Italian sock knitting machine builder Busi Giovanni’s Idea Twin Layer cylinder and dial sock knitting machine is being used to produce unique football socks, known as kangaroo socks, with integrally knitted shin-guard pockets for stores in Brazil, Argentinia and Spain – three of the world’s greatest footballing nations.

Brazilian football kit brand Penalty offers at least three different styles of its Kanguru football socks with integrated shin-guard pockets on its website with store locator for the three countries. For example the socks, which are made from a blend of polypropylene and polyamide, can be found in stores such as FutbolMania and Jovic in the football mad city of Barcelona.

Penalty describes the socks as follows: “Football socks with Penalty's exclusive technology: internal bag that keeps the shin guard in place, with no need for elastic straps or adhesive tapes. The socks have a tensorial strip with elastic yarns and anklets that make the fixation easier. Sole in terrycloth and true heels ensure more comfort, fit and protection against bumps and blisters. Cushioned footbed, true heels and tensorial strip.”

Michele Castagna, Marketing manager for Busi Giovanni commented: “We launched Idea Twin Layer at the FIMAST show in 2009 and it has taken some time to break into the market – but Brazil seems the ideal place to start especially as it is hosting the 2014 World Cup. We hope other leading sports kit brands will now start to take notice of our technology.”

Twin Layer Technology

Busi’s Idea Twin Layer can produce a football sock with an integrally knitted pocket for housing a shin guard as it is able to knit two separate fabrics at the same time, joining them only where required.

The Idea Twin Layer is based on Busi’s 404 Idea Terry machine, and as well as having the same knitting possibilities as the original machine, it can produce double layer socks or socks with double layer in a specified area using the dial needles and a special patented device which is integrated into the dial itself.

It is possible to knit two fabrics at the same time on the Twin Layer, one inside the other. The external sock is produced in the conventional way on the cylinder needles while the internal sock is knitted by the dial needles.

The knitting technique employed on the Twin Layer also gives the possibility to use completely independent yarns with different fibre content for the inside and outside of the sock, which could open up new possibilities in the field of technical sports socks. The double layer structure can be extended to the complete sock. In this case the two fabrics are joined at the welt, at the heel and at the toe which prevents the sliding of the inner layer in relation to the outer layer.

Another possibility with the Idea Twin Layer is to create reinforced areas with the double layer having any desired shape which can be placed in any part of the leg and/or foot. On all of the available machine diameters it is possible to install the Rimaglio option that will produce a sock having the toe closed automatically with ‘loop by loop’ linking.

This Busi video shows how the 'Kangaroo' shin-guard sock works...

Further reading

Download the Idea Twin layer catalogue

Busi gets Italian Football Federation approval for shin-guard sock

Contact

Busi Giovanni S.r.l.

Via Molini, 24 25082 Botticino Sera (Bs), Italy

Tel: +39 030 2190304, Fax +39 030 2693387

E-mail: [email protected]

www.busigiovanni.com