Indoor and Outdoor Recreations for Girls

CHAPTER III

A BALL OF TWINE AND WHAT MAY BE MADE OF IT

drawing of kitten in hammock Fig. 24.—The hammock you can make.

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).

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.

drawing Fig. 25.—Tacks in top of board.

drawing 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.

drawing 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,

drawing Fig. 28.—When knot H is secure stick pin in string G.

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.

drawing 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.

drawing Fig. 30.—Making the fringe.

drawing Fig. 31.—Heavy cord through loops on end of hammock.

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.

drawing Fig. 32.—Tie loops together.

Girl sitting in chair making sash Making a sash-curtain for her room.

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.

drawing Fig. 33—Your school-bag made of string.

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.

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.

drawing 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.

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