Take sixteen strands, twenty hairs in a strand, and place on table like pattern. Commence at A, take Nos. 1 and 4 left across to B, lay in place of Nos. 1 and 4 at B, and bring back Nos. 1 and 4 from B to A; then take No. 2 at A in right hand and No. 3 in left hand, pass right hand round table to the right to B, and lay the No. 2 from A in place of No. 3 at B, and bring back No. 2 from B to A in right hand, and pass left hand round table to the left, and lay No. 3 from A in place of No. 2 at B, and bring back No. 3 from B to A, and lay No. 3 from B down at No. 2 at A, and lay No. 2 from B down at No. 3 at A, then go to C and take Nos. 1 across over inside of Nos. 1 at D, and bring back Nos. 1 from D to C; then go to A and repeat this all three times; then the fourth time at C you take Nos. 1 at C across over to D and lay outside of Nos. 2 at D, bring back the Nos. 1 from D to C and lay them outside of Nos. 2 at C; then you are through the braid, ready to commence as at first at A. Braid it over a small cord so as to put it up together.
Take sixteen strands, twenty hairs in a strand, and place on table like pattern. Commence at A, take Nos. 1 at A lift across inside of Nos. 1 at B, and bring back Nos. 1 from B to A; then go to C, take Nos. 1 at C lift across inside of Nos. 1 at D, and bring back Nos. 1 from D to C; then commence at A again and repeat it three times; then commence at A, take Nos. 1 across to B and lay them outside of Nos. 2 at B, and bring back Nos. 1 from B to A and lay outside of Nos. 2 at A; then go to C and change from C to D the same as from A to B; then you are through the braid, ready to commence 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 on the wire; then boil in water about ten minutes; then take it out and put in an oven as hot as it will bear without burning, until it is quite dry; then take it out and slip it off of the wire on to the cord, and sew the ends of the braid so it will not slip on the cord, 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.