@175cd6f6 The knitting industry switched from hand knitting (a family enterprise) to machine knitting (industry). That put many families out of work.

Stockings were switching from sewn to knitted. The knitted stockings caught on (they stretched and did not gather or wrinkle). Queen Elizabeth I rejected the knitting machine because it would put people out of work. The knitting machine moved to France. Later, it came back to England and thrived. People couldn't feed their children. Life got ugly. 

 @990cc226 No spoilers! Hah just kidding, actually that particular sequence you have outlined is something he covers in the preface as a setup to the Luddites and automated looms coming into existence. Fascinating read so far.