When knitting entered the sock market, drapery was soon forgotten. Knitted and sewn socks were fabricated with long needles of silver, brass or iron which easily formed stitches when crossed.

In the middle of the 17th century a Frenchman invented a machine with big polished needles made of steel: the mechanical weaving-loom. This was much more efficient than manual knitting and enabled the production of socks from new textiles such as silk, hemp or linen. Furthermore the stitches of the loom felt much softer and silkier.

The first manufactory equipped with weaving-looms was founded in 1656 at the castle Château de Madrid in the woods of the Bois de Boulogne, close to Paris.

Mercerisation is a chemical process invented by John Mercer in 1844 to ameliorate the features of cotton fibres.

During mercerisation the cotton is exposed to caustic soda, a chemical solution obtained from sodium hydrate. The fibres macerate and shorten to about one quarter of their initial size. The form of the fibre round, and it becomes shiny and resistant.

Long fibres which have been mercerised twice are called scottish lisle thread. Due to its high cost, mercerisation is a method only used for high quality textiles.