Flat knitting machine with yarn change mechanism

Claim 1

In a flat knitting machine having a yarn change mechanism and stitch stripper and a cam assembly which can be moved to-and-fro over at least one needle bed as well as yarn guides having outlet ends and located laterally of the needle bed and each associated with a respective yarn, the yarn guides being movable via a control mechanism controlled by the movement of the cam assembly into or out of the knitting position, the improvement comprising a plurality of support levers each having holders for releasably holding a respective one of said yarn guides, each of said support levers being movable from a first, lower position to a second, upper position, said first position being the rest position of said yarn guides, said second position being the position by which said cam assembly can pass alongside said yarn guide and transfer said yarn guide into and out of the knitting position, the outlet end of said yarn guide in its first position being located below the last knitted course of yarn to prevent entanglement of yarn from said outlet to said knitted fabric by said cam assembly movement, the outlet end of said yarn guide in the second position situated at an elevation above the outlet ends of said yarn guides in its rest position, said elevation being approximately the same as the last knitted course of yarn in the knitting position.