stretchability of the section 21 is comparison with the section 17 is reduced but the stretch properties of the whole middle regions 17 21 are only slightly influenced thereby when the section 21 extends only over a few courses the sections 22 and 22a which are connected at each side to the section 21 and each of which is arranged on both sides of the edge of the waist opening 4 which runs in the direction of the stitch loops differ from the sections 21 merely in that in the second and fourth feeds corresponding to the sections 19 19a or 20 20a additionally the reinforcing thread is fed to each fourth needle an additional anchoring of the ends of the elastic thread material in the sections 19 19a or of the reinforcing thread ends in the sections 20 20a can be achieved if in each of the sections 19 20 or 19a 20a a security zone 23 is provided whose border line according to fig2 can run out from the sections 19 20 or 19a 20a into the remaining body part the security zone 23 is characterized by small tight stitches and preferably in order to avoid hardness at the edges bordering the waist opening 4 does not.