Fiber waste generated adjacent the knitting section of the knitting machine and adjacent yarn feeding devices of the machine is blown to a filter adjacent the top of the machine. The lint is removed from the filter by a rotatable filter cleaner and then is transported by suction to a vacuum device outside of the machine. A blower for blowing fiber waste from the yarn feeding devices is mounted upon a support ring and undergoes reciprocal movement about a path of travel defined by such ring. In one embodiment the ring undergoes rotational movement and the blowing means moves with it, while in another embodiment the ring is stationary and the blowing means moves relative to it.