1589
William Lee invented the first knitting machine. The mechanical device utilized a wooden frame, a set of needles, and control arms for the operator to raise and lower the needles and thread so as to generate the loops and hooks necessary for knitting. He presented his instrument to Queen Elizabeth I in hopes of earning a patent, while the Queen loved her knitted stockings and probably preferred the feel of silk over the rough hewn garments produced by the machine, she declined (Adapted from A History of Hand Knitting, Richard Rutt, page 67). The Queen’s decline was actually attributed to the harm his manufacturing technology might do to her citizens (Why nations fail: the origins of power, prosperity, and poverty, Acemoglu, D.; Robinson, J., page 182). Perhaps, Lee’s invention was the first manufacturing tech to raise fears about losing jobs?
Lee took his invention to France were he was given a patent on his stocking-frame. He and a small team operated a knitting business until his death in 1610. His brother returned to London and setup a silk knitting shop. Ten years later the stocking-frame was utilized in many parts of England. And by 1638, the use of fulling mills made its way to the British Colonies. It’s possible to discern that Lee’s invention generated a boom in fabric machines and fabric societies. These societies consisted of subdivisions of larger and older guilds.
Over the course of the next 50 years, the knitting industry flourished with the use of the mechanical stocking-frame. There are few references to Lee’s invention as a catalyst for the Industrial Revolution, but its proximity to other garment industry inventions and processes makes the Stocking-Frame a strong candidate.
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