Take twenty-four strands, eighty hairs in a strand, and place on table like pattern. Commence at A, take No. 1 in right hand, swing around to the right and lay in place of No. 4 at B; then take No. 1 at B in left hand, swing around table to the left and lay in place of No. 4 at A; then go to C, take Nos. 1 and lift them across the table and lay in between Nos. 1 at D, and bring back Nos. 1 from D to C; then go to E, and change the Nos. at E and F the same as you did at A and B; then go to G, and change the Nos. at G and H the same as you did at C and D. Then you are through the braid, ready to commence at A, as at first.
Braid this over a small wire, with a hole in one end like the eye of a needle, so as to draw a small cord in the place of the wire. When you have it braided, take off your weights, tie the ends fast on the wire, and push the braid together; then boil in water about ten minutes, and then take out and put it in an oven as hot as it will bear without burning, until it is quite dry; then take it out and slip it off the wire and on the cord, and sew the ends so it will not slip, and put a little shellac on the end to keep it fast. If you want it elastic, use elastic cord. To vary the size of the braid, vary the number of hairs in a strand.
Take twenty-four strands, eighty hairs in a strand, and place on table like pattern. Commence at A, take No. 1 at the left side of A in the right hand, and No. 1 at the left of B in the left hand, swing them around the table to the right and lay the one from B at the right of A, and the one from A at the right of B; then go to C, take No. 1 at the left side of C in the right hand, and No. 1 at the left side of D in the left hand, swing them around the table to the right, and lay the one from C at the right of D, and the one from D at the right of C; then go to B, take Nos. 3 and lift them across table and lay between Nos. 3 at A, and bring back Nos. 3 from A to B; then change Nos. 2 and 1 the same way; then go to C, take Nos. 3 and lift across the table and lay between Nos. 3 at D, and bring back Nos. 3 from D to C; then change Nos. 2 and 1 the same way. Then you are through the braid, ready to commence as at first, at A.