Fig. 106.—Meshes.
Next, make a loop of a piece of cord two yards long and fasten this to any suitable place (Fig. 101)—a door-knob will do very well; then tie the cord on your needle three inches from the end to this loop. Place the small fid under the cord, the bevelled edge close to the loop (Fig. 102). With your thumb on the cord to hold it in place while you pass the needle around the fid, and with its point toward you, pass it through the loop from the top, bringing it over the fid, so forming the first half of the knot (Fig. 103). Pull this taut, holding it in place with your thumb while throwing the cord over your hand, which forms the loop as in (Fig. 104). Then pass the needle from under through the loops, drawing it tight to fasten the knot. Hold it in place with your thumb, and repeat the operation for the next knot. Fig. 105 shows a number of these knots finished. A is a loosened knot, making plain its construction. B, in Figs. 103, 104, and 105, is the cord running to the needle, and D is the fid. When thirty meshes are finished shove them off the fid (Fig. 106), as this number will make the hammock sufficiently wide.
Fig. 107.—Commencing the Second Row.
Commence the next row by again placing the fid under the cord, and take up the first mesh, drawing it close to the fid; hold it in place with your thumb while throwing the cord over your hand; pass the needle on the left hand-side of the mesh from under through the loop thrown over your hand (Fig. 107); pull this tight and you will have tied the common knitting-knot; proceed in like manner with all the loops in rotation until the row is finished. When it is necessary to thread or fill your needle, tie the ends of the cord with the fisherman’s knot shown in Fig. 108, which cannot slip when properly tightened. Wrap each end of the cord from the knot securely to the main cord with strong thread to give a neat appearance to the hammock.
Fig. 108.—Fisherman’s Knot.
Continue knitting until thirty rows are finished.
Then use the large fid, knitting one row on the short side first, next one on the long side. This accomplished, knit the meshes to the ring by passing the needle through it from the top, knitting them to the ring in rotation as if they were on the mesh-stick or fid (Fig. 109). When finished tie the string securely to the ring, and one end of your hammock is finished.