Finish off the end of the raffia by sewing several stitches through and through the ring. Pin this ring to a cushion on one’s lap or to some firm, soft object near at hand. Take two strands of raffia, double them around the ring, and with the four ends thus made tie a Solomon’s knot as follows: Hold the two upper strands straight and taut. Bend the under strand on the left across them to the right (see [Fig. 47]), and bring the under strand on the right over the end of the left strand, back of the middle strands, and through the loop made by the left strand in starting. Another pair of strands is knotted on in the same way, and another, until there are thirteen groups around the ring. Beginning anywhere on the ring, the strands on the right of a group are brought beside the two on the left of the group to the right of it, and the middle pair of the four are held straight down, while the strands on the right and left are knotted upon them as already described. This knot should be about half an inch from those in the previous row. Make a double knot this time—that is, repeat the process already described. Take the strand which was on the left after the first knot was tied, bring it over the middle strands to the right, and after bringing the strand on the right over the end of the left one and back of the middle strands, pass it up through the loop made by the left strand in starting. The two strands at the right of the right-hand group are next knotted in the same way with two on the left of the next group to the right, and so it goes on around the net—making a double Solomon’s knot each time.
Five rows more of this knotting are made, each row being half an inch from the previous one, except the fifth, which is three-quarters of an inch from the fourth. Now bring all the strands from three groups together at an inch and three-quarters from the last row of knotting. Hold the middle one of the three groups taut, and tie the strands to right and left upon it in a Solomon’s knot. Tie another knot close to the first one, and another, until there are seven—one below the other. Three more groups are brought together at an inch and three-quarters from the last row of knotting, and tied in the same way. Then another three. The fourth bunch will have four groups of strands in it (as there were thirteen groups in all at starting). Two of these groups, the middle ones, are held taut, and those to left and right are tied upon this double group as the others were. Then, taking the long ends of one of these bunches, tie them again in three Solomon’s knots at an inch and three-quarters from the seventh knot. They are next brought straight down without knotting, for two inches more, when two knots are made. For two and three-quarter inches more they are brought without knotting, then tied and wound around a large ring—an old curtain ring about two inches in diameter will do. When all four bunches have been knotted in the same way, and the ends of all have been fastened securely to the curtain ring, the ring is covered neatly with button-hole stitch in raffia, and a raffia binding about half an inch wide is made just below the ring, where the strands are fastened to it.
Green Pottery Jar Inclosed and Suspended with Brown Rattan
Materials required:
The Pottery Jar: About 2½ pounds of clay,
The wooden modelling tools,
The rectangular tool of sheet steel,