Helical knitting

Knitting machines traditionally use a row of pins and hooks to pull thread into a zig-zag pattern allowing a second thread to be threaded through. The second thread is then pushed and pulled by pins and hooks to form a zig-zag pattern etc.

My idea is to use interwoven helical tubes (see link to help with visualisation). The helical tubes could be made of plastic or metal.

To start knitting, threads are threaded through helical tubes (by using a helical needle). The helical tubes are then interwoven (by twisting and pushing adjacent helical tubes). Helical tubes are then twisted and pushed (one helix at a time or all helices simultaneously). The threads are thus knitted.

Helices of different pitch and size could be used to make interesting patterns.

Interesting knits could be made with flexible helices which could be bent so as to form bifurcations (no picture (yet) to help visualise this one).