KNITTING WOOLS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 2, 2 July 1941, Page 9

KNITTING WOOLS

ACUTE SHORTAGE

LACK OF FINE TYPES '

Knititers in New Zealand, and they have increased a hundredfold or more since the war began, will welcome the intimation made >on Monday that licences will be issued allowing an increase in the amount of knitting wool allowed to be imported into New Zealand.

For a long time now knitting wool has been scarce, and there has not been nearly enough to meet the increased demand caused by the war. The knitting of socks and scarves for soldiers, and other garments for sailors, has caused a demand for knitting wool far beyond that of normal peace times, and there is no doubt that the difficulty of obtaining wool has to a certain extent curtailed war knitting.

Imported fine wools are also needed, for the knitting of baby wear, but quite a number of babies have had to do without the garments that fond mothers and aunts would have knitted for them had the wool been obtainable.

The knitting of jumpers, cardigans, or complete suits for personal wear has latterly become very popular, no doubt owing to the rising costs of "the readymade article, but here again there has been difficulty in obtaining sufficient wool. In these days it is a toss up whether one is able to match a skein of wool bought some weeks ago, and there are quite a number of unfinished garments held up for this reason.

Import restrictions have not been the only cause of the shortage of knitting wools. An equally potent factor has been the fact that the New Zealand mills, which normally can supply a good proportion of the knitting wool required by civilians, are concentrating on war contracts, which naturally take precedence. The same position apparently applies also in Australia.

It will, naturally be some little time before the easing of the import restrictions has a beneficial effect on the position in New Zealand. In the meantime stocks of knitting wool are decidedly short everywhere, and any new shipment that arrives is rushed and sold out almost immediately.