The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1911-06-30
X HITTING 10000
~ PAIRS SOX DAILY

could DE so Infinitely lazy and self-ab-
sorbed while really accomplishing a
great deal. Knitted and crocheted
things are not only pretty and COM
Portable, but when done by woman s
hands. seem to have sweet thoughts
and tenderness, like fragrance caught
as the threads passed between soft fin
gers One always gives such things
to dear little children and best beloved
friends. Mrs. Mckinley, the delicate
wife of President Mckinley, spent
much time knitting and crocheting
bootees and mittens for her friends and
to be sold at church fairs. Crocheted
slippers are delight, and knitted COM
forters and fascinators are exactly what
their names indicate.
One of my neighbors has shoulder
cape for winter mornings made of Law
ender zephyr, and the fringe is made
OF loose chain stitch that is simple,
but produces an effect of elaborate ele-
gance. When she told me her dear
niece, Jessie, had made it for Christ
mas present, the soft, clinging little
cape seemed TO be caressing its wearer
as though Jessie's hands patted her
shoulders when she put it on.
Time was when every girl and woman
knitted industriously, and l knew
woman who used to knit pair ofsocks
between daylight and bed time when
she was knitting for the soldiers.
Those socks were of coarse wooden
thread
You know we have in Marietta the
big knitting mill of the Marietta Knit.
ting Company, and perhaps you know
1t makes nothing but socks for men,
but have you any idea what goes on
from the time the machinery takes up
the thread until the finished sock is
placed in a box to be sold?
Well, each sock is handled sixty
times by human hands, only the knit
ting being done by the machines. Two
or three different machines knit on
each sock. The thread is on great
spools and the machines are attended
by men, women and children. No ad-
equate description of the knitting is
possible, Several grades OF hosiery
are made, from coarse to superfine, and
all are knitted of white thread. After
the socks are made they are inspected
by hummer of experienced workers
and classified. Then they are dyed
black, brown in various shades, purple
and slate, or dove grey-the usual
colors.
Before they are dyed, however, each
sock is slipped over a small board and
passed under two brushes and two steel
rollers through flames of acetylene gas
This seems marvellous, as the socks
seem to go through slowly enough to
catch fire and burn up, but one is very
rarely even scorched. This fiery treat
ment merely burns the lint off. leav-
ing smooth surface.
The dyeing is done in huge revolv-
ing cylinders, and it takes over twelve
hours to complete it. The damp Owed
socks are given to young men who put
them on thin wooden shapes that fit
When they are dried other men place
each sock in sheets of heavy cardboard
with indentations exactly fitting them.
About three pairs go into each sheet.
They are then placed in compress
that is steam-heated and the cardboard
which seems to be like rubber-is
reduced to third Of its original bulk.
When the socks are taken out thew are
perfectly ironed and paired. Young
ladies and young men work together
in the last process, end the genial gen.
tleman who shows you through the
mill intimates that other matches are
made here beside those in hosiery.
One girl stamps "Radium" in white
letters on each pair, another fastens
them together with thread and pastes
paper label on the tops.
Ten thousand pairs of socks are
made every day and they are sold by
carloads all over the United States.
Eight or ten statesmen travel constantly
selling Marietta hosiery.
A new mill of red brick is now being
built near the old one, but that will be
another story to be told in October,
when it will be finished.
A. l.. G.