The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-04-02
KNITTING ROMANCE
REPULSED LOVER INVENTS
MACHINE TO DO WORK
OF THE FINGERS.
Art Established as Domestic En-
ployment in England in 1880 and
Became Widespread Before End
of Reign of Queen Elizabeth.

Philadelphia Public Ledger:
Many romances are undoubtedly be-
ing woven into the sweaters and
wooden helmets for the boys at the
front by the fast-hying knitting
needles in the fair hands OF Ameri-
can girls throughout the length and
breadth of the land, but none will
be more interesting than that which
grew out OF Queen Elizabeth's first
pair OF silken hose.
Knitting is I much mor- modern
accomplishment than the primitive
weaving, the first authentic mention
not occurring until the beginning of
the fifteenth century.
The earliest form was the knitted
cap, worn by the common people at
large, the price fixed in Henry Wis
reign being two shillings and eight
pence.
By 1880 knitting bad been estab-
lished as a domestic employment in
"Merrie England" the ambitious
character of its output hinted at by
a reference in Edward WIS time TO
"knitte hose, knitte peticots, knitte
gloves and knitte sleeves
Henry VIII had proudly sportcd
a pair OF silk stockings. a present
from Spain, and in the reign OF
Queen Elizabeth the talented fingers
OF Mistress Montague, the queens
silk woman, achieved home made
pair ior her beloved sovereign, who
was so delighted with this delicate
dainty novelty that she forthwith
vowed never again to incase her
royal ankles in the heavy, sewed-up-
the-sides stockings then in vogue.
How widespread the plying ot
knitting needles had become before
the end OF her reign is proved by
the stand which she took in regarc
to the invention OF the first knitting
machine.
But thereby hangs a tale too pic
tureSque to pass, even il historian
might hesitate to vouch for its au-
thenticity.
The inventor OF the machine, d
certain Rev. William Lee of St
Johns College, Cambridge, a native
of Woodbough, near Nottingham
had fallen desperately in love with Z
young townSwomen, but when The
ardent swain went awooing, the fail
maiden-either coy or hard to place
appeared more absorbed in hei
knitting than in the Reverend vii
liam. At last, eXasperated beyong
endurance, the peeved parson-hav
ing an inventive turn of mind as we
as a romantic turn of heart-deter
mined he would invent a machin,
that would produce wooden stock
ings with such rapidly and precision
there would be no further markcr
for those hand knit.
Sure enough, in 1850 a knitting
machine producing very good
though coarste, hose was perfected
but alas for the crafty lovers Wiles
it failed to win the royal favor
and financial support-necessary tC
make it a commercial success.
My lord, | have too much low,
for my poor people who obtain thei
bread by knitting to give my none,
to forward an invention that vii
tend, by depriving them of employ
ment, to lead to their ruin and thu
make them beggars," half indignant
ly, half apologetically explained tn,
queen in answer to the plea for pa
tronage presented by a kinsman o
the inventor. Had Mr.. Lee mad
machine that would make sill
stockings | should have been some
what justified in granting him a pat
ent for the monopoly, which woul,
have affected only a small numbe
OF my subjects, but to enjoy the ex
elusive privilege OF making stock
ings for the whole of my subject
is too important to be granted t.
any individual
SO, while the ingenious Lee event
ually carried his valuable inventio
to more appreciative France, knit
ting needles still clicked on in Eng
land, and all in good time crosse
the seas and clicked on in the colo
nies.