This is an example of a hand crank-operated circular knitting machine known as “The Auto Knitter” in excellent condition. The particular model featured in this photo was manufactured by The Auto Knitter Hosiery Company from Toronto in 1924. The original price of the machine in 1924 was $60.85, which adjusted for inflation is equivalent to nearly $1,400 in 2018! Because they were typically used to knit socks, these machines are also often called “circular sock machines.”
The basis for the circular knitting machine was established by an 1866 patent for American gun-maker Henry Josiah Griswold’s “little rapid knitting machine.” While he improved on his design several times in the following decades, it was not until the First World War that the machine reached its full popularity. Mabel Boardman, the only woman on the Red Cross Central Commission, encouraged women to master the machine to mass-produce socks for the troops fighting overseas in Europe. This experience increased their popularity after the war. Due to the high cost of the machine, many companies provided them at a reduced cost to women who agreed to produce a certain quantity of socks for them.