MACHINE KNITTING

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 169, 13 April 1932, Page 4

MACHINE KNITTING

Attractive Home Industry ECONOMICAL; PROFITABLE When sewing machines were lifst introduced people muttered vaguely about new-iangled, complicated devices, and vent buck to tbe candle-lit labour ot the needle. By ami by they began to watch sewing machines more closely. Auej saw unbelievably last, consistently neat work. They tried lor themselves and were’ equally successful. The sewing machine had conquered, had become a household necessity. As with the sewing machine, so with the modern knitting machine, which is now entering New Zealand homes from Auckland to the Bluff, replacing the hack-work of hand needles wherever knitting is done iu quantity or with au eye to profit. And, to carry the comparison a little further, the knitting machine requires no more special training than does the sewing machine. It is essentially n labour-saving domestic unit for modern, everyday use. Wool Week provides the cue for a still more general adoption of the knitting machine in homes throughout the country. “Wear More Wool is the slo"an for the winter of 1032. Housewives who arc adept witli the needle are responding excellently, and knitting lias become really fashionable again. But far wider fields are opened up, and there are altogether new knitting possibilities when the purchase and use of a machine is decided upon. Knitting

ceases to be merely an economical, mildly patriotic pastime. It becomes a fascinating hobby by means of which wool may be used, and to excellent advantage, in aggregate quantities which make a really effective difference to flic industry and the retail trade. And, if one so desires, it can be adopted as a profitable sideline. Throughout the country there arc instances aplenty in which man and wile work together with a knitting machine, the husband doing the flat work and the woman making up the garments to measure. 'They dispose of their products privately or by selling to shops which are always ready to accept the class of work which can be produced. For home use there are circular machines for hosiery and flat machines for skirts, jerseys, pullovers, cardigans and the like. Apart from tlie use of machines for profit, they can be the means of a considerable saving, especially in the ease of large families. The capital outlay is remarkably moderate, and with yarn available in every grade and shade, the opportunities for supplying family needs are limited only by the limits of wool itself as a material for garments. When a machine is in regular use it is no uncommon tiling for from "(10 to 4001 b of wool to be used in a year. ■ For housewives accustomed to think in terms of skeins these figures will provide an arresting indication of the amount of work that can be done —and done with a smooth efficiency which produces attractive results—when a machine is introduced into the home. Furthermore, to view this growing domestic industry from a national standpoint, if is not difficult to realise the powerful stimulus to consumption that will follow the. general adoption of machines by the industrious women of the community. After all it is for women to decide. Knitting essentially is within their province, and the use of wool largely is dictated and controlled by them. This year they have assented readily fto Fashion's choice of wool garments: therefore their adoption of the knitting machine, with nil its production, time-sav-ing advantages, becomes a logical, sensible development of New Zealand's wear-more-wool campaign.

SEASON FOR OYSTERS Some Good Recipes The oyster lover will be glad to know that he need no longer like oysters solely for their own sake, but also because they are good for him. For raw or cooked oysters are an extremely nutritious addition to our everyday meals. Containing proteins of excellent quality, they are also rich in calcium and phosphorous, and particularly in iron and iodine. Three vitamins.. A, B and C. are also present in significant amounts. Here are some good recipes: Creamed Oysters.— Required: 4 tbsp, butter or margarine, 1 tsp. lemon juice, i c. minced celery, -J tsp. salt, speck pepper, 1 pt. raw oysters, 1 c. thin cream, paprika, crisp unsweetened crackers. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the lemon juice, minced celery, salt, and pepper. Simmer until the celery is lender. Then add the cleaned oysters and continue cooking until the edges begin to cur]. Next add the cream and a sprinkle of paprika. Heat well and serve on crisp crackers or buttered roast. Savory Oyster Stew.— Required : 1 cut clove garlic. 1 slice onion. -1 tbsp, butter or margarine. 1 tsp. bottled condiment sauce. 1 qt. raw oysters. 1 qt. bottled milk, or 2 c. evaporated milk and 2 e. water. 1-4 tsp. salt. 1-8 tsp. pepper. Few grains mace. Rub the inside of the saucepan well with the garlic and onion, and remove them. Then melt the butter in (his saucepan, idd the condiment sauce, and stir until smooth. Add the cleaned oysters and heat until the edges just begin to curl. Then add the milk, salt, pepper, and mace: heat well and serve. Serves six. Panned Oysters.— Required : -I tbsp, butter or margarine, 2 tsps. minced onion. I tsp. salt. 1-8 tsp. popper, speck paprika, J qt. raw oysters, 1 tsp. minced parsley. 1 e. top milk or eream, G slices buttered toast. Melt tin 1 bulter in a skillet. Add the minced onion, salt, pepper, and paprika, and simmer until the onion is tender. Then add the oysters and bent until their edges curl. Next add the parsley and cream, heat well, and serve immediately on the buttered toast. Serves G.