New-York tribune., 1906-08-05
QUAINT KNITTERS.
Canadian Settlement Where Women
Cmrg On OIdtime Industry.

AZ el,a little Canadian settlement OF oJbwas which
IS less than an hours ride by trolley from DetroiE
IS conducted OF the most interesting and piot-
rsres0ue industries ia America Here more uAaA
three hundred French women, both young and oia'
Knit many thousands Of pairs OF mittens' gloves
and socks each year Yet nowhere In the Wnole
settlement there the hum OF single kHfaetltlg
machine. Throughout Its entire length Of more
than ave miles the Ojibwa settlement appears to
be a peaceful, old-fashioned farming country.
stranger might pass through II score OF times END
seger 6og instant suspect that in almost every
one Og the little houses. many cf them nearly a
century old, women and girls are bOlsily knitting
ne hesyy Egoollen socks and gloves which ere used
"a sIl parts OF Canada. from Windsor TO Dawson
City,
Prom these quiet homes. with their quaint knit
ting Egonsen whose methods are about a century
Behind t7le times the sharDest competition
relt by some Of the largest knitting mills in Can
ada and the United States. BY these knisters are
1nRfe nearly ali the gloves and socks which ere
worn by the famous Northwest Mounted Police By
sn nearly overy one OF the mines and lumber camps
OF the frozen North. In Winnipeg. ST. Johns Van
.ATclenEie rivers and along Hudson Bay their prod
Gcts are regarded as Indispensable
The homes Of the settlement comprise about
hundred and hfty houses and in them are 8O5 knit
Sens ana sIoves snnnaIv and 20 Ibeir isTo: thev
' st ~ tiStt ~ ., Eo5
or nearly S4s year for each knitting woman To
modern housewives this would undoubtedly seem
very small sum IN return for so much labor, but to
.he old-faslioned French women Of Ojibwa 1t is
very satisfactory On their little farms these peo-
rle live the simplest of lives and their wants are
1ew They spend little money and quite
tent 10 earn little. An expert among the Ojibwa
Emitting women If she gives most of her time
20 the work. knit from four TO 1ve pairs OF the
heavtest grade Of mems mittens in a day, and
those who not quite proficient easily
:lnish from two to four pairs OF heavy mittens or
1rOm three 10 I'VE pairs OF the cheaper grades in
day. AT this rate the make from
20 10 30 cents a day.
For many generations this hand knitting Of
gloves and hosiery has been a part OF the house
Nfes daily work among the French settlers OF this
district Until about quarter of a century ago Il
was almost unheard o9 for Of these people to
buy knitted goods IN a store. for every French
woman had learned the art Of knitting from her
sother ana had in turn taught it to her children.
Then store made" goods were introduced. CsFadu-
oily the wearing of finer articles began. Then
Ehere was superhuity Of handmade gloves and
saOEleTys for the French women, having knitted
since they old enough hold the clumsy
steel needles. could not give up the work which
i1ed come q be as much pastime as an en-
ployEnent- Mothers continued 10 teach knitting TO
their daughters, and. if anything. the amount OF
handmade WOolen goods increased. Houses be-
came stocked with gloves. mittens and socks, and
FOR 9 time the country was literally OVerTun with
Noollen goods.
AbOLt this time a young man named Leo Page