<Iht RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
421 
going back on the train. Cecil has not 
yet decided on his Summer work. Paul. 
Lee, and Mr. P. will scrape around home 
and try another tobacco crop for a bit of 
money. We kept four turkey hens—two 
for the boys and two for the family, and 
one of the family group is at death’s door. 
We have tried all sorts of remedies, and 
I think the ease is hopeless. Such a nice, 
choice hen. but no use to grieve. 
Thelma is interested in chiekens, and I 
shall allow her to try her luck. For me 
it is uncertain when I can get out to see 
after them, but With warm weather I 
think I shall be able to climb the hills and 
scuttle after the downy youngsters as 
usual, for while there are many things we 
would like to change in this old world, 
we find many things wo are loath to 
leave, and maty things to be thankful for. 
MRS. D. B. P. 
Hooked Rugs 
Would someone give instructions for 
making old-fashioned hooked rugs, the 
kind that have floral and boxed designs? 
Where can the designs be bought? 
MRS. F. C. Y. 
The following instructions were given 
two years ago by Mrs. D. P.. I’, of 
Tennessee: 
For the hooked rugs the strips should 
be a bit narrower than for braided rugs. 
For a foundation use a grain sack or cof¬ 
fee sack of the desired size. Lay off de¬ 
sign in center of top side. A coarse bone 
crochet hook, or one made of an umbrella 
stay, or a three-pronged fork will) out- 
"Glitter'ng Star” quilt, made in 1.S58. 
Line on white ground. From Mrs. E. E. 
Lloyd 
side prongs broken off and a small hook 
turned up on end of center prong, may be 
used for booking the rags up through. I 
made one of the latter this morning and 
find it very satisfactory, as the handle 
prevents hand from cramping. The foun¬ 
dation can he framed or just held loose 
ou the lap of-worker. Hold strip on bot¬ 
tom side of foundation, push hook down 
through from top. draw up strip about 
half inch, then down and draw up hook 
!4 in . then down and draw up book % 
in. Follow the designs with desired color. 
Fill in the vacant spaces of design in 
same manner, and clip strips in two as 
you go. or after rug is finished, if you 
desire. Some use a pair of sheep shears 
for this purpose. I clipped the end of my 
thumb a hit ago. so be careful how you 
clip if you use regular house scissors. 
Fill all vacant spots with these loops 
drawn through. The closeness of loops 
will depend ou width and quality of 
strips. Narrow cotton strips will have 
to be hooked through closer than wider 
strips of cotton or woolen. Some designs 
are of roses, leaves, and a background of 
hit-and-miss colors; others are of dogs, 
deer, cats or other animals. One can 
sometimes get a good design from a lap- 
robe or buggy spread. Again, some are 
Detail of “Glittering Star” quilt. Quilted 
in feather pattern. From Mrs. E. E. 
Lloyd 
made in squares or diamonds of contrast¬ 
ing colors. Sufficient space should he left 
around the edges for hemming or bitiding. 
The following suggestion was added by 
Mrs. W. H. Z.: 
I have been working at rugs since 
Christmas, during my spare time. I 
always hook rny rugs, or draw the rags 
through a sack. 1 am working at my 
third and last one for this Winter. I 
always cut the sack the size 1 want for 
the rug. making allowance for the hem. I 
notice Mrs. I). It. P. hemmed her rug 
after she finished the hooking process. I 
always hem the sack on the machine be¬ 
fore I put it in the frame. For the first 
three rounds it is hard to work, hut I 
think they are nicer when finished by 
hemming first. 
Another reader offers this bit of ex¬ 
perience : 
I can brilid. knit and crochet rugs, but 
T never could make a groat success 
“hooking'' them, so I took an old corset 
Steel, a little wider than a ribbon-runner, 
or tape needle, made a slot in one end. 
and sewed my design into the foundation. 
It was more quickly done than I could 
hook it, and it looked the same when fin¬ 
ished. If the strips for the flowers are 
cut a little wider, and after being drawn 
through onto the right side are left a 
little looser, and are picked out with the 
fingers, they make the petals of the flowers 
look more real. Woven rag Tfiigs are 
much prettier if the rag#) are cid nearly 
an inch wide; then as each thread is 
woven in. pick the rag ,^051 between the 
threads of warp and iftWresp unties shell 
work, and well repays all the extra trou¬ 
ble. I got my idea from looking into a 
store window while waiting for a car one 
day. A rug of this style was in the 
window display, marked double the price 
of the common rag, or Colonial rugs, as 
we must call them. 
We do not think many home rug- 
makers buy patterns, but you can nse 
ordinary slencil patterns, and stencil the 
patterns on the sacking with laundry 
blue. It would he well to try a simple 
pattern first. Department stores and 
dealers in painters’ supplies sell the 
stencil patterns. The old-fashioned rugs 
were often very elaborate, with designs 
of flowers, landscapes and animals. 
Easter for the Children 
Easter time is coming. The children look 
forward to it nearly a* much as they do 
Christmas. In spite of the fact that the 
price of many things is coming down, 
good candy stays high. I made my own 
last year. 
First, take about half a pound of con¬ 
fectioners’ sugar, a pinch of salt and 
sweet cream enough to make it handle 
well. Then Work into this a few drops of 
butter color. When thoroughly mixed 
shape into little balls for the egg yolks. 
Take canned yoooamit and mix a little 
salt and sugar enough with it < mi Ik and 
all) until it is as stiff as regular fondant 
By using the whole ean it will take about 
5 lbs. of confectioners’ sugar, perhaps 
a little more. If you do not want to 
make so much, pour off gome of the cocoa- 
nut milk. This will make delicious eak<>. 
Shape the eoeoanut fondant around the 
egg yolks. I make some of the egg yolk* 
small and some a fair size. Let them 
stand about an hour in a cool place and 
coat with chocolate. Melt a small p : eee 
of paraffin wax with the chocolate, and it 
will harden better and not take so much 
chocolate. To decorate the eggs. I had 
thought of using plain boiled icing, 
whipped very stiff. Would anyone sug¬ 
gest anything better? 
Easter would not be complete without 
the dyed eggs, and they are not much 
trouble. I always buy a package o' 
Easter egg dye at the grocery store. It 
looks like sheets of different colored blot¬ 
ting paper. You tear eaeh sheet in small 
pieces, put into a cup of water, add one 
teaspoon of vinegar. Boil the eggs ir 
salt water 20 minutes, and while hot drop 
into the cups of dye. and let remain un¬ 
til the shade is dark enough. Full direc¬ 
tions come on the package. We never 
dye the cracked eggs. I always get my 
husband to draw a rabbit, a baby ebiek 
or something on the white shell, and print 
the name of one of the children on the 
other side. This plensee rheni a great 
deal. 
The night before Easter eaeh child 
makes a nest fur the bunny to lay eggs 
in. We usually put their baskets in 
these nests. Easter basket contains sev¬ 
eral colors of dyed eggs for color, a choe- 
olate egg or two. and some jelly beans to 
fill up the corners. Then we hide th > 
dyed eggs nil over the rooms, anywhere 
wo can think of. and such fun as they do 
have finding them. When they are all 
found, they usually pick out the’ one they 
like least and eat it for breakfast. After' 
that, as long as they last, one of those 
eggs makes a part of their breakfast 
This plan may seem expensive to some 
but by buying a pound of the XXXX 
sugar every flow and then, with change 
left over from selling butter or eggs, you 
hardly miss.it. Then around Easter 1 
never make as many pies and cakes, as 1 
think the candy is enough “sweets.” 
The children are only little ones, and 
I want them to enjoy their lives. We 
get nearly ns much enjoyment out of both 
’"aster and Christmas as they do. When 
they are grown larger, and the “Easter 
bunny” fails to come, they will still have 
the memory of those happy days. That 
is something no one ean ever take from 
them. mrs. f. .T. B. 
A New Kitchen Floor Covering 
As have never seen in print a descrip¬ 
tion of the kind of covering that I have 
on my kitchen floor. I thought it would he 
of interest to olhoi’s. The floor is an old- 
fashioned one of very uneven hoards about 
12 in. wide, with large cracks between 
them. These soon wore through linoleum. 
Three years ago I covered it with one-plv 
felt rooting, running it the same way as 
the boards, tacked down with common car¬ 
pet tacks. A dust sweeps off from this 
for a few wpeks. hut when this was gone 
J £nve if two coafa of floor paint. This 
is easily wiped off. and makes a very dur¬ 
able. inexpensive and good-looking cover¬ 
ing. which has never worn through. 
. . kT.nl 
Improving Oil Stove Oven 
Oil stove ovens that will not bake 
properly are the bane of many a house¬ 
keeper in the Summer time. Mine burned 
on the bottom, and did not brown pro¬ 
perly on top. We found by placing a east 
iron stove lid over the heat deflector and 
placing folded newspapers over the ton 
of oven until we could not feel heat 
through them, that it baked evenly. 
r ♦** n. 
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