This foundation serves for any caterpillar. Tie it at the tail whatever is to be used for ribbing the body, and the body material if it is not to be spun on the tying silk. Then wind on the body material, tie it in, wind on the ribbing, finish off at the head, and cut off the projecting piece of quill.
The caterpillar when finished should appear as shown in the illustrations on [Plate III].
Green Caterpillar.—1. Emerald green wool spun on tying-silk, ribbed with light yellow silk.
2. Emerald green wool spun on tying-silk, ribbed with scarlet silk.
3. Yellowish green wool spun on tying-silk, ribbed with narrow gold tinsel.
4. Olive green wool spun on tying-silk, ribbed with narrow gold tinsel.
(I have found Nos. 1 and 2 very successful when ribbed also with narrow gold tinsel, and Nos. 3 and 4 when ribbed with light yellow silk.)
Other Caterpillars made with a reddish-brown body, and ribbed with yellow or red, are also sometimes very successful, as are those also ribbed with red or Coch-y-bondhu hackles.