The Advent of Flat Bed Knitting Machines

History of knitted fabrics The early knitting was in

Though it is not possible to the form of knotting ends The Paget Frame
pinpoint the exact time and to make fabrics. In
area of origin of knitting knotting man did not need In 1857 Arthur
but it can be safely even single needle as in invented the m
assumed that the art of Nalebinding. In frame, His fram
knitting was developed in Nalebinding or needle to the time-con
B.C. era. Earthen pots of binding one needle is used operation of the
Neolithic age with motifs to bind a yarn in different frames by foot
of weaving patterns found ways to form a fabric. could work usi
in excavations in the The first genera
Thames near Mortlake are Nalebinding the single Paget Frame co
preserved in the British needle knitting only one stocki
Museum. This article of The binding of yarn can be but much faster
high value is a proof of the simple and quite complex Improvements
fact that the art of weaving to make fabrics which look the Paget Fram
was prevalent in Neolithic like true knitted fabrics. 1860.
times.

The modern methods of The Fully Fashion Frame

Mary knitting, from the
radiocarbon testing Buxtehuder Altar, app. 1395
of William Cotton
available today are able to William Cotton
assign accurate dates to Courtesy The German Hosiery constructed and patented a
archeological findings but Museum powered knitting machine
the exact date of the first - which was based on Lee's
hand-woven or knitted From Knitting Needles to flat knitting frame - with a
works however continue to Knitting Frame vertical movable needle
be a mystery. There is bar between 1860 and
however evidence of cloth 1864. This machine later
being made in Turkey and became known as the
Mesopotamia as far back Cotton patent machine.
as 8000 BC.Tombs in Loop formation by single needle
Egypt provided evidence the Nalebinding technique.
of fabrics dating 5000 BC.
The fibre used
predominantly was linen From Single Needle to
which is a product of flax Multi-needle Knitting
plant. Weaving as The earliest evidence of
compared to Knitting is hand knitted article found
more complex technology dates back to 4th century
or art. For weaving fabric
one needs a set of yarns found in a Coptic This invention of the
arranged as warp a device grave. Cotton machine had a
to keep the alternating ends The oldest
Afterknitted artefacta
being refused major impact on
separate, device to insert knownpatent
is a wool cap found
by Queen in a
Elizabeth manufacturing because
the weft and a comb to lay Moor I,Grave nearanother
he built Borum, in with the machine, first 8,
the weft close to the fabric Denmark is dated
improved 1100 BC.
machine that then 12 and later up to 36
end. Whereas to knit in However it is not
produced clearofiffiner
a silk it was automatically narrowed
early times one needed netted,texture,
crochetedbut or
theknitted.
queen stocking lengths could be
only one end of yarn and The picture shown here
again denied him aispatent
of a produced. This feature
one needle with a hole hand knit Sockofknitted
because in 4th for
her concern made the Cotton patent
known as Nalebinding. century.
theThe spaceofleft
welfare between
kingdom's machine extremely suitable
The early weaver were the bigmany
toe and second
hand toe is
knitters. for mass production.
well versed with the art of presumed
Lee to be left
moved to to
France with
knotting which is also accommodate
support of theHenry
footwear of the
IV and Invention of Latch
presumed to be the origin times began
now known as sandals.
manufacturing Needle
of the word Knitting. stockings in Rouen, The invention of Latch
Courtesy The German Hosiery needle has been the main
Therefore though there is Museum France, and prospered until
no evidence of knitted Henry's assassination in factor leading to
fabric or artifact to exactly 1610. After Lee's death his mechanical flat bed
The first references to true knitting machine. In 1856,
determine the date as back knitting in Europe date in brother returned to
as that of a woven fabric it England and established the Englishman Matthew
still can be presumed the early 14th century. Townsend of Leicester
knitting industry there,
safely that the man had against the opposition of received a patent for the
knowledge of the art of the hand knitters. Principle latch needle. With the help
knitting in Neolithic times. of operation of this knitting of the latch needle, the
frame still remains in use loop forming process
in today’s world. became much easier than
with ordinary bearded on both sides of purl
needles. knitwear.

First Hand Operated Flat The First Purl Hand Flat

Bed Knitting Machine

In 1867, Dubied introduced

his first flat-bed knitting
machine, called the
"Trikoteuse Omnibus".
The William Lamb an
American invented the first
hand-powered flat-bed The First Motorised Flat
knitting machine in 1863. Bed Knitting Machine
With this machine, the In the beginning, many
rapid production of tube machines were operated by
and rib-knitted fabric large motors using line
became possible.. shaft drive. With the
increasing availability and
In rib knitting both sides of decreasing prices of
the knitted panel are electricity and motors,
identical and the fabric has machines with separate
a high degree of cross drive began to assert
elasticity. In Europe, Henri themselves.
Eduard Dubied, founder of
the Dubied-Werke in
Switzerland acquired the
patent for the machine in
order to begin the
production of knitting
machines in his Swiss
factory

From Simple Hand Flats

to Designer Hand Flats

One of the first motorized

flat-bed knitting machines
manufactured by H. Stoll,
Reutlingen, Germany, app.
1878

The Development of Purl

Needle

In 1881, the commercial

expansion of purl-stitch
knitting machines became
possible through the
invention of the double
hook or double latch
needle by Durand. Now,
the "stitch heads", which
were a typical
characteristic of the
reverse side, could be seen