The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-12-16
Il IDEAS for JMonaen

II is lSn | u ullllcult Dt "a WIN
the materials expensive. Probably it will
cost less than Il dollar when finished.
Just here let me say, nothing could make
a more acceptable Christmas gift tia
one of these footstools. for an elderly
person or an invalid.
The materials required are two knitting
needles, suitable for knitting four
threaded wool. heavy ~pasteboard, curled
hair. canton flannel. and ~one-auarter hank
each of white and black wool. one hank
OF maroon colored, one half hank each OF
blue and green. cost all told, perhaps
eighty cents and even less II excelsior is
used instead of curled hair.
Now for the knitting. Take the maroon
or red wool and cast on one needle for
ty-two stitches; knit once entirely across
in the following manner: slip the frst
stitch, bring wool forward and knit two
stitches together-or narrow. as it is
called-slip the next stitch; bring wool
forward and knit two together. Continue
this to the end of the stitches or needle,
let the W knit together be the last.
: Should there be an odd stitch left on the
needle, drop it off. Knit back in the
same manner-that is. slip one. bring
wool forward and knit two together.
We have reached the third row, which
is knit in precisely the same manner un-
til you nave only three stitches left on
the needIe-leave these without knitting;
turn, and knit to end of needle as be-
fore.
Fourth row-Knit as before until you
have knit off all but the last six stitches;
turn and knit back.
Fifth row-Same as others, leaving nine
stitches and turn. Continue jim this man
ner, leaving three more stitches each time
until you awe been eighteen times across
making a gore about three inches wide.
Break off red wool and join on white; knit
entirely across, once and back same way
as above-that is, slip one, wool forward
and knit two; break off white wool and
join on black; knit once and back; break
wool and join blue wool; knit exactly like
the red ~gore-tnat is, until you have been
across eighteen times; knit white and
black. then make a gore of the red wool;
white and black; gore of green wool,
white and black; gore of red wool.
Keep on in this way until you have six
cores of red wool and three each of the
blue and the green wool; with black and
white between each. After fastening the
edges together the footstool is completed.
all but the foundation, and a tassel, a
tuft made of bits of all the different col
ors of wool, for the centre, where the
cores meet.
For the foundation, cut from the paste
board a circular piece thirteen inches in
diameter, cover it on one side, which will
be the under side, with canton f2nnel of
some dark color. This is to prevent the
stool from travelling all about the room.
Then with more canton flannel make a
strip nine inches wide and long enough to
reach round the circle; overland one edge
strongly to the circle already covered;
with shoe thread or other coarse cotton
run a drawing string along the other edge
of the strip, to form a kind of bag, which
is to hold the curled hair; press it nicely
into shape. which will be rather fiat on
top and nicely rounded at the edge, some
what resembling in shape an inverted
wash basin. This is to be covered with
the knitted part, sewed neatly on the I'M
der size of the circle, and behold, you
have a soft, warm cushion for your feet,
which can easily be carried from room to
room and put in your trunk if you are go
ing on a journey.
*a
There is no ~disputing the fact women
and wet weather do not assimilate; there
is something about the feminine element
on a rainy day that is dispiriting to the
most persistent optinlist alive, and it is
certainly in evidene that when the decree
went forth that woman should be clothed
it did not provide for the possibility of
her having to go outdoors when there
was a spell Of bad weather. However,
skirts are going to last through this
generation, at least, and even ~rainy-day
dresses are yet on trial, so that the man
or woman who makes an effort to
ameliorate the condition of the female
traveller under showery skies is still an
angel in disguise.
We have no especial panacea for the
ills of rainy days to offer, but there are
a few hints that may not come amiss
since December has arrived, and we may
look to sloppy weather for some months
to come.
In the first place, then, the average wo-
man does not as yet seem to know how
to take care of her feet when she goes
about on shining pavements and lodges
little pools and puddlesa
Rubbers are a matter of course, to
most of it, but it is astonishing how
many women still leave them at home
when they should put them on. There
are excuses for not donning abbreviat-
ed skirts, but neither rhyme nor reason
can defend the neglect of rubbers when
it rains. The next thing not often
thought of are leggings. Now, every wo-
mar alive knows that when She braves
a storm of rain or snow she may be pro-
tected from head to foot, but she will
Invariably feel cold above her shoe tops
and almost to her knees. The shortest
Of rainy-day dresses win not do away
with that damp feeling above the calves
of the legs, that lasts for an hour after
women get indoors.
Here, then, is the hint for rainy-day
dresses or for long skirts. Put on rub
bers first. then don stout leggings, and
the widest storm of winter cannot dis
turb your comfort. Any coat will keep
your body warm, a cloth hat protects the
head perfectly, all skirts shelter the
limbs above the knees, but leggings alone
will keep the lower legs warm, and it is
not a wise woman who begins a winter
without them.
a young American, who, heaped with
honors, has just returned from Paris, told
me. greatly to my surprise. that she
thought it an idle and unwise plan for