CROW SHAY HELPS KNIT
EVERYONE watched Mary Frances as she tried to follow Fairly Flew’s
instructions; but the little girl had to try several times before she
could do the exercise well.
“You didn’t get the knack of it at first,” said the Yarn Baby, “but you
do splendidly now.”
“She has had Knack in the hand all the time,” whispered Crow Shay to
Knit, who began to laugh.
Hearing Knit laugh, Knack began to laugh, too.
[Illustration: Knit and Knack laugh]
“Why, I can scarcely hold this needle still!” exclaimed Mary Frances,
and Knack and Knit stopped giggling.
“You made them laugh!” whispered the Yarn Baby to Crow Shay, but he
pretended not to hear.
[Illustration: “It is all your fault!”]
“The first work in knitting,” said Fairly Flew, “is the casting of
stitches or loops on one knitting needle. There are several different
ways of doing this.”
[Illustration: “The first work.”]
“Yes,” said the little girl, “I have seen Aunt Maria cast on stitches
with two knitting needles.”
[Illustration: “Yes, I see.”]
“You will learn that method later on,” Fairly Flew promised; “but next—”
She did not finish the sentence because Crow Shay was attracting
everybody’s attention by his funny antics. He couldn’t seem to keep
still, but kept hopping up and down on the table so hard that it made a
constant tap-tap-tap!
“Watch me, Knit,” he was whispering, “you’ll soon be surprised to see
me help you.” Then he began to giggle.
“The little tease!” exclaimed Fairly Flew. Then turning to Mary Frances
she continued: “I see that you have your needle well filled with
cast-on stitches. They look nice and even, and you could knit them off
quite easily when shown how to use the other needle; but before you
learn to take stitches off, I wish to tell you about another easy way
to cast on stitches.”
[Illustration: PLATE 6—MOTION PICTURES SHOWING HOW TO CAST ON KNITTING
STITCHES WITH A CROCHET HOOK. SEE DESCRIPTION, PAGE 155]
TO CAST ON STITCHES WITH A CROCHET HOOK[I]
(See picture on opposite page)
Material: Germantown zephyr.
One pair bone knitting needles No. 6, crochet hook No.
3.
[Illustration: To cast on.]
CUT 1
1. Make a slip knot in the end of the yarn and slip
it on the knitting needle. Do not pull the slip knot
very close to the needle. Hold slip knot with thumb and
second finger of left hand and with right hand slip the
crochet hook into the slip knot back of the knitting
needle. Put hook under yarn and pull a loop through the
slip knot. Still hold slip knot with thumb and first
finger of left hand.
CUT 2
2. Bring the crochet hook in front of the knitting
needle; wrap, and draw a loop through the loop on the
crochet hook.
[Illustration: With crochet hook.]
CUT 3
3. With first finger of left hand throw the yarn back
over point of knitting needle,
CUT 4
and make another stitch with the crochet hook.
Continue doing this until the number of stitches wanted
are cast on the needle. Slip the last loop on the
crochet hook over the point of the knitting needle.
“She got the knack of that very quickly,” said the Yarn Baby to Wooley
Ball.
“No wonder,” whispered Crow Shay. “I was there to help her.”
“Many people would find the crochet method easier than other methods,
but it is not to be preferred where the edges of garments must be
stretched,” Fairly Flew went on to explain. “It is not a good method to
use in setting up the bottom of a sweater, because the edge should be
very elastic; but if you are making a doll’s shawl, for instance, the
crocheted cast-on stitches would be all right.”
“See that, Knit and Knack!
You thought Crow Shay
Wouldn’t be needed
For many a day!”
Crow Shay whispered to the knitting needle twins, who only laughed at
him and clicked their heads together.
“Isn’t he funny?” said Knit.
“Isn’t he funny?” said Knack.
[Illustration: “I was there to help.”]
[Illustration: “Isn’t he funny?”]
“Funny Sonny
Cried on Monday,
Played on Tuesday,
Knit on Wednesday,
Crowed on Thursday,
Shayed on Friday,
Smiled on Saturday,
Laughed on Sunday,”
recited Crow Shay to them in a low voice.
“Say it out loud,” said Fairly Flew.
Crow Shay looked embarrassed, but he knew that he must do as the fairy
told him, so he repeated the lines, which set everyone laughing.
“He’s so full of mischief,” said Fairly Flew, “that sometimes he
doesn’t know what he is saying.”
Crow Shay began to look very solemn and wise, which made them all laugh
again; but they stopped very suddenly as Billy’s voice called:
“Mary Frances!”
[Illustration: Looked embarrassed]
[Illustration: “Say it out loud.”]
[Illustration: “I know what you wish to do”]