Chapter 1

CORD CONSTRUCTION

CORD CONSTRUCTION

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

To a child one of the most attractive of possessions is a piece of cord. He has so many uses for it that it becomes part of the prized contents of his pocket. Since this commodity affords so much pleasure to the untrained child, how greatly may the pleasure be enhanced if he is taught how to make the number of beautiful things that may be wrought from cord or twine! Having this knowledge, he will unconsciously employ many otherwise weary moments in fashioning some coveted article.

Among the things he can make are chains, reins, bags, nets, miniature hammocks, portieres, and rugs for the dollhouse. He must be guided step by step from the simplest to the more intricate. He must be taught that only when a thing is well done has it any use or value, therefore the best effort is necessary to the success of his work. If he ties a knot, it must be properly tied or it will not hold. If he makes a bag or a hammock, the meshes must be uniform and the color blendings pleasing or it will lack beauty, and even he, himself, will not care for it. Should he make a chain or reins, they ought to be attractive-looking as well as useful; hence the aim should be for artistic combination and perfect execution. The success the child will meet with will depend greatly upon the attitude of the teacher toward the work and the amount of spirit she may be able to infuse into it.

KNOTS

_Aim_--To teach the names of different knots, how they are tied, and the utilitarian value of each.

Begin by teaching how to tie a knot, and that all knots are not alike nor tied in the same way. There are three kinds of knots--the overhand knot, the square knot and the "Granny" knot. Each of these has its use, its place, and a utilitarian value.

1 Overhand Knot

_Material_--One 10-inch piece of heavy twine.

Hold one end of the twine firmly in the left hand and throw the other end over with the right hand to form a loop; then pass the end in the right hand under the loop; and draw it through tightly, making a firm knot.

A long piece of twine in which are tied either single knots at regular intervals, or groups of three or five knots with spaces between, will make a chain which will delight any small child.

2 Square Knot

_Aim_--To teach how to tie a knot that will not slip.

_Material_--One 12-inch piece of heavy twine.

Take an end of the twine between the thumb and the forefinger of each hand. Holding in the left hand end No. 1, pass it to the right over end No. 2; then pass it under No. 2; finally, pass it out and over, making the first tie. Now, holding end No. 1 firmly in the right hand and end No. 2 in the left, pass No. 1 to the left over No. 2, then under, out and over; draw the two ties together, and you will have a firm, square knot.

3 "Granny" Knot

_Aim_--To teach the name of the knot one usually ties and how to tie it.

_Material_--One 12-inch piece of heavy twine.

Take an end of the twine between the thumb and the forefinger of each hand and hold firmly. Pass end No. 1 to the right over end No. 2, under and out. Next pass end No. 2 to the right over end No. 1, under and out.

We now have the knot known as the "Granny," which we ordinarily tie.

CHAINS

4 Loop Chain

_Material_--One piece, 5 yards long, of macrame cord, No. 12, one color. (See page 12.)

About five inches from one end of the cord make a short loop. Using this loop as a starting-point, work up the length of the cord to within about eighteen inches of the other end, by repeatedly drawing a new loop through the one previously made as one does in crocheting. The child can easily manipulate the cord with his tiny fingers. Aim to have the loops of uniform size. Finish with a loop five inches long, leaving an end of the same length. Now, placing together the two ends of the chain, we have a loop and two single ends of cord. Take these single cords together and buttonhole them over the loop for about three inches, then twist. Tie the single ends with a square knot, and fringe them out; leave the loop.

Instead of being fringed, the ends may have a large bead attached to each, and a whistle may be strung on the loop. This would both make the chain attractive to the child and demonstrate a use for it.

5 Overhand Knot Chain

_Material_--Macrame cord, No. 12: one piece 2 yards long, white; one piece 2 yards long, red.

Fasten the two pieces together in the middle. Pin them to a board or slip them over a hook where the cord will be held firmly. Using the overhand knot, tie each color alternately, until all except about four inches of cord is used up. Taking four ends as one, tie a slip-knot close up to the point where you stopped forming the chain. Next, fringe out the four ends close up to the knot. The result is a circular cord with stripes running diagonally around it, very pleasing to the eye of a child.

The lengths here given make a fob-chain about five inches long.

6 Solomon's Knot Chain

_Material_--Four pieces of macrame cord, No. 12, 2-1/2 yards long, of one color. (See page 14.)

Double in the middle and leave two loops, each two inches long. Take two strands as the center and foundation and attach them to a hook or a board where they will be held firmly. Loop the two remaining threads alternately over the two central ones, first the one on the right, then the one on the left. For instance: Take a single cord on the left, form a loop to the left of the double cords, draw the end over the two foundation pieces and hold firmly. Then take a single cord on the right, pass it over the piece of cord which forms the loop, then under where the three pieces cross and up through the loop; draw it tight. Then work with a single cord on the right in the same way and continue, alternating the two single cords, until there is left about four inches. Clip the middle cords so that the four ends may be of equal length. Finish by tying them in a square knot and fringing the ends. This forms a flat chain one-quarter of an inch wide and one-eighth of an inch thick, which may be made any length desired.

COMBINED KNOTS AND CHAINS

7 Knotted Bag

_Material_--Macrame cord, No. 12, one or two colors; twelve pieces 1 yard long or six pieces 1 yard long, of each of the two colors.

Double each piece of cord in the middle and tie it in a loop over a pencil or some other object that will make the loops of equal size. Slip the loops from the pencil and string them to a cord, alternating the colors. Join the ends of the cord so as to form a hoop. You now have twelve loops on this hoop and one row of knots. Form a second row of knots by tying cords of different colors together. The meshes should be uniform and of the size of the loops. Continue knotting one row below the other until about three inches of cord remain. Now stretch the bag out straight and double and tie together the four cords, which operation will form the bottom and close the bag. Fringe the ends and trim them off evenly.

Make a loop chain, and run it through the top loops, having removed the working cord. Small brass rings may be used at the top instead of loops, and the drawing string may be run through them. A larger bag may be made by the addition of more and longer pieces of twine.

8 Miniature Hammock--Knotted

_Material_--Twelve pieces of seine cord, No. 12, each 2 yards long. Two iron rings, 1 inch in diameter.

String the pieces of cord through a ring, taking care that the ends are of the same length. About three inches from the ring, knot each piece of cord. This will make twelve knots and form the first row. For the second row, knot alternate pieces of cord. Continue until there are twelve rows of knots. Be careful to make the meshes the same size. Leave about three inches unknotted and attach these ends to the second ring. Make a twisted cord (of four thicknesses of macrame) of some contrasting color and run through the meshes of each side, taking it twice through each mesh and attaching it to rings at the ends of the hammock. The meshes should be about an inch square. Make the cords a little shorter than the sides of the hammock, in order to give it the proper spring. Take an extra piece of cord the color of the hammock and wrap it around the cords close up to the rings, winding it evenly and firmly for about an inch from the ring; fasten it securely.

9 Miniature Portiere--Knotted

_Material_--Twelve 36-inch lengths of macrame cord, No. 12.

Double each piece in the middle and, using the overhand knot, tie it over a stout lead pencil or a very narrow ruler. See that each knot is pressed close to the foundation holder, that the loops may be of equal size. These loops and knots form the first row. Do not remove them from the holder. Separate the cords and knot together each two adjacent ones, alternating at every other row. Continue knotting until about three inches of cord remain to form the fringe at the bottom. Before tying the last row of knots, slip a colored glass bead over each set of cords, then make the knot so as to hold the bead in place. These beads are an ornament, apart from giving weight to the portiere to make it hang well. Trim the fringe evenly, slip the portiere from the foundation holder, and it is ready to hang.

Use beads the color of the cord, or of some effective contrasting shade. If a child is expert enough, a bead may be placed at every knot, adding decidedly to the attractiveness of the little portiere. (See page 18.)

WEAVING

10 Miniature Hammock--Woven

_Material_--Tag-board loom 8x10 inches. Cord of one, two or three colors. Two brass rings, 1/2 inch in diameter.

To make a loom, take a piece of tag-board 8x10 inches in size. Measure off one inch from the back edge and draw a line parallel to the back edge. Measure off one inch from the front edge and draw a line parallel to the front edge. Measure off one inch from the right edge and draw a line parallel to the right edge. Measure off one inch from the left edge and draw a line parallel to the left edge. You have now a 6x8-inch rectangle marked off, leaving a one-inch space around the edge of the tag-board. Start at a point where a vertical and a horizontal line intersect and mark off the six-inch ends into spaces one-fourth inch apart. Next with a large needle pierce the board at each point of intersection. This will make twenty-five eyelets at each end. On the reverse side of the board draw diagonals to determine the center. Tie together the two brass rings and fasten them firmly to the center of the reverse side.

To string the loom requires about fifteen yards of cord. Divide the cord into two lengths. Thread a length into a needle and tie one end of it to one of the brass rings. Next carry the cord from the ring through the thirteenth perforation, then across the face of the loom to the thirteenth perforation at the opposite end, through again to the reverse side and pass through the opposite ring from which it started. Repeat this operation by carrying the cord in a reverse direction each time until one-half the loom is strung. Then with the other length of cord start, by attaching it to the same ring to which the first piece was tied, and work in the opposite direction until the second half is strung. Should it be necessary to add to the cord, arrange that the knot be on an end near a ring. A knot in the warp hampers the weaving.

Have the warp threads and the predominant woof thread of the same color.

To begin weaving, cut a quantity of ten-inch lengths. Take one of these lengths, start in the center of the loom, and weave in and out among the warp threads, allowing it to extend two inches beyond on each side. Have a perfectly smooth, narrow, thin ruler and weave it in across the warp threads. As each horizontal or woof thread is added, shove it close to the preceding one with the ruler, which acts as a pusher. Weave first on one side of the center and then on the other, until the entire 6x8-inch space is covered. If a border is to be put in, gauge equal spaces from the center and work in the border of a different shade or color. The borders must be placed equally distant from the center and the same distance from each end. Take the overhanging cords and knot each alternate two together along the line of the outer warp thread. This will hold the woof threads in place, as well as finish the edges of the hammock. Comb these ends out and trim them, to get the fringe even. At each end where the weaving stops, take a needle threaded with a length of cord and run in and out along the warp threads, first to the right and then to the left of the final woof thread. This makes a secure finish and holds the woof threads in position. Next unfasten the rings and remove the hammock from the loom by tearing the tag-board along the lines of perforations. Finally, where the cords pass through the ring, hold them close to the ring and wrap them with a piece of cord for the distance of an inch, then fasten off by forcing the needle up through the wrapped space toward the ring; draw the end through and clip close to the ring. The hammock is now finished.

The question may arise: Why begin weaving in the center of the loom? The answer is: Because small children, and even older ones, sometimes, are not able to keep their warp threads parallel and as they approach the middle, where these threads give more, they naturally draw them in. This tendency is remedied to a great extent by beginning in the middle and weaving toward the ends, where the warp is confined in the board and keeps its place with no effort on the part of the child.