Historical information

Knitted fabric is made with a single yarn or sets of yarns moving in only one direction. Whether done by hand or by machine, the process is the same. The knitting needle loops the yarn through itself to make a chain of stitches. These chains, or rows, are connected to produce the knitted cloth.

There are two types of commercial knitting machine. A flat-bed has its needles, one for each loop, arranged in a straight line to produce a flat fabric.

A circular machine has its needles arranged on a rotating circle. The cloth forms as a tube which can be made into seamless clothing.

Physical description

Griswold bench-type sock knitting machine hand operated by turning the handle.