Page:String Figures and How to Make Them.djvu/275

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STRING FIGURES

Fifth: Holding the string down with each ring and little finger, bend the middle finger toward you over the lower near index string (Fig. 536), and pull it in the bend of the finger away from you over the upper near index string; release the upper near index string from under the ring and little fingers (Fig. 537), and put the ring

and little fingers toward you beside the middle finger to assist in holding down the lower near index string; then release the loops from the thumbs and draw the strings tight (Fig. 538).

You now have one "storm cloud" extended between the index fingers and the other fingers closed on the palms. The central figure is symmetrical; it is a triangle, crossed by a straight horizontal string and sending, on each side, two

diagonal strings to the index finger. The strings are differently arranged, however, on the two index fingers: On the right index, the upper far string forms the straight string at the top of the figure, and then becomes the lower far string on the left index; and the lower far string forms the right upper diagonal string. On the left index, the upper far string is continued toward the centre of the figure as the left upper diagonal string. On each side, the lower diagonal string is the upper near index string, and the string held down by the middle, ring and little fingers is the lower near index string.