A KNITTER OF SOCKS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2768, 11 May 1916, Page 3

A KNITTER OF SOCKS

-IDLE HOUR WITH JULIUS . KNIGHT.

[B T Stltius.]

' (Mr. Julius Knight's artistic talent has O.many facets. The one, which old-fash-' . loned people call ■ play-acting wo all. know /pretty well, having- enjoyed the finished vi? ml: ~a , l waJ 's conscientious mumming of .Mr. Knignt. Not so many years ago it was divulged that Mr. Knight was quite . -an accomplished carver in litod, and there are evidences of his skill with the gouge scattered throughout Australia, lhen it .was whispered that ho had gone back to tho parent' art—sculpture—and could take a snapshot in-clay almost as smartly as the Kodak fiend could blur an image on a sensitised plate. This was allj .fairly true. Sir.' Knight is an assiduous disciple of many phases of art, and finds plenty of time ui long train and sea voyages to indulge his hobby. This-time I felt somehow that Mr. anight would dawn upon me as a drypoint etcher, or perhaps as an illuminator of old manuscripts, so when I sought him -in his hotel I -was considerably surprised to find him—well—just knitting. Knitting R.cks! There was our human embodiment of Marcus Superbus, Napoleon, Beaucaire, ■ Glands ' Melnotte—knitting socks! '.when 1 recovered from my surprise, the rich voice of the actor was seeking to explain. "You s.ee," he said, "my father died when I, was 31 years old, and I had no brothers, and my. mother and sisters (wo lived in the • Li/ivland town of Dumfries) were always knitting.. What was I. a mere boy, to 'do? Mother said, why not knit tho same'as we do? It might coma in handy jome day. So I learned to knit at my mother's side!"

'It is not a joke. I knit well. Here are some socks—aren't they good socks?" As they were a class of socks that I don't fancy could be purchased in Wellington, at all, I had to agree that they were great socks. And they were.' They are made in beautifully harmonised colourings of the heaviest weight wool— plenty of foot-room and plenty of leg—the ideal soldier's sock.', . "D'ye know how it all came back to me. When the war broke out all-the ladies commenced, to knit. Among them Miss Irene Brown, who was. with me last time. I saw her handling the needles with all the clumsiness of a beginner, and feeling my fingers itching,-1 said that I beheved I ct,uld do it, thought I hadn't touched tho needics for over a quarter of a century or longer. I-found out that once a knitter, always a knitter, is a truism. The knack came back to me x. once, arid I commenced to knit socks I lhen I found there was a market for mj wares.by which the patriotic funds wuild benefit, so I kept on at it. One pair in Melbourne brought ;GIO, and in Auckland the other night two pairs brought £3 ss. each. 'Another pair was' sold for the A urses' .Memorial Hostel in Auckland. So far they have fetched ,£2l, but are I belieye, to be sold again. I also left five pairs ft,' bo 'sold, on Russian Day at Auckland. At Napier I was unfortunate enough to be without socks,' so I gave them a Japanese Kimono to sell for tho benefit of the Soldiers'. Club. It was sold by, Mr.'Kenouf for £136. ''." .

_ Now, this ■is where Wellington e»jm'es in. Here are a beautiful pair of socks! Look at the' colours—fepl tho texture l They are to be exhibited in the Bristol window this'-week, and on Saturday evening are to be sold at the' Opera House in aid of the Countpss *yf Liverpool's Fund for the soldiers. I hope they-will realise a good sum. They should, for they are good socks: :. '..:.

Here is a beautiful piece of fawn wool— that s for- Christchurch, and for Dunedin lam thinking,vf a khaki 'foot-arid a wonuerful tartan top.;' What d'ye think?" ... I thought Mr. Knight was doing quite it deal qf good in his way—a very great deal of,good, when one remembers tho many occasions in Australia that he has recited,' appeared in Pageants and acted at mat-lnees-anything-at any time'for the soldiers. ' ■' "'