Garment with knitted silicone yarns and manner of making same

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a sock including the steps of knitting the sock on a knitting machine with a first yarn, such as a cotton or polyester yarn, and a second yarn that is a silicone yarn wrapped with poly vinyl acetate (PVA) yarn. The PVA yarn substantially fully encapsulates the silicone yarn, with one PVA yarn being wrapped around the silicone yarn in a “S” twist pattern and the second PVA yarn being wrapped around the silicone yarn in a “Z” twist pattern. The sock is bathed in hot water after being knitted such that the PVA yarn dissolves and exposes the silicone yarn. The second yarn is knitted in the sock to form defined areas or patterns of silicone yarns within the sock, such as in the toe and heel areas. The resulting sock provides grip and slip-resistance properties on both the inside and outside of the sock.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of manufacturing a sock comprising the steps of:
 knitting the sock on a knitting machine with a first yarn selected from the group consisting of cotton yarns and polyester yarns, and a second yarn comprising a silicone yarn wrapped with at least one poly vinyl acetate (PVA) yarn; and   bathing the knitted sock in hot water to dissolve the PVA yarn and expose the silicone yarn.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the second yarn is knitted in the sock to form defined areas or patterns of silicone yarns within the sock. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the second yarn is knitted into the sock to form the defined areas or patterns in toe and heel areas of the sock. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the second yarn comprises two PVA yarns wrapped around the silicone yarn, the first PVA yarn being wrapped around the silicone yarn in an “S” twist pattern and the second PVA yarn being wrapped around the silicone yarn in a “Z” twist pattern such that the silicone yarn is substantially fully encapsulated within the first and second PVA yarns. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the hot water has a temperature of about 130° F. to about 150° F. 
     
     
         6 . A sock knitted on a knitting machine with a first yarn selected from the group consisting of cotton yarns and polyester yarns, and a second yarn comprising a silicone yarn wrapped with at least one poly vinyl acetate (PVA) yarn; wherein, after being knitted, the sock is bathed in hot water to dissolve the PVA yarn and expose the silicone yarn. 
     
     
         7 . The sock of  claim 6  wherein the second yarn is knitted in the sock to form defined areas or patterns of silicone yarns within the sock. 
     
     
         8 . The sock of  claim 7  wherein the second yarn is knitted into the sock to form the defined areas or patterns in toe and heel areas of the sock. 
     
     
         9 . The sock of  claim 6  wherein the second yarn comprises two PVA yarns wrapped around the silicone yarn, the first PVA yarn being wrapped around the silicone yarn in an “S” twist pattern and the second PVA yarn being wrapped around the silicone yarn in a “Z” twist pattern such that the silicone yarn is substantially fully encapsulated within the first and second PVA yarns. 
     
     
         10 . The sock of  claim 6  wherein the hot water has a temperature of about 130° F. to about 150° F.