Brunel's circular knitting machine
Tricotosa circular de Brunel
- Date
- 1816 · confidence medium
- Place
- London, England, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- Marc Isambard Brunel
- Field
- Tools
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A machine with needles arranged in a circle that produces a seamless knitted tube, ideal for stockings and socks. It mechanised continuous tubular knitting.
Brunel patented the circular frame in 1816; late 18th-century antecedents are cited and Peter Claussen's patent (1799) may be earlier. Priority is disputed.
What it led to
- seamless socks and underwear
- industrial circular knitting machines for T-shirts and jerseys
- mass-produced knitted fabric on rolls