Getting Glove-Drying Problem in Hand

For quite a while, Marilyn McCarthy of Palm Springs has been trying to locate glove dryers longer than 8 1/2 inches , but her sources seem to have dried up. Can you help whet her appetite, or will that be a situation that has to be handled with kid gloves?

Lisette Hepler of Long Beach would like to knit some Aran-style sweaters , but she has been unable to find the authentic yarn, which is called Bainim. Can ewe help before she starts nit-picking over the sheer size of the problem, or will Hepler spend her nights counting sheep?

Erika Spangler of Redondo Beach would give her eye teeth for some precipitated chalk , which she needs as an ingredient for a special tooth powder. But nobody sells that item anymore. Can you help before this precipitates a crisis, or will Spangler have to grit her teeth until someone finds a mouth-watering solution to her dilemma?

Roberta Kessler of Valencia has been looking in vain for a half-apron (waist down) that is made of terry cloth. Can you help pull a few strings for Kessler, or will she have to wash her hands of the whole thing because the entire matter is an absolute waist of time?

Reader-to-Reader Help Line: For her collection, Rita at (818) 793-1505 would like to locate a nine-inch black-and-white china plate that shows a scene of Downtown Pasadena, with overhead power lines, at the turn of the century. The last of these plates was sold several years ago. Please help and make sure that everything comes up roses for Rita. . . . Paula at (805) 484-4470 is looking for a small kitchen appliance called a Baconer, made by Hamilton Beach years ago; it’s a toaster for bacon, and Paula wants to give one to her newly married daughter. Please help and make sure that things keep sizzling with the newlyweds. . . . Years ago, Lois at (818) 287-6072 used a Weave-It to strengthen her arm following surgery; this was a five-inch square with short pins for weaving small pieces. Don’t be a square, but respond to this yarn, and make sure Lois is left in stitches.

Note: The Reader-to-Reader Help Line is only for one-time items and for products no longer available in stores. And you must give us written permission to publish your telephone number.

John Glass, who found Windmill cookies in the Midwest but not out here, need not take a chew-chew to get his fill. Ruth Blevins says these cookies can be bought at Gelson’s and in German delicatessens. Mrs. Vaughn P. Cable writes that they are made by Van de Kamp’s bakery. And another reader reports that she has spotted these Windmill cookies at a number of Sav-on, Newberry and Woolworth stores.

For reader B.G.S. of Rancho Santa Fe, who was looking for folding travel hangers and also for hangers for drip-dry items, we have a suggestion from Lu DeLancey of Arcadia: Use the painted wire coat hangers you get from the cleaners; they don’t leave rust marks, they take up little space, and they are easily packed atop a suitcase’s contents.

And speaking of traveling abroad, Jan St. Amant of West Hollywood sent the name of a source for many travel items, such as electric-current converters, film shields, cosmetic kits, coffee makers, a mini-laundry and other items for the good life abroad: Traveler’s Checklist, Cornwall Bridge Road, Sharon, Conn. 06069; telephone (203) 364-0144.

Herb Hain cannot answer mail personally but will, space permitting, respond in this column to readers who need--or have--helpful information. Write (do not telephone) to You Can Help!, You section, the Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.