Seamless circular knit garment with differential tightness areas and method of making same
View Patent ↗A circular knit bra is provided. The bra has a pair of breast cups, a central gore disposed between the breast cups, and a pair of side panels. Each of the breast cups has at least two different areas of stretchability. Each different area of stretchability has a different stitch density.
1. A circular knit bra comprising:
a pair of breast cups, each of said pair of breast cups having a bottom edge and a top edge; and
a pair of side panels, each of said pair of side panels being adjacent to a different one of said pair of breast cups, wherein each of said breast cups has at least two different stitch densities thereby providing at least two different support areas, wherein said at least two support areas are formed by varying stitch length.
2. A circular knit bra comprising:
a circularly knitted outer layer having a pair of breast cups, each of said pair of breast cups having a bottom edge and a top edge; and
a pair of side panels, each of said pair of side panels being adjacent to a different one of said pair of breast cups; and a circularly knitted inner layer, wherein each of said first layer breast cups has at least two different stitch densities thereby providing at least two different support areas, wherein said at least two support areas are formed by varying stitch length.
3. The bra of claim 2 , wherein said inner layer has a pair of breast cups, each of said pair of breast cups having a bottom edge and a top edge, and a pair of side panels, each of said pair of side panels being adjacent to a different one of said pair of breast cups.
4. The bra of claim 2 , wherein said at least two support areas are formed using one or more stitches selected from the group consisting of a plain, tuck, and float stitch.
5. The bra of claim 2 , wherein said brassiere is knitted using plain stitches.
6. The bra of claim 2 , wherein said at least two support areas are formed by shorter stitch lengths.
7. The bra of claim 2 , wherein said at least two support areas is at least three support areas.
8. The bra of claim 2 , wherein said at least two support areas is three areas of support.
9. The bra of claim 8 , wherein said three areas of support each have a different stitch density.
10. The bra of claim 8 , wherein said three area of support are a first, second and third areas of support.
11. The bra of claim 8 , wherein said first area of support has a cross stretch in the range about −25% to about −30% of a baseline of zero.
12. The bra of claim 8 , wherein said first area of support has a cross stretch is −26% of the baseline.
13. The bra of claim 8 , wherein said second area of support has a cross stretch in the range about −20% to about −25% of a baseline of zero.
14. The bra of claim 8 , wherein said second area of support has a cross stretch of −22% of the baseline.
15. The bra of claim 8 , wherein said third area of support has a cross stretch in the range about −5% to about −20% of a baseline of zero.
16. The bra of claim 8 , wherein said third area of support has a cross stretch of −8% of the baseline.
17. The bra of claim 2 , wherein said at least two areas of support comprise graded stitch differentiation.
18. The bra of claim 2 , wherein said at least two areas of support comprise distinct zones of stitch differentiation.
19. The bra of claim 2 , wherein said inner layer and said outer layer are formed of an integrally knit brassiere blank.
20. The bra of claim 2 , wherein said inner and said outer layers are separate knit pieces.
21. The bra of claim 2 , wherein said inner layer has a knitted-in gore area.
22. The bra of claim 3 , wherein each of said inner layer breast cups has at least two different stitch densities thereby providing at least two different support areas, wherein said at least two support areas are formed by varying stitch length.
23. The bra of claim 22 , wherein said inner layer at least two areas of support comprise graded stitch differentiation.