The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-09
SHOP NOTES FOR KNITTERS

Shields for knitting needles are
made of enamel. gold and silver.
Sometimes there are little caps, one of
which slips on each needle. Perhaps
the newest thing is a double shield to
slip over the end of two needles and
hold them together. This comes in
enameled finish.
1t is possible to buy knitting needles
with points and ends of silver. OF
course, these do not produce any more
attractive knitting, but they do make
the work more delightful
There are all sorts of devices for
holding the ball of yarn. There are
little bags that hang over the arm,
there are bracelets of silver or gold,
imitation tortoise shell or bone, from
which is suspended a shaft that fast
ems thru the ball and allows it to un-
roll as it is needed; and then there
are the quaint little wooden ball hold
ers, like the one in the sketch.
1t is said that they were introduced
in the reign of Queen Anne in Eng
land when. as in Civil war days. the
ladies wore enormous hoped skirts
Needless to say. a lady so CARRIED
could with inconvenience stoop over to
pick up a spool of thread or a ball Of
yarn and hence a famous furniture
designer devised these holders as a
convenience to the fashionable hooped
ladies who as a diversion knitted, as
ladies who spurn other labor do to-
day.
One of the Iabor-saving knitting de
vices is something that carries one
back to childhood's industrious days.
Do YOU remember the little rugs with
which the floors of the dollhouses
were strewn and the gay colored
vcrsted horse reinss that small boys
delighted in? We used to make them,
YOU remember, over a little wooden
spool, on which there were metal
spokes. Some of US were even put
to such shift that we stuck pins in
empty thread spools. Then in some
way long forgotten We Topped wool
around the little spikes and Melted it
| over them so that q cylindrical web
was formed that came down in the
! hole through the center of the spool
! as a finished circular knitted foHe.
! The same principle is used for MAX
I ing mufflers OF course. the empty
! thread spool no longer serves and a
! special device must be bought. But
/ the idea is the same and the result,
too. is the same on a much magni-
| fled scale. OF course. the nufflers
/ produced infthis way are double-iust
/ like the woven seamless casing-and
they are, therefore. much warmer and
softer than the single ones.
over the back of a chair over the
patient arms of some long suffering
! member of your family OF have you
one of the very useful and conven-
lent. skein holders2 These are made
in wire, in which material they are
i quite inexpensive, and they are also
made in wood Of various finishes
Some of them clamp on the edge OF
I the table and some of them are fitted
with heavy bases that hold them up
right in the center Of aitable or on the
1 floor.
The knitting bags that are shown
in the shops are so numerous that
they really defy description. One
thing to remember in buying the knit
ting bag is the kind of knitting fol
which it is to be used. If you are
buying it to hold Red Cross sweaters
you need a truly eapacious bag, but
if you are buying it. for socks, one
much smaller will do and will. in fact
be more convenient. Some of the new
be gs have little shirred pockets. on the
outside. in which the ball of wool i.
conveniently placed, and some hav,
tiny holes through which the WOO
may be drawn from the inside.