Page 642

OUR HOME DEPARTMENT
used for a mesh stick, but for lace,
or anything made with thread, an even
smaller size is required; sometimes in one
pattern of lace two or three sizes of mesh
are used, each requiring a different stick.
  The needles and blocks may be pro-
cured for about fifteen cents at any cord
store.  The cord used    for hammocks
varies in weight; an averaged-sized soft
                     THESE ARE THE
                         NEEDLES
cotton sells for about twenty-five cents a
pound, and two pounds are sufficient.
  There should be provided also five
yards of "side-cord" and two large iron
rings. The materials for a large ham-
mock cost about fifty cents, so it will
readily be seen that hammock-making is
a fairly profitable industry for women at
home, as a hand-made one never brings
less than two dollars, and may be as high
as three and a half. The plain netting
may be varied by the introduction of
fancy stitches and knots, which will be
explained later on.
  The materials being procured, the cord
should be wound into balls and the
needles filled as shown in the sketch. The
easiest way to make the top of the ham-
mock is, to my mind, to put the requisite
number of stitches on a cord stretched be-
tween two nails, as at first it is easier to
see the meshes and avoid mistakes, work-
ing in a horizontal line. Forty-two stitches
make a good width for a large hammock.
  The method of using the needle is
shown in one of the sketches better than
642
I can explain it in words, but care must
be taken to draw up the thread quickly
and firmly so as to avoid a slip-knot.
Great care must also be exercised never
to skip a knot.
  'When the first row is finished, the
mesh stick being moved along so as to
keep it always with at least half a dozen
stitches on it, the end loop is left extra
long and the new row begun. If nec-
essary, the work may be untied and
turned wrong side out so that the worker
may always be following from left to
right, but it is better to learn to work
either way.
  The thread must be united with care
when the needle has to be refilled, by
lapping the threads in the center of the
knot. When the hammock seems a rea-
sonable length-six and one-half feet is
a good size for an adult-the ends should
be finished without cutting the cord at
the last mesh. The hammock should be
laid on a long table, so that the end
meshes extend straight across it two feet
EDGE OF HAMMOCK. FASTENED ENDS