History of the Circular Sock Knitting Machines and HFS's part in the modern day

Birth of Mechanical Knitting

1589 - William Lee

  • Invents the stocking frame, the first knitting machine

  • Produces flat knitted fabric

  • Socks must be seamed

  • Initially works only with wool

1598 - William Lee

  • Successfully knits stockings in silk

  • Presents the first silk pair to Queen Elizabeth I

  • Still denied a patent

Advancing Knitted Structure

Mid-1700s

  • Home use of knitting frames becomes common in England

  • Machines rented from wholesalers

  • Early cottage-industry model emerges

1758 - Jedediah Strutt

  • Develops the rib stitch knitting frame

  • Major improvement in elasticity and fit

The Circular Revolution

1816 - Marc I. Brunel

  • Builds an early circular knitting machine

  • Produces tubular fabric

  • Eliminates the seam in stockings

1847 - Matthew Townsend

  • Invents the latch knitting needle

  • Landmark breakthrough enabling modern circular machines

  • Becomes the foundation of nearly all later knitting machinery

Transatlantic Spread

Late 1700s - Early 1800s

  • British ban on exporting textile machines and designs

  • Machines and ideas were smuggled to the American colonies

  • Fuels the American textile industry

Rise of Home Circular Sock Machines

19th Century

  • Circular knitting machines adapted for home use

  • Core design principles established:

    • Stationary cylinder

    • Latch needles

    • Rotating camshell

    • Dial with ribber needles

1872 - Creelman Bros. (Canada)

  • Instruction book refers to a machine as “La Money Maker”

  • Evidence of early production-oriented home machines

The American Heyday

Early 1900s

  • Peak popularity of home sock knitting machines in the U.S.

  • Multiple manufacturers in operation

  • Machines marketed for income generation

1916-1927 - Auto-Knitter

  • Manufactured in Buffalo, New York

  • One of the last major home circular sock machines

  • Entirely hand-cranked

  • Interchangeable needle cylinders

1920s–1930s

  • Aggressive advertising by companies like:

    • Gearhart

    • Auto-Knitter

  • Some promise to buy back socks meeting strict standards

Decline of Home Sock Machines

Mid-20th Century

  • Home circular sock machine manufacturing fades

  • Industrial textile production dominates

  • Flat-bed sweater machines remain unavailable to home users

Revival & Preservation

Late 1970s – George Fricke

  • Purchases rights and assets of the Auto-Knitter

  • Based in Harmony, Maine

  • No blueprints; relies on:

    • Old parts

    • Original molds

    • Broken machines

    • Oral knowledge from Ralph McCarthy

1984

  • Kerry and the article’s author purchase the company

  • Begin continued production and refinement

Modern Era

Late 20th Century

  • Auto-Knitter remains:

    • Hand-powered

    • Metal-cast

    • Mechanically unchanged in principle

  • Still uses:

    • Short-row heels and toes

    • Hand-grafted toes (Kitchener stitch)

  • Only known home-use circular knitting machine still made

  • Only domestically produced circular sock machine in the U.S.

Heart Forge Solutions

2024

  • HFS began creating cylinders for the  American Auto Knitter, made in Buffalo (1916-1923).

2025

  • HFS added cylinders for the Canadian Auto Knitter, made in Montreal.

2026

  • HFS added Harmony and Imperia cylinders