits tubular knitted fabrics for underwear; sets up yarn in machine, keeps machine going, and joins broken threads.

machine hand, automatic seamless ; seamless hand (plain), seamless machine hand, seamless machine minder

attends automatic machine for making seamless hose and half hose; guides yarn from bobbin to needles, and controls power driving machine; this machine produces plain hosiery, complete with heels and toes, which only require closing and finishing off.

machinist, George (hosiery)

attends "George" type of seamless hose knitting machine, not commonly used, cf. seamless machine hand.

machinist, stocking machinist, knitting machinist

see frame hand.

Maxim hand (hosiery)

an automatic seamless machine hand q.v. who attends a Maxim frame which knits seamless stockings.

patent hand

see rib top maker, patent.

rib top hand, rib top maker, rib top worker ; circular rib top maker

attends rib top machine, which knits ribbed tubular fabric for cutting up and attaching , to legs of seamless half hose; guides yarn ends from bobbins to knitting needles, sets machine running, mends broken yarn.

rib top maker, patent ; patent hand

a Cotton's patent frame hand q.v. engaged on a Cotton's frame adapted to knit rib tops for hose.

rotary fingerer (gloves)

a rotary frame hand q.v. working at a glove finger knitting machine.

rotary hand

see frame hand, rotary.

runner-off (hosiery)

see linker (hosiery).

runner-on (hosiery) ; hosiery transferer, hosiery whaler

threads complete row (or whale) of stitches of knitted fabric upon needles or upon metal points of a loose bar, by placing fabric upon the points, stitch by stitch, at a distance of three or four rows from the last; then unravels knitting from end to bar; places loose bar in knitting machine and transfers stitches on to needles in machine.

seamless hand (plain)

see machine hand, automatic seamless.

seamless hand (ribbed)

see XL hand.

seamless machine hand, seamless machine minder

(i) see machine hand, automatic seamless;

(ii) see XL hand.

sox hand (hosiery)

general term for workers engaged on sock knitting frames, e.g., Cotton's patent frame hand, automatic seamless machine hand, XL hand q.v.

stockinger

as for sox hand.

warp hand (knitted fabrics)

as for warp hand (lace) (376) q.v., knitting artificial silk fabrics, etc.

XL hand ; seamless hand (ribbed), seamless machine hand, seamless machine minder

attends automatic hose machines, known as XL machines, which produce seamless ribbed hose; threads yarn through guides to knitting needles from bobbins, and keeps machine running by mending broken yarn; inserts new needles when necessary.

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From: A Dictionary of Occupational Terms Based on the Classification of Occupations used in the Census of Population, 1921,
Ministry of Labour, 1927. Digitised by Peter Christian, August, 2016.   This text is in the Public Domain.