Page:String Figures and How to Make Them.djvu/224

You now have on each hand, (1) a loop on the wrist; (2) a loop on the thumb formed of a straight near string and a far string crossing the palm under the strings

of the wrist loop; (3) a loop on the little finger, formed of the palmar string and a near little finger string which becomes the lower far index string; (4) three loops on the index with their six near strings crossing one another as follows: the upper strings cross each other, and then, becoming the strings of the lower loops, run under the middle strings; the middle strings cross over the lower strings, and then

cross each other. This arrangement of the near strings of the index loops is essential to the success of the figure.

Sixth: Put each thumb up on the far side of the near string of the middle loop, close to the point where it crosses the same string from the other index, then on the near side of the lower near index string, and then on the far side of the upper near index string (Fig. 426), and separate the thumb from the index to widen out these index loops (Fig. 427).

Of the three strings now passing around each thumb the two upper form two crosses between the thumbs, and the lower runs directly from thumb to thumb.

Seventh: Bend each middle finger toward you down over all the index strings (not over the strings passing from the back of the thumb to the back of the index), and pick up from below close to the thumb, the lower far thumb string (the string which becomes the palmar string) (Fig. 428), and return the middle finger to its position (Fig. 429). It is necessary to pick the string up at a point between the thumb and the place where it is crossed by the near wrist string.