Indoor and Outdoor Recreations for Girls

THERE is so much poetry, romance, and history associated with the distaff and spindle, and later with the old spinning-wheel, that we have looked upon them with a feeling almost of awe, certainly with a reverence for the gentle hands that spun so industriously generations ago. But it has now occurred to us that we too may set the wheel a-humming, taking up with enthusiastic eagerness the work laid down by our great-grandmothers so many years ago. The song of even the athletic girl will soon be like Martha's when she sings in the market-place:

"I can spin, sir,"

and the wheel will no longer be set aside as a relic of an industry past and gone.

All the old handicrafts are coming back again, and ere long we shall be as proud as the maids in Revolutionary times of our hand-spun and hand-woven fabrics. To be able to spin and weave is to be accomplished in the newest as well as the oldest of household arts.

Fig. 1.-The slender rod tied at the lower end.

Fig. 2.-The looped upper end of the rod.

Is the old spinning-wheel in the attic, neglected and covered with dust, or in the parlor, decked in all its bravery of blue ribbons and snowy flax? Bring it out, wherever it may be, and for the first time in many years it shall buzz and whirr, while a girl's slender fingers part the flax and a girl's light foot rests upon the treadle. Look well to

The Wheel

and see that none of its parts are missing. There must be the bench, of course, with its treadle and wheel, then the slender rod which is tied loosely at the lower end to the cross-piece of the treadle (Fig. 1), and caught at the looped upper end to the little, curved-metal crank that extends at right angles from one end of the wheel's axle (Fig. 2).

Fig. 3.-A little peg slipped through two holes.

Fig. 4.-The leather rings.

The two slanting uprights which hold the wheel in place are slotted at the upper ends, and in these slots rests the axle. A little peg, slipped through two holes in one of the uprights, keeps the axle from slipping out of place (Fig. 3).

The frame that holds

The Spindle

belongs in the position shown in the illustration of the spinning-wheel. By turning the handle that extends out from the upper end of the bench this frame may be moved slightly forward or backward when it is necessary to loosen or tighten the band on the wheel.

Fig. 5.-One ring in each upright.

Fig. 6.-The spindle.

In the two uprights of the spindle-frame there must be leather rings like Fig. 4, one ring in each upright. The narrow strip extending outward from the ring is pushed through the hole in the upright, and the edge of the ring fitted into the little grooves just above and below one of the holes (Fig. 5). These two leather rings hold the ends of the spindle, which can be easily taken out and put in by bending one of the rings backward or slightly turning one of the uprights. Fig. 6 shows the spindle with the spool, or bobbin, and the small, double-grooved wheel. The spindle proper is simply the metal rod and horseshoe-shaped piece of wood with its two rows of little hooks or teeth. Besides the wheel and spindle there must be

The Distaff

and the arm that holds it. The arm is an upright with a rod extending out at right angles from the upper end. The lower end of the upright is slipped into a hole at one corner of the highest part of the bench.

Fig. 7.-The tip of your Christmas tree for a distaff.

Fig. 8.-Bring the four branches up and tie at the top.

The distaff, which the mountaineers of Kentucky call the "rock," is a thing you can make for yourself if your wheel happens to have lost its own. Many are cut from the top points of pine-trees which grow like Fig. 7, and dogwood also is sometimes used. The tip of your Christmas tree will be just the thing. Strip off the bark, bring the four branches up, and tie at the top to the middle stem (Fig. 8). Let the lower end of the stem extend about four inches below the branches and whittle it down to fit in the hole in the distaff-arm.

These are all the parts of the spinning-wheel, but before you can "see the wheels go round" every piece of metal must be

Thoroughly Cleaned

and freed from rust. Rub first with kerosene oil and then with the finest emery paper. Be very careful in polishing the teeth that you do not bend or break them, as it will not be easy to have them replaced. In fact, it is difficult to replace any part of the wheel, and though it has lasted several generations, careless handling may put it past repair.

Fig. 9.-Proper size of cord for wheel band.

When the cleaning is finished, grease with lard the parts where there is any friction. The slots that hold the axle, the spindle-stem, and the metal arm, where the treadle-rod rests upon it, all need lubricating.

The best

Band for the Wheel

is hand spun, but at present it is possible to obtain them only of old-fashioned spinners who make their own bands. You can, however, make a band of cotton cord, such as is used for cording dresses. Fig. 9 gives the exact size. The length of cord for a wheel measuring eighteen and a half inches in diameter is about ten feet five inches. This allows for a lap of one inch at the joint. Sew together with silk, wrapping and sewing until the joint is almost invisible.

Fig. 10.-Make a double loop.

Fig. 11.-The band will cross at the bottom.

To Adjust the Band

loop it together, making it double (Fig. 10), lift the wheel from the sockets, and slip the band over it. Fit one part of the band into one of the grooves of the wheel, the other part into the other groove, allowing it to cross at the bottom (Letter B, Fig. 11). Take the spindle from its frame and fit the bands into the groove in the end of the bobbin (Letter C, Fig. 6) and into the first groove in the small wheel (Letter D, Fig. 6).

The Flax

may be obtained from any linen-thread factory and can be bought by the pound or half-pound. It is graded by color, the darkest being the cheapest and the whitest the most expensive. For practice-work the cheapest is as good as the more expensive. When you have learned to spin a fine, even thread you may choose the color in reference to the article you intend to make.

The spinning-wheel.

Open your hank of flax, take part of it, and spread thinly over the distaff, wrapping it around and around. Put on several layers, each almost as thin as a spider-web, extending it out widely and smoothly each time.

You may think the ribbon tied on the distaff of your parlor wheel is merely for ornament, but it is not. The bands hold the flax in place while it is being spun, and a crisp, dainty, pretty-colored ribbon is just as useful for the purpose as one that is old and faded, and it is far prettier to look upon. Wrap the ribbon around the flax on the distaff, beginning at the bottom, cross it, and tie as shown in illustration of the spinning-wheel.

Though everything is ready, before attempting to spin,

Practice,

simply working the treadle until you can manage that part of the work mechanically and give your whole attention to your hands.

It seems a simple thing to work the treadle, but you will find that without previous practice you will forget to make your foot go in the absorbing interest of getting the flax ready to run on the spindle. Curb your impatience a little while therefore, and resolutely turn the distaff, with its pretty load, away from you. Place one foot on the treadle, give the large wheel a turn to the right, or away from the spindle, and try to keep a steady, even motion with your foot. The jerks caused by uneven pedalling will always break the thread, so you must learn to make the wheel turn smoothly and easily, without hurry and without stopping. Some spinners place only the toe of the foot on the treadle, others rest on it the heel also; it matters little which method you adopt so long as the wheel turns evenly. When you are quite satisfied that you can keep the wheel going without giving it a thought you may begin

To Spin.

From the lowest ends of the flax draw down several strands and twist them with your fingers into a thread long enough to reach easily the bobbin on the spindle. Pass the end of the thread through the hole in the end of the spindle nearest to you (Letter A, Fig. 6), carry it across and over the upper row of teeth and tie to the bobbin (Fig. 6). Start your wheel going, and, forgetting the action of your foot, give your undivided attention to drawing out the flax. Hold the strands lightly with your left hand and with your right keep constantly pulling them down and at the same time twisting them slightly. See illustration on first page. All this time you must keep the flax from matting and tangling and the twist from running up into the mass of flax on the distaff. Only practice will make perfect in this work, though the knack may come suddenly and you will wonder at your first clumsy attempts. The little fluster and excitement one feels in beginning and the hurry to get the flax into shape for the spindle is a drawback that practice will also overcome.

When the Thread Breaks,

as it will again and again at first, thread your spindle as before, tie the new thread to the broken end and begin once more. A better way to mend the thread when you are really doing good work is to unwind a little from the bobbin, thread it backward through the spindle, bring the end up to meet the end from the distaff, and let the two lap three or four inches; then moisten your fingers and twist the threads together, making one thread again.

Moistening the Fingers

occasionally is a good thing while twisting, as it makes a smoother thread. In the old days the spinner kept a cocoa-nut-shell, filled with water, tied to the lower part of the spindle-frame, into which she daintily dipped the tips of her fingers when necessary. A finger-bowl or cup of water near by will answer the same purpose.

The little girl and the little loom.

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IT is easier than sewing or knitting or crocheting, and comes so natural to many of us that one would almost think we should know how to weave without being taught. Why, even some of the birds do a kind of weaving in their pretty, irregular fashion, and it was probably from the birds and other small, wild creatures that the earliest human mothers took their lessons in weaving, and learned to make the mats for their babies to sleep on and baskets for carrying their food. No one knows how long ago these first baskets and mats were woven, but in the beginning weaving was done without looms.

Afterward rude frames were tied together and hung from the limbs of trees, then softer and more flexible material was used and finer fabrics were woven. To this day almost the same kind of looms are used by the Indians in our far Western country, many miles away from the roar and clatter of machinery, and on them are woven the wonderfully beautiful Navajo blankets for which Eastern people are willing to pay such large sums.

Fig. 12.-The frame for the loom.

If it is natural to weave, it should also be natural to make one's own loom, and

The Pin Loom

is simple in both the making and the working, with material usually close at hand. The necessary wood you will find at the nearest carpenter-shop, if not in your own home, and for the rest, a paper of strong, large-size pins, a yard of colored cord, and one ordinary carpet-tack are all that is needed.

Make the frame for the loom of a smooth piece of soft pine-board, fifteen inches long by nine inches wide (Fig. 12). Make the heddles of two flat sticks, nine inches long, half an inch wide, and one-eighth of an inch thick (Figs. 13 and 14). From another flat stick of the same thickness, nine inches long by one inch wide, make the shuttle (Fig. 15).

Fig. 13.-Heddle.

Fig. 14.-Heddle.

With a pencil and ruler draw two straight lines across the board, the first one inch and a half from the top edge, the other two inches and a half from the bottom edge. This will make the lines just eleven inches apart. On these lines, beginning one inch from the side edge of the board, make a row of dots exactly one-quarter of an inch apart, twenty-nine dots on each line, as in Fig. 12. At each corner of the board, one inch above the upper line and one inch below the lower line, draw a short line, and on each short line, three-quarters of an inch from the side edge, make one dot.

Fig. 15.-The shuttle.

With a small tack-hammer drive a pin in each of the twenty-nine dots on each long line, and in each single dot on the four short lines (Fig. 12). When driving in the pins let them all slant evenly outward, the ones on the top lines slanting toward the upper edge of the board, those on the lower lines slanting toward the bottom edge, as in Fig. 16. Now lay your board aside where nothing will be placed on top of it, and make your heddles.

Fig. 16.-Let the pins slant outward.

The Heddles

are for lifting the threads of the warp so that the shuttle may be passed through. One heddle is left perfectly plain, like Fig. 13. The other is cut in notches on one edge like Fig. 14.

Fig. 17.-The marked-off notches in heddle.

Along the entire length of one of the sticks rule a line dividing it exactly in the middle (Fig. 17). On this line, beginning three-quarters of an inch from the end of the stick, mark off spaces one-quarter of an inch apart, making thirty-one dots. At the upper edge of the stick mark off the same number of spaces exactly opposite those on the line. Then draw straight lines connecting the upper and lower dots, extending the first and last lines entirely across the stick (Fig. 17.) At a point on the upper edge, exactly in the middle between the first two lines, start a slanting line and bring it down to meet the second line where it touches the long line. Between the second and third lines draw another slanting line to meet the first at the bottom, forming a V. Leave the third line, and make another V at the fourth, and so go the length of the heddle, drawing a V at every other short line. At the top between the V's make smaller V's, as in Fig. 17. With a sharp knife cut out these notches, bringing the large ones quite down to the middle line (Fig. 17). On the end lines just below the middle line bore a hole with a small gimlet or a hat-pin heated red-hot at Letter A in Fig. 17. Indeed the notches, too, may be made with a hat-pin by laying the red-hot end across the edge of the stick at the top of the line, and pressing it down while rubbing it back and forth. If you are unused to handling a knife, burning the notches will be the easier way. You can shape and trim them off afterward with the knife.

The complete pin loom.

Of the third flat stick make

The Shuttle.

Curve the corners at each end as in Fig. 15. Sharpen one end down to a thin edge and in the other end cut an eye two inches long and one-quarter of an inch wide (Fig. 15). Cut your yard of colored cord in half, pass the end of one piece through one of the holes in the notched heddle, the end of the other piece through the hole in the opposite end of the heddle, and tie each end of the cords to one of the pins at the four corners of the board, drawing the cords taut. This will fasten the heddle in its place across the loom (Fig. 12).

Near the bottom of the board, directly below the last pin at the right on the long line, drive the carpet-tack to serve as a cleat for fastening the end of the warp. All that now remains to be done is

To Adjust the Warp,

and your loom will be ready for weaving. The threads which extend up and down, or from the top to the bottom of the loom, are called the warp. Soft, rather coarse knitting-cotton makes a good warp for almost anything woven on a small loom.

Fig. 18.-Adjusting the warp.

Tie the end of the warp securely to the first pin on the long line at the upper left-hand corner of the loom (Fig. 18). Bring the string down and around the first two pins on the lower line, up again and around the second and third pins on the upper line, and then down and around the third and fourth pins on the lower line. Up again, down again, crossing two pins each time, back and forth until the last pin on the lower line has been reached. Wrap the warp around this pin several times, and then around the tack, tying it here so that it cannot slip. The warp must lie flat on the board where it passes around the pins, and in stringing up it must be drawn rather tight, though not with sufficient force to pull the pins out of place.

Fig. 19.-Putting in the second heddle.

Turn the heddle on edge, the notches up, and slip the threads of the warp into the notches, one thread in each notch. This, you will see, divides the warp into upper and lower threads, and forms what is called the shed. While the threads are separated take the other heddle and darn it in and out above the first heddle, taking up the lower threads and bringing the heddle over the upper ones as in Fig. 19.

The Woof

is the thread which crosses the warp and usually covers it entirely. The material to use for woof will depend upon what you are going to make. Germantown wool is used for the woof of the miniature Navajo blanket shown in the illustration. The warp is knitting-cotton.

A Miniature Navajo Blanket.

This is

The Way to Weave a Navajo

blanket; simpler things you can easily make after this first lesson: Of Germantown wool you will need three colors, which are the colors most frequently used by the Indians-red (scarlet), white, and black, about half a hank of each. Take five yards of white wool, fold one end over a two-yard length, fold again, and push the double end through the eye of the shuttle (Fig. 20).

Fig. 20.-The threaded shuttle.

Tie the long end of the wool to the first pin at the lower left-hand corner of the loom, on the long line, making a tight knot and pushing it down close to the board (Fig. 21).

Fig. 21.-Starting the woof.

With the notched heddle on edge push the shuttle through the shed-that is, between the upper and lower threads of the warp. Draw it out on the other side, then turn the heddle down, notched edge toward you, and stand the plain heddle on edge. This will lift the lower threads of the warp above the others and make them the upper ones. Push the shuttle back through the shed, lay the plain heddle flat, and stand up the notched heddle. Weaving from the left, the notched heddle always stands, while the plain one lies flat. Weaving from the right, the plain heddle stands, and the notched one is turned down.

Do not draw the woof tight across the warp. When you have passed the shuttle through, leave the thread like Fig. 21, and then push it down firmly with your finger-tips until it lies close to the pins.

A Coarse Comb

with no fine teeth is very good to use for packing the woof, and takes the place of what is called the lay. While the woof is looped out like Fig. 21, comb it down toward you with the comb, and it will fit in evenly between the threads of the warp. As the woof of the Navajo blanket must be very tightly packed, use first the comb and then your fingers to push it down and make it compact.

Weave back and forth until all the wool in the shuttle is used. If the end of the woof extends beyond the last thread of the warp on either side, turn it back and weave it under and over several threads, and start a new piece with the end just lapping the old. The ends of the woof must never be allowed to extend beyond the warp at the sides. It is not necessary to tie the new piece of woof; the tight packing will hold it in place.

In this case the new woof must be of the red wool. Weave it across twice, or once over and back, making a very narrow red stripe, then cut it off and thread the shuttle with white. Weave the white twice across, then change to black and weave a stripe one-quarter of an inch wide. Above the black weave another narrow white stripe and another narrow red one. Put a long thread of white wool in the shuttle, and weave a white stripe one inch wide. You will have to thread the shuttle twice for this, as too long a thread will make so large a bunch that it will be difficult to pass it through the shed. After the white stripe weave another black, white, and red stripe like the first, then another inch-wide white stripe. Once more weave a black, a white, and a red stripe. Begin with the narrow black, follow with the narrow white, and then weave a wider red stripe, taking the thread four times across. After the red the narrow white, and then the narrow black stripe.

This last stripe is the lower border of

The Central Pattern

of the blanket, where your weaving will become more difficult, and at the same time more interesting.

Figs. 22 and 23.-Weaving the centre stripe.

Thread the shuttle with a long piece of red wool and weave it once across from the left, turn back and weave through five threads of the warp, draw the shuttle out and weave back again to the edge; again weave through the five threads, then back as shown at B in Fig. 22. Turn here and do not take up the last thread of the warp; pass the shuttle under three threads, turn on the next thread, and bring it back under four threads (C, Fig. 22), once more under the three threads, turning on the next as before, but passing back under two threads only. Turn on the next thread (D), and pass under three. Back under two threads (E), turn as before on the next thread under two, turn, back under two (F), turn, under one, turn on the next, under two (G), turn, under one, turn on the next, back under two, and unthread the shuttle, leaving the woof hanging.

Begin with a new piece of red wool, follow the same direction, and weave another red point on the next five threads, then a third one which will take in the last warp-thread on the left. You will notice in the diagram that the woof always turns twice on the same thread of warp.

When the three red points are finished fill in the spaces between with black (Fig. 23), then continue to weave the black up into points as you did the red, making two whole and two half black diamonds. Leave the woof quite loose when you make a turn in weaving, and the space left between the red and black will fill up in packing.

Take up the end of the red wool left at the top of the first red point, and weave in the space between the half and first black diamond, then break off. Take the next red end and fill in between the two whole diamonds, then the next, and fill in between the whole and the last half diamond. This will give you a pattern of black diamonds on a red ground. Weave the last of the red woof once across, then break off and weave a black, white, and red stripe like the one forming the lower border of the pattern. Finish the blanket with the wide white stripes and narrow colored ones like those first woven.

To take the work from the loom, cut the threads between the pins at the top of the loom, and with quick but gentle jerks pull it off the lower row of pins. Tie together the first and third loose ends of the warp close to the edge of the blanket, then the second and fourth threads, and so on across, then cut the ends off rather close to the knots.

The little Navajo blanket woven in this way will closely resemble the real Indian blanket in texture, pattern, and colors.

Blankets for Dolls' Beds

may also be woven of fine white wool and finished with a pretty pink or blue border at each end. A wash-cloth, soft and pleasant to the touch, you can weave in half an hour with candle-wick for woof. This should not be packed tightly, but woven with rather a loose mesh. Then there are cunning little rag rugs to be made for the dolls' house, with colored rags for the woof. But so many materials may be woven on your home-made loom, that it will be a pleasure for you to discover them for yourself.

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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.

Fig. 25.-Tacks in top of board.

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.

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,

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.

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.

Fig. 30.-Making the fringe.

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.

Fig. 32.-Tie loops together.

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.

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.

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.

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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