A BALL OF TWINE AND WHAT MAY BE MADE OF IT
RUN to the kitchen and ask the cook to lend you her pastry-board for a
day or two, to use as a support for holding string from which to make a
toy hammock (Fig. 24).
[Illustration: Fig. 24.--The hammock you can make.]
Drive twelve large tacks in a straight line across the top edge of the
board; place the tacks one inch and a half apart (Fig. 25), and with a
pencil draw lightly a line across the board from side to side, one inch
and a half below the tacks. This will guide you in keeping the knots
even. Be sure that the line is perfectly straight; then draw another
line one inch and a half below the first and continue making lines until
the board is covered with them, at equal distances apart and running
across from side to side. Over each tack on the top of the board hang a
piece of string about two yards long (Fig. 26). Being doubled, each
string makes two lengths of one yard each.
[Illustration: Fig. 25.--Tacks in top of board.]
[Illustration: Fig. 26.--Over each tack hang a piece of string.]
Bring the two ends of each strand down evenly together that all the
strings may hang exactly the same in length. Fig. 26 is intended only to
show how to hang the strings and gives but a section of the work.
[Illustration: Fig. 27.--With strong pins fasten the first and fourth
strings to the board.]
With strong pins fasten the first and fourth strings down tight to the
board (see B and E, Fig. 27); then tie the second and third strings
together (C, D, Fig. 27), making the knot H (Fig. 27).
To Tie the Knot,
bring the two strings C and D (Fig. 27) together; hold the upper
portions with the thumb and first finger of the left hand and the lower
parts in the right hand, bring the lower parts up above the left
hand--across and over the portion of string held in the left hand--and
turn them down a trifle, running them under the strings in the left hand
just above the thumb and first finger; pull the lower portion of the
strings through the loop out over the first finger of the left hand as
shown in Fig. 29, O. Tighten the knot with the right hand while holding
it in place on the line with the left. The secret of tying the knot
properly is to hold the two strings together and tie them exactly as one
would tie a knot in a single string.
[Illustration: Fig. 28.--When knot _H_ is secure stick pin in string
_G_.]
[Illustration: Fig. 29.--Tying the knot.]
When the first knot (H, Fig. 27) is tied, take the pin out of the string
E and stick it in the string G, according to Fig. 28. Fasten down the
knot H with another pin, and you will have the knot H and the string G
firm and tight to the board while you tie the two loose strings F and E
together, forming the knot K. Pin this down to the board and remove the
pin from the string G and place it in the string N, leaving M and G free
to be knotted together.
Continue tying the strings in this way until you have made the first row
of knots across the board, always using pins to hold the
boundary-strings securely to the board on each side of the two you are
tying. As each knot is formed, pin it to the board and allow the pins to
remain in the first row until the second row of knots has been made.
Fig. 29 shows the beginning of the third row of knots in the knot P, the
pin being taken from the first knot, H, ready to be placed in the knot
P. Form row after row of meshes by knotting the strings until the
netting comes too near the bottom of the board to work comfortably, then
slip the top loops off from the tacks and hang a portion of the net over
the top of the board, allowing a lower row of meshes to hang on the
tacks.
Fasten the last row of the knots carefully, binding with strong strings
the short loose ends of the strands securely to the string forming the
mesh each side of the knot. Remove the net from the board and make
A Fringe
of string on each side of the hammock. In Fig. 30, T shows how to place
a strand for the fringe under one side of the mesh on the edge of the
net: and S gives the manner of bringing the ends of the strand down over
the string forming the mesh and under the loop made by the centre of the
fringe-strand. Pull the two ends of the strand down evenly, and bring
the knot up close and tight to the hammock-mesh as shown in the finished
fringe in Fig. 30.
[Illustration: Fig. 30.--Making the fringe.]
When you have made the fringe, thread a separate heavy cord through the
loops on each side of the hammock (Fig. 31). Tie the loops together
(Fig. 32) and fasten together the two ends of each cord, making these
two extra last loops long enough to allow of a free swing for the little
hammock, or you can thread a cord of the same as that used in the
hammock through every loop, tying the ends of each piece together
through a brass ring, and instead of one long loop a number will support
the hammock.
[Illustration: Fig. 31.--Heavy cord through loops on end of hammock.]
[Illustration: Fig. 32.--Tie loops together.]
[Illustration: Making a sash-curtain for her room.]
[Illustration: Fig. 33--Your school-bag made of string.]
Fig. 33 shows a strong, serviceable little
School-Bag
which is easier to make than the hammock. Take a piece of heavy cord
twenty inches long, lap one end to the distance of an inch over the
other and sew the two lapped ends firmly together; then bind them neatly
around and around with string. Bring the two edges or sides of the
circle together, forming two ends (V V, Fig. 34). Tie a strong string
on each end (Fig. 34) and fasten each of the strings to the back of a
chair; you will then have a circle of heavy cord securely suspended in
mid-air. Cut twenty-four lengths of twine, each twenty-five inches long;
double each piece and fasten all the strands on the circle of heavy cord
in the same way you made the fringe on the hammock (X X, Fig. 34),
except that this time the strands must be quite a distance apart. Let
all the spaces between the strands be equal. Having fastened the lengths
of twine on the circle, net them together exactly as you netted the
hammock, but you must depend upon your eye to keep the meshes even and
of the same size, as there will be no board with lines to guide you
(Fig. 34). Tie the knots in circular rows, going around on both sides of
the circle for each row. Continue the meshes until within three and a
half inches of the bottom, then tie the two sides together, closing the
bottom of the bag and forming the fringe shown in Fig. 33.
Having finished the bag, untie the strings attached to the two ends and
make two handles of heavy cord or slender rope. Fasten the handles on
their respective sides of the bag. Loop the ends of the handles under
the cord forming the top of the bag, and bring each end up against its
own side of the handle. Sew each of the two ends of the two handles
securely to the handle proper; then bind the sewed portions neatly
together with fine cord as in Fig. 33.
[Illustration: Fig. 34--Making the school-bag.]
With some firm straws and more string we will make
A Sash-Curtain
for the window of your own room, as the little girl is doing in the
illustration. Loop about thirty strands on the same number of tacks, in
the manner in which you hung those for the hammock (Fig. 26). Make one
row of knots, and before forming the next row slide a piece of straw one
inch long over the two strings which are to be knotted together; the
ends of the string must be moistened and brought together in a point in
order that they may more easily be threaded through the straw. The
letter R in Fig. 35 shows the straw with the ends of the string run
through it, and U gives a straw higher up on the strings. After each
straw is put into place, knot the strings immediately underneath to
prevent the straw from sliding out of position.
Fig. 35 shows how to manage the work. It is almost exactly like that of
the hammock, the only difference being the threading on of the straws
which hold the strings in place without a knot at the top (see W in Fig.
35). Let the bottom of the net end in a fringe. Take the loops off from
the tacks when the curtain is finished, and slide them on a straight,
slender stick, which you can fasten to the window by resting the ends of
the stick through loops of tape tacked on the sides of the window-frame
at the right distance up from the ledge of the window.
[Illustration: Fig. 35.--Sliding straws on strings for curtain.]
If possible, let all the net-work be made of pliable, soft material; it
is easier to handle, and the results are much prettier.
Make the curtains of any color you may fancy.