From The Middle East Knitting Techniques Spread To Spain. From Spain Knitting Spread To The Whole Of Continental Europe During The Middle Ages And By The 12th Century It Was Already An Advanced Craft. The First Knitters‘ Guild Was Founded In Paris In The 13th Century, Followed By Similar Organizations In Other European Countries. Knitting Was Mainly A Male Occupation At This Time And Only Men Were Admitted To The Guilds. The Knitters‘ Apprenticeship Lasted At Least Seven Years. It Was Not Until The 15th Century That Knitting Reached Britain. During The Next Hundred Years An Active Knitting Industry Developed Here In 1589 William Lee, an English clergyman, invented the first stocking frame knitting machine. He applied for a patent from Queen Elizabeth, but she denied his request because she thought it would ruin the hand knitting industry. Nevertheless the number of knitting machines employed in different parts of the country gradually increased over the next two centuries
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