The times., 1897-05-23

simplest outfit for successful weaving in
n country place, suitable for ths produc-
| ton of cloth for garments for men and
| women; blankets, etc, not the finest IN
the world in finish, but serviceabIe and
| economical:
A handmade loom, worth say. S25 90
| spooling machine, for winding the
after sptnnlng --.---..---.-... l so
Reeds, to make the cloth FIRM. 4 so
LitZens, for stretching threads. ] so
ShUtue ..----......-...-..---- %
Stretcher, for holding the cloth
eduV ..'-- '-'-....'. .s-.----... Oo
Total S34 90
But a very large number OF small IA Trners
who have but few sheep in their fOcks can
not afford even so comparatively mex
pensive an outfit as this, so they are COM
PEELED TO make use of more humble and
primitive methods. For them the spinning
wheel is, of course, as n all cases, a ne
cessity, but they do away with the loom
entirely, and, after the yarn or thread is
spun from the wheel, wind il ia balls and
then knit it into cloth Thisis much more
crude form of cloth making, but the
wares produced are particularly service
able and stlOng. Some OF tie cloths are
used for shirts and blOuSss, the Iceland
coat, or REFER, so much seen in seaCoast
cities along the wharves where merchant
men from foreign cliInes unload, being OF
the type made. In fact, some of the Ice
Ia ndc settlers in the far north west and in
Manitoba make precisely the same REFER
here that has been 50 long an Icelandio
product.
The poorer farmers make much use OF
The wool also for stockings, and so strong
and durable are they that d IaiT Of mems
stockings VIII easily sell Tor from 40 10
80 cents. For this kind Of weaving or
knitting the only needful things are the
knitting sticks or pins of wood, which may
5e bought for 3 cents a set With these
the thrifty housewife viii knit heavy
coat for her husband, a skirt for her daUgh-
ter OF pair of trousers for her son
The peasants are quite skillfui, too, in
the coloring of the garments and yarns,
and very bright and picturesque effects
are produced.
The cards which are used for picking up
and separating the wool cost but a trifle,
and are quite lasting The raw Wool, as
IT comes from the sheep, after she airing is
carCled and combed until all the burs aud
pieces OF straw and seeds are rt moved and
the wool is fluffy and comparatively Clean
IL is then ready for the spinning wheel,
and is rapidly converted into yarn or
thread, coarse or fine, according TO the
deftness and skill Of the spinner. Some
times this wool is used in another form by
the poorer classes, who buy cheap cotton
cloth, make it up into squares the size OF
d bed blanket and fill in between the
pieces with the wool, stitching and tying
il as in the old-fashioned quiltng-bee man
ner Very comfortable blankets are in
sway made.
The warp for use in the more elaborate
weaving costs from 80 10 40 cents per
pound.
When the price of wool went down u
few years ago many of these thrifty Sean
tliGav!an farmers who had a few sheep In
their keeping found that it wds not worth
the while TO keep them, for they were not
prepared to raise the sheep for mutton, and
the price of wool was too low to make the
shearing profitable. SO they turned to the
spinning wheel which had been brought
from the old country. The result has been
that all over these Northwestern States
these small farmers have been converting
their wool into cloth and yarn, making
cloths for coats, pa1taloo1s. Overcoats ,blan-
kets, stocking yarn aud SO on.
OF course, much of this homemade pr ID
uct would not stand the critical test Of the
great looms in point of fineneSs aud finish,
but it is strong, serviceable and honest.
No shoddy has beea chopped 70 make iJ,
and il will wear like iron.
One of the most important features OF
the situation is that the work can be done
in the dun season, when it is sometimes
Il rather difficult thing for some small
farmers TO find enough profitable work
to do to occupy the attention OF themselves
and families. There isn't any doubt in
the minds of a good many students of mod
ern life that a good deal OF the anity as
well as the vice which manifest themselves
IN country districts, is due TO tie fact that
these people live such abnoTmally isolated
existcnces. Occupation OF EaBd and mind
is no doubt a rare aid to sanity and virtue
in many instances a nd on this ground the
spinning wheels should be welcomed.
During the long winter months, fIom No
venlber to April, many dollar may be
earned, many q dollar has been canned,
and saved in this wide Western country,
by those who have been glad of an op-
pcrtunity to kill time in 10 Profitable q
way. The actual expense involved is
slight; the money saved by making these
necessary garments is large, when the
revenue of the people is taken into account,
and the time Of many an other wise wasted
day is taken up most satisfactorily.
1t would he difficult to say to what ex-
tent the trade i'll wooiens in the towns and
cities have been reduced by the beintro,luction
in these last few years of these humble
cloth manufacturing establishments Prob
ably definite figures could not be obtained,
and, indeed, it is likely that large lum-
ber of the farmers who are making their
own cloth and stockings would not have
been able to buy woolen goods had they
stocked up at the stores. Yet the money
which had been saved to these people has
been large i'll the aggregate for, as noted
above, there are at least 10000 OF these
farmers, who have begun the making OF
their own garments, to say nothing or
those W ho are not included in this number,
who brought all OF their spinning aad weav-
Ing paraphernalia from the fatherlaud.