The new knitting frames and power looms could weave yarn into cloth much faster than the most skilled artisan weaver working in his own cottage. Caught between fixed costs (the hire and upkeep of their domestic appliances) and falling prices for their products, tens of thousands of families were doomed to become paupers.
新型针织机和动力织机纺纱成布的速度远远快于最熟练的家庭作坊纺织工。在固定成本（购置和维持工作设备）和产品价格下跌的双重挤压下，数万家庭被迫沦为乞丐。