String Figures
My Mother used to make several different kinds of string figures with a piece of string. She would tie the string into a circle and then put her hands inside the circle. She would wind her fingers around the string certain ways and end up with a Crow's Foot, a Jacob's Ladder, a Cat's Cradle, a Cup and Saucer or some other things that I can't even remember the names of now. I always tried to do what she did but I seldom accomplished it. She knew a lot of things to make but there were many others that she didn't know how to do.
String figures are popular all over the world. There are hundreds of them. On Google I found one that claimed to be the world's simplest. It was a smile or a Cheshire cat--no finger manipulation at all. (Illustrated above). Google has quite a lot of information on making many different figures.
I remember trying to learn to do some of them from my Mother and it is not as easy as you think. But at one time I could do the simple Crow's Foot and a couple of others. I did have a lot of fun attempting to do them. It is a cheap entertainment because all you need is a length of string and your two hands.
My Mother sometimes would tie a handkerchief into a baby doll to entertain me during church services. If I dropped it there would be no noise and so it was a quiet toy. She would fold the handkerchief into a diagonal and then roll up each corner to the center and tie a knot in the middle so it formed arms and the bottom would be shaped into a skirt. The knot in the middle would be the baby doll's head. I was fascinated with the things she could make out of almost nothing! She wasn't a sailor but she could sure make some cute string figures and tie some interesting knots!
posted by kyra lafain @ 7/08/2008 12:30:00 PM
4 Comments:
How come she never made me one of those baby dolls!!
Maybe she didn't go to church then!
Another thing she was good at was spinning a top. She would wind the string real tight, loop the end around her finger, then give a flick of the wrist I was never able to master. I can hear that top now whistling away across the floor!
I had forgotten all about the string things grandma made! I love your blogs...you've brought back some terrific memories! Keep 'em coming krya! nh
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