The Cordova daily times. [volume] (Cordova, Alaska) 1914-1947, 1918-06-20
KITCHENER TOE
TAUGHT BY THE
LOCAL CHAPTER

The women of America as they
work day after day making surgical
dressings, sewing on hospital gar
ments and knitting socks and sweat
ers, form a part of the great army
of defence against the unspeakable
evil which threatens the world This
reserve army, like any other army
to be most efficient must lay aside
all individual opinions and prefer
ences and even the habits. of many
years. Here peculiar thing appears
1t might be expected that in all this
mighty army of men and women. old
and young, some would rebel and re
fuse, but it is hot young blood that
refuses to get into line? We are forced
to report to the contrary.
While our young men go into the
camps and environments and to the
front, submitting themselves to every
detail of discipline and our young
women make surgical dressings and
hospital garments, every fold and hem
and tape according to the rules laid
down, how is it that the Mothers of
Israel can refuse to do their part eX
cept in their own way and according
to their own family? No matter il
they did knit for the boys in '61 and
their families ever since. Conditions
to be met today are entirely differ
ent, and all equipment must suffer
change to correspond. These good
women will surely get in line, but they
are slow about it.
The quality of the knitting work re
ceived at the supply warehouse of the
northwest division has improved
greatly in the past six months, but
the toes of the socks do not improve
as they should. 1t is possible to make
good toe which is not Kitchener
toe but at least one-fourth of those
received at the warehouse not having
the Kitchener finish have lumps and
ridges calculated to make blsters on
soldiers feet. AS about forty per cent
of socks received do not have the
Kitchener toe this means that out of
the $4,000 pairs of socks to be furn.
ished by the northwest division before
July 20, $500 will have bad toes.
This must not be. To avoid 1t the
northwest division insists that every
sock shall have Kitchener toe and
that every knitter shall be a good sol
der and do as the Red Cross asks for
the duration of the war
Socks should be eleven inches from
edge to the beginning of the heel. The
heel may be either the strap or tri.
angular kind
Fancy stripping in the cuffs of socks
is to be recommended for three rea
sons: 1t relieves the tedium of the
work, enables the knitter to use up
odd bits of sock yarn and helps the
soldier to keep his socks properly
mated. However, no bright -colored
yarn should be used for this purpose
nor in fact anything but regular sock
yarn such as white and various other
shades of gray
The soldiers are often wet to the
knees for many hours and the water
soaked skin is likely to absorb any
free dye. The soldier must take
chances enough without being com
PEELED to take any unnecessary ones
So long as there are plenty of hand
knitters to make all the socks allotted
to this division and for which yarr
can be obtained the purchase of ma
chimes is not being urged The sol
der who receives a pair of hand kni
socks is little more fortunate thar
the one who receives machine made
ones.
Those wishing to learn the Kitch
ener can meet with Mrs Day at the
headquarters on Saturday afternoon