Latch-needle knitting machine
Tricotosa de agujas de lengüeta
- Date
- 1849 · confidence high
- Place
- Leicester, England, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- Matthew Townsend
- Field
- Tools
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A needle with a small hinged latch that opens and closes by itself as it moves up and down to hold and release the yarn. It made high-speed circular and flat knitting viable.
Townsend patented the latch needle in 1849; an antecedent from the early 19th century is sometimes mentioned, so priority is not wholly firm.
What it led to
- circular knitting machines for T-shirts and underwear
- mass production of knitted garments
- Leicester and Nottingham hosiery industry