OLIVE TOWNSHIP -- The first time our paths crossed, Mike Bronkema was sporting an Olive Township Fire Rescue T-shirt and knitting a pink sock on a hand-crank antique circular sock knitting machine. We ...

LEWISBURG — Issac Lamb invented the first domestic knitting machine in 1863 to make mittens and gloves. A few years later he purchased rights from Mr. Tuttle for his idea of mechanically knitting in a ...

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been corrected to reflect David Erlbacher had the first patent for the Gearhart sock knitting machine in more than 85 years. A family-run machine shop in south Cape ...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A blast from the past is on display in Springfield. You may have never heard of a circular sock machine. The contraption dates back to the 1860s, allowing for quick manufacturing.