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NEEDLES AND BRUSHES

town wool. One hundred and fifty stitches will be sufficient then. By using a greater number of stitches handsome skirts can be knit for ladies' wear. They are more comfortable when set on a muslin yoke. They can be knit in two or more breadths and then sewed together.

One of the greatest comforts to an old person or an invalid is a pair of bed-shoes, and they are so easy of execution that a child could knit a pair without any difficulty. They are knit of double zephyr on bone or wooden needles. Cast on thirty stitches, and knit two rows plain; then one row of holes made as follows: knit one, throw thread forward, knit two together, repeat to end of row.

The succeeding work is all plain knitting (always slipping the first stitch) until you have a piece two fingers in length; knit another row of holes, two more of plain knitting, and cast off. Double the oblong piece thus obtained, sew up the ends, and run a piece of elastic through the holes long enough to fit round the foot from the heel over the instep. Finish with a bow of ribbon on one of the seams. These look odd until worn, but fit the foot delightfully, and are an untold comfort to any one who suffers from cold feet.

Double knitting is simple and very useful for cradle and crib blankets. To work it cast on the requisite number of stitches in wool (the kind depending on the warmth required; single zephyr or Germantown are both useful), and knit four or five rows plain. Then knit four stitches plain, * bring the wool to the front, slip a stitch and pass the wool back, and knit the next stitch; repeat from * to the last four stitches, which are to be knit plain. For the next row knit the slipped stitch, and slip the knit one, always bringing the wool forward before slipping the stitch, and returning it to the back of the work after so doing. If you knit tightly it is advisable to wind your wool twice round the needle in knit-