Knitting the Nation, Circular Knitting Machines
The J.F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center will host a program on the history and operation of circular knitting machines at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 19, as part of its “Past Times at Glidden” series.
Presenter Dona Walzer will demonstrate a working circular knitting machine while sharing the story of how this remarkable invention helped transform textile production during the Industrial Age. The demonstration will be held at the Homestead, 921 W. Lincoln Highway. The demonstration and program are included with the museum’s $5 admission fee. Children under 14 years of age are free. Tours of the Homestead and blacksmithing demonstrations will also be available that day.
The circular knitting machine allowed factories to quickly produce knitted items such as hats, mittens, socks, and scarves—goods that were in high demand and far more time-consuming to make by hand. As home knitters adopted these machines, they played a significant role in wartime production and small home businesses, bringing industrial innovation into everyday life.
Visitors will be able to watch the machine in action during a continuous demonstration by Walzer and view samples of knitted items created using the device. Walzer is experienced in early 1800s interpretation and demonstrations of various trades for historic sites including quilting, knitting, shoemaking, spinning and weaving.
The presentation is part of the Homestead’s “Past Times at Glidden” series, the museum’s America250 programming, which celebrates the time-honored trades and crafts that helped build America. The series connects with the site’s own history as the home of Joseph F. Glidden, who invented and first manufactured “The Winner” barbed wire on the property in the 1870s.
About the J.F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center
The J.F. Glidden Homestead & Historical Center preserves and interprets the home and barn of barbed wire inventor Joseph F. Glidden, highlighting DeKalb’s agricultural and educational heritage through public programming and community events. For more information, call 815-756-7904, visit www.gliddenhomestead.org, or email jessi@gliddenhomestead.org.