in 1877 the world's first crochet machine was invented and patented by joseph m. merrow, then-president of what had started in the 1840s as a machine shop to develop specialized machinery for the knitting operations. this crochet machine was the first production overlock sewing machine. the merrow machine company went on to become one of the largest american manufacturers of overlock sewing machines, and continues to be a global presence in the 21st century as the last american over-lock sewing machine manufacturer.