Method for manufacturing a tubular knitted article

1. A method for manufacturing a tubular knitted article having a plurality of stitch rows on a flat knitting machine comprising at least two diametrically opposed needle beds (V, H), which has plain stitches and purl stitches in each stitch row, wherein, at least past a vertical section of the knitted article, purl stitches follow the plain stitches of a stitch row in a subsequent stitch row, and plain stitches follow the purl stitches of the stitch row in the subsequent stitch row in each case, comprising the steps:

a) manufacturing a tubular basic knitted article using at least one stitch row, wherein every needle of a first needle bed (V, H) occupied by a loop is opposite an empty needle of a second needle bed (H, V);

b) forming plain stitches (b, f, j, n, r, z; C, G, K, O, W) on a bed selected from the group consisting of the first needle bed, the second needle bed and both after transferring the loops to be knitted as purl stitches to an opposite one of the needle beds;

c) returning the loops transferred in step b) to their original needles;

d) forming purl stitches (d, h, l, p, t, x; A, E, I, M, Q, U) on a bed selected from the group consisting of the first needle bed, the second needle bed and both after they have been transferred to the opposite needle bed;

e) returning the loops transferred in step d) to their original needles;

f) forming plain stitches (d, h, l, p, t, x; A, E, I, M, Q, U, Y) on a bed selected from the group consisting of the first needle bed, the second needle bed and both using the needles that formed purl stitches in step d), after the plain stitches formed in step b) have been transferred to the opposite needle bed;

g) returning the loops transferred in step f) to their original needles;

h) forming purl stitches (b, f, j, n, r, v, z; C, G, K, O, S, W) on a bed selected from the group consisting of the first needle bed, the second needle bed and both using the needles that formed plain stitches in step b), after transferring these loops to the opposite needle bed;

i) returning the loops transferred in step h) to their original needles;

j) repeating steps b) through i).

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising repeating each of the steps b) through e) at least once, and then repeating steps f) through i) at least once.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising knitting each of the stitch rows using a 1:1-, 2:2- or 3:3-left/right construction.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising knitting each of the stitch rows using a 2:1-, 3:1- or 3:2-left/right construction.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising knitting each of the stitch rows using a 1:2-, 1:2- or 3:3-left/right construction.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising forming the tubular knitted article as a tube selected from the group consisting of a closed tube and a tube that is open on one side.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising inlaying a weft thread into the tubular knitted article in a few stitch rows (RS 1 , RS 2 , RS 3 , RS 4 ) by forming tuck loops using the weft thread on empty needles of a needle bed.

8. A tubular knitted article having a plurality of stitch rows, which comprises plain stitches and purl stitches in each stitch row, wherein, at least past a vertical section of the knitted article, purl stitches follow the plain stitches of a stitch row in a subsequent stitch row, and plain stitches follow the purl stitches of the stitch row in the subsequent stitch row in each case, and which is manufactured according to a method defined in claim 1 .