Hosiery-type garments and method of making

Abstract

A fashionable machine-knitted garment of a hosiery-type material for the upper body having at least arm portions, shoulder portions, an upper chest portion, an upper back portion, is seamless in at least the shoulder portions, if not also in the arms and/or an upper bodice including the upper chest and upper back portions. The garment is constructed in a manner to provide an inconspicuous appearance when worn while providing comfortable support to at least the arms of the user and also the shoulders and the upper bodice. As such, the garment is well suited to be worn under sleeveless clothing or even strapless clothing, to provide the appearance or perception of smooth, blemish-free and taut skin in the exposed areas of the upper body. Methods of making the garment include circular, warp and/or flat knitting forming a single open-ended tube, separate open-ended tubes having portions that are joined, a branched open-ended tube and a flat pattern configured to be folded in half and joined along selected edges.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/507,162, filed Sep. 29, 2003.

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to knitwear or hosiery, in particular, machine-made knitwear or hosiery garments that are nearly or completely seamless.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

[0003] Stockings and hosiery have long been used to improved the appearance of women's lower body, especially the legs and feet. Depending on the color, shade and sheerness of the hosiery material, the appearance of the skin and muscle tone of these body parts can be significantly improved in terms of smoothing out blemishes or discoloration and providing a tautness that may otherwise be lacking in the skin or underlying muscle. Indeed, with modern "super sheer" hosiery, using relatively fine weights or denier thread, such hosiery when donned can have a nearly invisible appearance except upon close inspection. Typically in producing sheer hosiery, the lower the denier of the yarn, the lesser the opacity of the hosiery.

[0004] A major advancement in knitting, particularly in rendering conventional stockings and hosiery more comfortable and less conspicuous, was and continues to be the use of circular knitting machines. Although these machines, which were developed in the mid-19th century, were a great improvement over flat knitting machines, which were limited to producing flat fabric as opposed to knitted tubes, it was the introduction of nylon in the 1940's which revolutionized the hosiery industry. Nylon, a man-made polyamide yarn with origins in the petro chemical industry, provided thermoplastic properties that enabled knitted tubes to be heat treated and permanently formed and shaped. Moreover, it was discovered that nylon and other similar synthetic yarn can be "crimped" to form stretch yarn which enable the hosiery to form fit the various contours of the body. Nylon and many synthetic yarns have a natural luster but they can be delustered as desired or needed to produce a duller appearance.

[0005] However, even with the advent of seamless stockings or hosiery ("seamless" being used more as a term of art than in the literal sense since these stockings and hosiery are not always entirely without seams), some women still prefer the full-fashioned variation which are knitted flat, then fashioned or shaped, and hand or machine seamed. Accordingly, flat knitting machines are still in use and methods to render the sewn seam less visible have been developed, using different stitching methods and/or new and improved threads.

[0006] In addition to the aforementioned weft knitting techniques which generally use one continuous yarn to form rows of loops across a flat sheet or tube, warp knitting which was developed some 200 years ago uses parallel feeds of yarn that are generally knitted simultaneously into parallel rows of loops that are interlocked in a zig zag pattern. Therefore, instead of the yarn running horizontally from side to side in the case of flat knitting, or around and around in the case of circular knitting, the yarns form vertical loop in one row and then move diagonally to the next row in forming the next row. Each stitch in a row (also called a course) is made by a different yarn.

[0007] Because warp knitting machines tend to work better with yarn of uniform thickness and strength, synthetic fibers such as nylon and polyester work well with warp knitting machines. Warp knit fabric can be produced on tricot, raschel and weft-insertion machines. There are also simplex and milanese machines, although these are now more or less outdated.

[0008] Jacquard knitting is also known and can be of a weft-type or a warp-type. In either case, a Jacquard type attachment is used to provide versatility in designs and patterns.

[0009] It is also known that conventional hosiery and stocking use a variety of yarns of natural or man-made constituents, such as silk or nylon. Elastane fibers are popular, including Lycra.RTM. which can stretch up to five times its original length and recover completely. By controlling the tension of Lycra in the knitting, the strength of its elasticity can be selected. It is also possible to mix Lycra and nylon, and/or apply the yarn as a "core yarn" covered with a single outer wrapping, or multiple inner and outer wrappings. Covering increases the thickness of the yarn and consequently its handling characteristics. Other conventional hosiery yarns include Dorlastan and Lastex and a variation of combinations of these yarns with the aforementioned yarns may be used, for example, 82-90% Polyamid-Micro with 18-10% Elastan, or 90% Polyamide with 10% Dorlastan.

[0010] As fashion trends move toward greater exposure of the body, there is a need for a machine-knitted garment to provide the same benefits and advantages to the upper body that have been so long afforded to the lower body. Sleeveless garments or strapless garments that expose the arms, if not also the upper chest and upper back, can leave one feeling less than comfortable or confident about her body, especially when these exposed regions lack muscle tone. For women who have blemishes or discoloration, or anyone who desires more tautness in these areas, it is difficult to resolve these concerns while remaining fashionable. For these women, it is desirable to have a means by which they can wear sleeveless or strapless garments with confidence and comfort and that they be able to provide the perception of smooth and flawless skin in the arms and upper body regions.

[0011] Thus, unlike women's ice-skating suits or the more fashionable sheer tops that have become popular in recent years, an inconspicuous hosiery garment for supporting the arms, and any other exposed areas such as the shoulders, upper chest and upper back is needed. The garment should ideally be seamless at least in the shoulder area, if not also in the arms in their entirety, and the upper chest and back areas. Moreover, the garment should primarily be an undergarment worn under sleeveless or strapless clothing, to provide an appearance or perception of a smooth and taut upper body.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present invention is directed to a fashionable hosiery-type machine-knitted garment for the upper body having at least arm portions, shoulder portions, an upper chest portion, an upper back portion, wherein at least the shoulder portions are seamless, if not the garment in its entirety. The garment is constructed in a manner to provide an inconspicuous appearance when worn while providing comfortable support to at least the arms of the user and also the shoulders and upper bodice, such as the upper chest and upper back. As such, the garment is well suited to be worn under sleeveless clothing or even strapless clothing, to provide the appearance or perception of smooth, blemish-free and taut skin in the exposed areas of the upper body.

[0013] In one embodiment, the garment in its entirely is free from any seams and can be made using a circular knitting machine or a warp knitting machine that produces a tube with a changing diameter along its length or a tube having a branched configuration.

[0014] In a second embodiment, the garment has a generally vertical seam down the chest and back leaving the shoulder and the arm regions entirely free from any seams. The garment of this embodiment can be produced by a circular knitting machine or a warp knitting machine that produces two comparable tubes which are joined along a portion of their longitudinal axis.

[0015] In a third embodiment, the garment has a single seam extending laterally across the chest and the back, which also leaves the shoulder and the arm regions entirely free from seams. The garment of this embodiment can be manufactured using a circular knitting machine or a warp knitting machine that produces a tube with a greater diameter and a tube with a lesser diameter, where the tubes are joined 90 degrees offset from each other to form the garment.

[0016] In a fourth embodiment embodiment, the garment has a seam extending along and under each arm and the respective side of the torso, which can be formed from a flat-knitted generally "cross-shaped" fabric that is folded in half and joined along selected edges.

[0017] In all embodiments of the invention, the garment is advantageously free from any seams in at least the shoulder and outer arm regions, these being possibly the exposed and visible areas of the upper body that most readily lose their youthful appearance and muscle tone.

[0018] The present invention is also directed to methods for making a garment using circular knitting, flat knitting and/or warp knitting machines. A completely seamless garment may be constructed using circular or warp knitting of a single tube, which can begin with a knitting of a tube for a sleeve, an expansion of the tube using a looser knit to form a bodice portion, and a return to the tighter knit to form an opposing sleeve. Incisions are made in opposing areas of the bodice portion to form the neck and waist openings and then the entire garment is formed, shaped and heat treated into a conforming configuration for the upper body.

[0019] Another method to produce a garment which also uses circular or warp knitting can begin with knitting a larger tube for a bodice and then branching into the tube into two smaller tubes for a pair of sleeves. The circular or warp knitting can also begin with a knitting of the two tubes for the pair of sleeves and then merging the two tubes into one tube for the bodice. A neck opening is made along a junction between the two smaller tubes.

[0020] Yet another method to produce a garment using a circular or warp knitting machine includes knitting two similar but separate tubes, each of which has a length suitable for forming a sleeve and a vertical portion of a bodice, aligning the tubes longitudinally, cutting each tube along its length from a selected location between open ends of the tubes to one open end to form two open edges and attaching a portion of the open edge of one tube to a similar portion of the opposing open edge of the other tube. Joined portions of the tubes form the bodice, cut but unjoined portions of the tubes form the neck opening, and unjoined and uncut portions of the tubes form the sleeves.

[0021] An alternative method to produce a garment using a circular and/or warp knitting machine includes forming two separate tubes: a first tube of a smaller diameter suitable for an arm and having a length that spans the length of both arms and the shoulder and chest areas spanning in between, and a second larger tube dimensioned for the torso. Two opposing incisions are made in the smaller arm tube to create a neck opening and a chest opening. The chest opening is then stitched to, or otherwise joined with an open end of the second tube generally centered with and generally 90 degrees offset from the first tube. The garment produced by this method remains entirely seam free in the shoulder and arm areas, having only a seam that extends laterally around the chest and back in circumferential relationship therewith.

[0022] The garment may also be manufactured using flat knitting machines. This method includes flat knitting a piece of fabric that is laid flat and cut into a generally cross-shaped configuration or otherwise formed into a pattern having opposing sleeve portions and opposing bodice portions generally perpendicular to the sleeve portions. The pattern is folded in half and stitched along four edges to form two seams, each of which extends under each arm and the adjacent side of the torso. An incision is made in the center of the pattern either before or after folding to form the neck opening. A garment produced by this method remains seamless in the shoulder, the upper chest and upper back regions. Outer arm regions are also advantageously free from any seams.

[0023] The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] FIG. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] FIG. 2 is a back review of the embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 1;

[0026] FIG. 3 is a front view of the embodiment of present invention of FIG. 1 used with a sleeveless garment;

[0027] FIG. 4 is a front view of the embodiment of the present of FIG. 1 used with a strapless garment;

[0028] FIGS. 5 and 5A are front views of an embodiment of the present invention manufactured with a circular knitting method;

[0029] FIGS. 6 and 6A are front views of another embodiment of the present invention manufactured with a circular knitting method;

[0030] FIGS. 7 and 7A are front views of another embodiment of the present invention manufactured with a circular knitting method employing a changing angle of knitting;

[0031] FIGS. 8 and 8A are front view of another embodiment of the present invention manufactured with circular or warp knitting method using two similar tubular structures;

[0032] FIGS. 9, 9A and 9B are front views of another embodiment of the present invention manufactured with circular or warp knitting method using a branched tubular construction;

[0033] FIGS. 10 and 10A are front view of another embodiment of the present invention manufactured with circular or warp knitting method also using a branched tubular construction but with a different Jacquard attachment;

[0034] FIGS. 11 and 11A are front views of an embodiment of the present invention manufactured with a flat knitting method;

[0035] FIGS. 12 and 12A are front views of another embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] FIGS. 13, 13A and 13B are front view of yet another embodiment of the present invention; and

[0037] FIG. 14 is a front view of an additional embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, an embodiment of a hosiery garment 10 of the present invention includes a bodice portion 12 (hereinafter "portion," "region" and "section" used interchangeably) having a front region 14 and a back region 16, and two arm portions 18 and 20. The bodice portion 12 and the arm portions 18 and 20 span continuously into each other through shoulder regions 22, an upper chest region 24 and an upper back region 26 (the upper chest and the upper back regions being generally referred to herein as the upper bodice). The hosiery garment in this embodiment therefore covers and supports at least a user's arms 30 from her shoulders 32 to her wrists 34, if not also her torso 35 from below her neck 36 down to hips 38. Other configurations may be provided as needed or desirable, for example, a midriff variation where the garment ends above the waist at end 17, and/or a high-neck version where the garment ends at end 19 covering the collar bone or neck of the wearer (see FIG. 14), although at least the shoulder regions 22, and also the upper chest region and the upper back region, remain seamless in accordance with the present invention. In particular, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shoulder regions 22 of the garment 10 are free from any seams that might interfere with the garment's inconspicuous nature. As such, the shoulder regions 22 of the garment provide a generally completely smooth surface and profile that resemble blemish-free, smooth and well-toned skin. Moreover, the entirely seamless arm regions 18 and 20 extending from the shoulders 22 down to the wrists 34 of the wearer provide the same smooth surface and profile for the arms. Such seamless shoulder and arm regions 18, 20 and 22 facilitate the use of the garment 10 as an undergarment or accessory to clothing that are sleeveless or even strapless 42 and 44, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0039] Covered by the garment 10, skin that would otherwise be completely exposed appears smooth and flawless and any loss of elasticity in the skin is compensated by the elastic but sheer and inconspicuous compression provided by the garment. The garment of the present invention is sheer, fashionable and inconspicuous. The hosiery garment 10, which may be of a flesh tone, is without shoulder seams and is generally intended to be worn under clothing.

[0040] Referring to FIGS. 5 and 5A, an embodiment of the garment may be manufactured using circular or warp knitting which produces knitted tubes. The garment 10 of FIGS. 5 and 5A uses a single circular knitted tube 50 having an expansive middle section 52. In particular, the knitting of the tube 50 forming the garment proceeds in a direction x, beginning with a sleeve section 54 for the arm 18, continuing to the expansive section 52 for the torso 35, and ending at an opposing sleeve section 56. The sleeve section 54 is circularly knitted at a selected gauge, that is, with a selected number of stitches per inch. As the knitted tube of the section 54 reaches a length or dimension sufficient for the length of the arm 18, the knitting gauge is decreased to a much looser knit (whereby, e.g., the loops knitted increase in size) for knitting the expansive section 52 for the torso 35. As the knitted tube of the expansive section 52 reaches a length sufficient for the width of the torso 35, the circular knitting gauge may then again be increased to a much tighter knit (whereby the loops knitted decrease in size) so as to form the opposing sleeve section 56.

[0041] Thereafter, incisions are made to form slits 62 and 64 as a head opening (or neck opening, used interchangeably herein) and a chest or waist opening, respectively. Where a polyamide or polyamide blend yarn is used, the hosiery garment of FIG. 5 can then be formed and heated, as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, to substantially achieve the configuration shown in FIG. 5A. It may also be preferable to knit the expansive section 52 in two different lower gauges along a boundary 67 which may be generally linear or nonlinear between an upper section 66 and a lower section 68. Since the upper side 66 of the expansive section 52 needs only to accommodate the shoulders 32, a certain lesser gauge (or loose knit) may be used. But since the lower side 68 needs to accommodate the chest or the torso, an even lesser gauge (or even looser knit) may be used.

[0042] Another method of manufacture using circular or warp-knitting is described in reference to FIGS. 6 and 6A. As shown, two knitted tubes 70 and 72 are formed. The tube 70 is configured to be suitable for forming sleeve sections 74 and 76 and an upper bodice portion 75, which includes an upper chest and upper back sections 78 and 80, of the garment 10. The tube 72 is configured to be suitable for forming bodice section 82. In the illustrated embodiment, the tube 70 is of a much smaller diameter compared to the tube 72 with a larger diameter and the tube 72 is positioned generally centrally and generally perpendicularly to the tube 70. Incisions are made in opposing locations of the tube 70 to form neck opening 84 and chest opening 86, the latter opening 86 generally conforming in size and/or shape to the size and/or shape of the tube 72. Thereafter, the tubes 70 and 72 are joined, e.g., by stitching, to connect the chest opening 86 of the tube 70 to an open end 88 of the tube 72. Thus, the garment of FIG. 6A provides a generally horizontal circumferential seam 90 across the chest and back, but in accordance with the present invention remains seamless in the arm portions 18 and 20, the shoulder portions 22 and in the upper chest and upper back portions 24 and 26. The seam 90 will not interfere with the use of the garment under sleeveless clothing. Moreover, the seam will generally not interfere with the use of the garment under most strapless clothing.

[0043] In another application of circular knitting, a seamless garment 120 is shown in FIGS. 7 and 7A having a branched tubular construction. In particular, two tubes 122 and 123 forming sleeves 125 of the garment are merged seamlessly with a tube 124 forming a shorter bodice 127 of the garment. Knitting can start at an open end 126 of the tube 122 until a location B along a neckline 123 is reached. A direction of knitting X by a suitable circular warp-knitting machine, for example, an electronic circular knitting machine manufactured by Santoni S.p.A of Brescia, Italy, is then effectively rotated by a predetermined degree to a direction Y for knitting the tube 124. When location C is reached, the direction of knitting Y is then effectively rotated by a predetermined degree to a direction Z for knitting the tube 123. Knitting then continues until a comparable length in the tube 123 is reached in relation to the tube 122 and an open end 125 is formed in the tube 123. Accordingly, merge lines 129 on a front 131 and a back 133 of the garment 120 denote the changes in the direction of knitting occurring between the sleeve tubes 122 and 123 and the bodice tube 124. The change in the angle of knitting can be about 120-60 degrees and preferably about 90 degrees. In particular, the change in direction of stitching can be varied such that the rate of change varies and/or the merge lines 129 are curved. In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 7A, the merge lines are generally concave. However, the merge lines may also be generally convex. In any case, such nonlinear merge lines may accommodate a greater or lesser neck opening 128 or chest opening 130 and/or a tighter or looser fit around the chest, back and upper torso, as desired.

[0044] A neck opening 128 is formed by slitting or cutting the tubes 122, 123 and/or 124 between locations A and D following the neckline 123 through locations B and C. The chest opening 130 is formed by slitting or cutting the tube 124 between locations E and F. That is, the openings 128 and 130 can be form from a slit along a line (linear or nonlinear), or from a trim that removes a section of the tubes 122, 123 and/or 124. The chest opening 130 may be hemmed or otherwise treated with a finishing stitch. Or, a support band or tube 132 of a different knit, e.g., tighter, denser and/or heavier knit, may be sewn or otherwise attached to the chest opening 130 to better secure the garment to the body and minimize the garment riding up on the chest of the user. It is understood that the band 132 may have a greater vertical dimension 141 (as shown in broken lines in FIG. 7A) such that the garment reaches the waist or hips of the user.

[0045] FIGS. 8 and 8A illustrate another embodiment of the present invention suitable for manufacturing by circular knitting machine, such as the aforementioned electronic circular knitting machine by Santoni S.p.A. A garment 140 is formed from two tubes 142 and 143 of comparable dimensions, each of which has been cut to form longitudinal edges 144 spanning along the length of the tubes from a location G to an open end 146. The cut edges 144 of tubes 142 and 143 are joined, for example, by stitching, between a location H and the open end 146 to form generally vertical seams 148 along a front 150 and a back 152 of the garment. A neck opening 148 is therefore defined by the cut edges 144 that remain unattached between locations G and H. A bodice opening 150 is jointly defined by the open ends 146 of the tubes 142 and 143. As such, a bodice 154 of the garment 140 is formed from a joined bottom portion of the tubes 142 and 143, whereas sleeves 156 of the garment 140 are each formed from a top unjoined portion of the tubes 142 and 143. In that regard, the garment can also be formed by joining the tubes 142 and 143 at their cut edges 144 between locations G and the open end 146, and then slitting or cutting out the neck opening 148.

[0046] A band 150 may be included in the garment 140, which can be formed from either a section of different circular knit continuously knitted from the tubes at the open ends 146, or a separately-formed tubular or flat fabric, circularly or flat knitted, that is joined to the garment after the forming of the bodice opening 150.

[0047] Another embodiment of the present invention suitable for manufacturing by a tricot or raschel warp-knitting machine, with or without a Jacquard attachment, is shown in FIGS. 9, 9A and 9B. A garment 160 with sleeves 162 and a bodice 164 is configured from a branched tubular construction following a knitting direction parallel to direction K or a longitudinal axis of the garment. The knitting may start at open ends 168 of sleeve tubes 170 and continue until a length suitable for the sleeves is reach, at which stage the two sleeve tubes merge into a bodice tube 172. A junction 173 defines a location between the bodice tube 172 and the two sleeve tube sections 170. Knitting then continues until a length suitable for the bodice 164 is reached and the bodice tube 172 ends at an open end 174.

[0048] Alternatively, knitting may start at the open end 174 and continue until the bodice tube 172 has been formed, at which stage the bodice tube is branched into the two sleeve tubes 170. Knitting is completed when the length suitable for the sleeves 162 has been reached.

[0049] A neck opening 176 is then formed at or near the junction 173 from a slit in or a cutting away of a portion of the tubes 170 and/or 172 from locations K to M. A suitable machine for knitting the garment 140 is a tricot or raschel machine by Karl Mayer Textilmaschinenfabrik GmbH of Obertshausen, Germany, Model RDPJ 6/2 using the following yarns: DTEX 47, 7 70% polyammide and 30% elastan and/or DTEX 44 F30 100% nylon. Clearly, finer yarns may be used as desired or appropriate. If a Jacquard attachment is used, decorative knits can be achieved, for example, a generally repetitive "stars" and/or "spider-net" weave as shown in FIGS. 9, 9A and 9B, or a "brassiere weave" with front and back patterns as shown in FIGS. 10, 10A, 10B and 10C.

[0050] A garment of yet another embodiment of the present invention may also be manufactured using flat or rectilinear knitting. Referring to FIGS. 11 and 11A, a piece of flat knitted hosiery fabric 92 is cut or otherwise formed into the pattern shown, with the sleeve portions 18 and 20 that oppose each other and the front portion 14 and the back portion 16 that oppose each other and are about 90 degrees offset from the sleeve portions. These sleeves and/or bodice portions need not be square or rectangular but may be tapered as desired or appropriate. The fabric pattern 92 is folded on line 94 such that edge 96S meets edge 98S and 96B meets edge 98B. Similarly, edge 100B meets edge 102B and edge 100S meets edge 102S. These meeting edges then are stitched, sewn or otherwise joined to form the garment of FIG. 7A, having a seam 104 extending under the arm portion 20 and down an adjacent side of the bodice portion 12. Likewise, a seam 106 extends under the arm portion 18 and down an adjacent side of the bodice portion 12. An incision is made in the fabric pattern 92, either before or after the folding at line 94, to form a head opening 108. Accordingly, the garment in this embodiment has the seams 104 and 106 extending along the underside of the arms 30 and down the sides of the torso 35, but the shoulder portions 22 and outer or exterior arm regions 18E and 20E (see also FIGS. 1 and 2) remain free of seams that would otherwise interrupt the appearance of smooth and taut skin provided by the hosiery garment.

[0051] Beginning or ending edges of any of the tubes used to form the hosiery garment may be left raw, or unfinished. Cut edges such as for those made for head, neck, chest or waist/torso openings, however, depending on the direction of the incision relative to the knitting direction, may be left raw or unfinished, as well. That is, whereas a ladder run may be formed when conventional hosiery is snagged or ripped, raw or unfinished edges of selected machine-knitted fabrics do not run but may have a tendency to curl. Accordingly, conventional finishing or hemming may be applied for those cut edges that run, or for any tube edges, as desired. It is understood that the foregoing embodiments may be varied by knitting the underlying tubes with different dimensions, including diameter and length.

[0052] As discussed above, a variety of elastic natural or man-made yarns may be used to construct the hosiery garment. The hosiery garment is knitted in a gauge and/or with a denier yarn that enables the garment to be comfortably form fitting much like conventional hosiery is for the lower body. As such, air gaps or pockets between the garment and the skin are generally not desirable, nor is wrinkling or scrunching around the joints of the arm or the shoulders. The tension or gauge of the yarn should be such that the hosiery garment is comfortable, but stretches readily to cling snugly and conforms to at least the arms and body, if not all exposed areas and surfaces. The texture of the knitted fabric may be smooth and soft. All of the aesthetic and functional (including circulatory) benefits provided by conventional hosiery for the legs or lower body are available in the present invention.

[0053] Neck openings and/or chest or waist openings need not be symmetrical in relation to the front and back of the garment. Indeed, as with most garments, a neck opening may be wider and/or lower in the front than in the back. Likewise, a chest and waist opening may be lower in the front than in the back. Ends of sleeves at the wrists may also be adapted with a finger loop to tether the ends to a finger. Any of the aforementioned embodiments may also be configured as a body suit or leotard-type garment.

[0054] As for color, shimmer, shade and/or sheerness, conventional hosiery yarns offer a whole host of choices depending on the modesty or perceived exposure desire and/or the color and tone of the user's skin. Of course, where the hosiery garment is intended to be inconspicuous, the more closely the color and/or shade match the user's skin, the less conspicuous the hosiery garment will be. Having said that however, it is contemplated that the hosiery garment may be decorated so as to resemble decorated skin on the user, as illustrated. Tattoos, body paints, body glitter or even body piercing are popular fashion trends. As such, the hosiery garment may be similarly decorated either before or after donning so as to provide the appearance or perception of decorated skin or flesh. The present invention, however, also contemplates a nearly or completely seamless garment in colors other than flesh tones. The term "seam" as used herein generally denotes the joining of two separate edges by stitching, which is distinct from a hem line or a merge line.

[0055] It is understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the scope of the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. To that end, it is understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the illustrations are not necessarily to scale and that the dimensions of the tubes described hereinabove may be altered to suit the desires and needs of the user. Many other modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and it is therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A machine-knitted garment for the upper body having at least a chest portion, an upper back portion and sleeves, comprising a seamless tubular construction made of hosiery-type material, having a beginning tubular portion forming one sleeve, an ending tubular portion forming another sleeve, and a middle tubular portion which has a neck opening and a chest or bodice opening.

2. A machine-knitted garment of claim 1, wherein the beginning and the ending tubular portions have a tighter knit than the middle tubular portion.

3. A machine-knitted garment of claim 1, wherein the garment is generally sheer.

4. A garment of claim 1, wherein the garment is generally of a skin-tone color.

5. A machine-knitted garment of claim 1, wherein the openings are made from incisions made in the middle tubular portion.

6. A machine-knitted garment of claim 1, wherein the beginning and ending tubular portions have a smaller diameter than the middle tubular portion.

7. A machine-knitted garment of claim 1, wherein the garment has a direction of circular knitting spanning its length from the beginning tubular portion to the ending tubular portion.

8. A method of making a machine-knitted garment, comprising: knitting a beginning tube having a lesser diameter; continue knitting from an end of the beginning tube a middle tube having a greater diameter; continue knitting from an end of the middle tube an ending tube with the lesser diameter; forming a first opening the middle tube to form a neck opening; and forming a second opening in the middle tube generally opposing the neck opening to form a chest or bodice opening.

9. A method of claim 8, wherein the middle tube is configured to form a bodice of the garment and the beginning and the ending tubes are configured to form sleeves of the garment.

10. A method of claim 9, wherein the beginning tube and the ending tube have a tighter knit than the middle tube.

11. A machine-knitted garment for the upper body having an upper bodice, a lower bodice and sleeves, comprising: a first tubular portion configured to form the upper bodice and the sleeves of the garment; a second tubular portion whose one end is position at a generally central location of the first tubular portion, the second tubular portion extending generally perpendicularly from the first tubular portion in forming the lower bodice of the garment; a seam joining the first and second tubular portion, the seam extending circumferentially around the upper bodice; and wherein the first and second tubular portions are made from a hosiery-type material.

12. A machine-knitted garment of claim 11, wherein the first tubular portion has a lesser diameter and the second tubular portion has a greater diameter.

13. A machine-knitted garment of claim 11, wherein a seam between the first and second tubular portions generally extends laterally in a circumferential relationship with a user's chest.

14. A machine-knitted garment of claim 11 wherein a neck opening is formed in the first tubular portion and a chest opening is formed in first tubular portion opposing the neck opening.

15. A machine-knitted garment of claim 14, wherein the chest opening of the first tubular portion has a diameter generally equal to a diameter of the second tubular portion.

16. A machine-knitted method of making a garment having an upper bodice, a lower bodice and sleeves, comprising: knitting a first tubular portion configured to form the upper bodice and the sleeves of the garment; knitting a second tubular portion configured to form the lower bodice; forming a neck opening and a chest opening in the first tubular portion; and joining an open end of the second tubular portion to the chest opening of the first tubular portion such that the second tubular portion extends generally centrally and perpendicularly from the first tubular portion.

17. A method of making of claim 16, wherein the first and second tubular portions are knitted from hosiery-type material using circular or warp knitting.

18. A machine-knitted garment for the upper body having at least an upper bodice and sleeves, comprising: a continuous circular knit tubular construction of hosiery-type material, having a beginning tubular sleeve portion extending in a first direction, a middle tubular upper bodice portion extending in a second direction angularly offset from the one direction and an ending tubular sleeve portion extending generally parallel with the first direction, wherein adjacent portions are joined seamlessly along merge lines defined by a predetermined change of knitting angle ranging between about 60 to 120 degrees.

19. A machine-knitted garment of claim 18, wherein the merge lines are nonlinear.

20. A machine-knitted garment of claim 18, wherein the merge lines are concave.

21. A machine-knitted garment of claim 18, wherein the angle of change has a rate of change.

22. A machine-knitted garment having a bodice and sleeves comprising: a first tube and a second tube of generally similar circular knit or warp knit construction of hosiery-type material that are arranged in a generally parallel configuration and joined along a portion of their longitudinal axis, wherein joined portions of the tubes form the bodice of the garment, unjoined portions of the tubes define the sleeves and the joined portions define a first generally vertical seam on a front portion of the bodice and a second generally vertical seam on a back portion of the bodice.

23. A machine-knitted garment of claim 22, wherein each first and second tubes has a band at an open end to form a bottom band of the garment.

24. A machine-knitted garment of claim 22, wherein a neck opening is defined between the joined and unjoined portions of the first and second tubes.

25. A method of making a machine-knitted garment having a bodice and sleeves, comprising: knitting a first tube and a second tube of generally similar dimensions using hosiery-type material; and joining the tubes along a portion of their longitudinal axis to provide a first generally vertical seam on a front portion of the garment and a second generally vertical seam on a back portion of the garment, wherein joined portions of the tubes form the bodice of the garment and unjoined portions of the tubes define the sleeves.

26. A machine-knitted garment having a bodice and two sleeves, comprising: a bodice tube section defining a longitudinal axis of the garment and two sleeve tube sections branching from the bodice tube section along the longitudinal axis, thereby defining a junction between the bodice tube section and the sleeve tube sections, each of the sleeve tube sections having a lesser diameter and the bodice tube section having a greater diameter; a neck opening formed at or near the junction; and wherein the garment has a circular knit or warp knit construction of hosiery-type material.

27. A method of making a machine-knitted garment having a bodice and two sleeves, comprising: knitting a bodice tube along a longitudinal axis of the garment; after reaching a predetermined length in the bodice tube branching the bodice tube into two sleeve tube; forming a neck opening in a region of the bodice tube and between the two sleeve tubes; and wherein the bodice tube and the sleeve tubes are knitted from hosiery-type material.

28. A machine-knitted garment comprising: a unitary piece of hosiery-type material having two opposing bodice portions and two opposing sleeve portions adapted to be folded in half to form a bodice and two sleeves extending generally perpendicularly from the bodice; a first seam joining edges of one sleeve portion, extending from a first end of a first sleeve of the garment to a bottom edge of the bodice of the garment; a second seam generally opposing the first seam joining edges of another sleeve portion, extending from a second end of a second sleeve of the garment to the bottom edge of the bodice of the garment; and a neck opening formed along a folded edge of the bodice.

29. A method of making a machine-knitted garment comprising: knitting a unitary piece of hosiery-type material having two opposing bodice portions and two opposing sleeve portions; folding in half the unitary piece to form a bodice and two sleeves extending generally perpendicularly from the bodice; joining edges of one sleeve portion to form a first seam extending from a first end of a first sleeve of the garment to a bottom edge of the bodice of the garment; joining edges of another sleeve portion to form a second seam generally opposing the first seam, extending from a second end of a second sleeve of the garment to the bottom edge of the bodice of the garment; and forming a neck opening formed along a folded edge of the bodice.