2G8 
THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
bored in the bottom of the column, and through this, 
and the two blocks for the pedestal, run a long screw, 
which holds them all securely together. 
The thermometer should now be fastened to the 
wooden column with small brass nails, and the seam in 
the plush must be at the back. A gilt screw ring fast¬ 
ened in the top of the column gives a pretty finish, or 
a double bow of satin ribbon made only of loops. 
The material for covering the stand may be of satin, 
instead of plush or velvet, and in that case black will 
be pretty, and a decoration of flowers in water-colors 
will brighten it. 
Care must be taken when tacking the thermometer to 
the stand' not to shatter the glass tube, as it is easily 
broken. M. E. Whittemore. 
Silk Mittens. 
Mittens knit of silk are very durable and always 
look well on the hand as they are not so elastic as those 
of wool. A very pretty pair, with fancy twist pattern 
in the centre of the back, was made from directions 
given in “ How to use Florence Knitting Silk.” For a 
pair of mittens large enough for a person whose glove 
number is six and one-half, one ounce of No. 300 silk 
and five No. 19 knitting needles will be needed. The 
silk comes in half-ounce balls and in nearly all colors. 
Cast on eighty-two stitches and knit one round plain. 
Second round : k (knit) 1, tto (thread thrown over as 
if to seam), k 1, tto, k 1, tto, k 1, tto, k 1, tto, k 1, tto, 
k 1, seam 2, repeat until 10 stitches remain, then k 8, 
seam 2. 
Third round : slip and bind, k 9, narrow, seam 2, re¬ 
peat until 10 stitches remain, then k 8, and seam 2. 
Fourth round : slip and bind, k 7, narrow, seam 2, re¬ 
peat until 10 stitches remain, then k 8, seam 2. 
Fifth round : slip and bind, k 5, narrow, seam 2, re¬ 
peat until 10 stitches remain, then k 8, seam 2. 
As four rounds are required to complete each shell 
pattern, the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth rounds are 
a repetition of the second, third, fourth and fifth in the 
order named. This shell is repeated until you have 
made the wrist as deep as you desire. The twist pat¬ 
tern for the centre of the back is continued as follows, 
viz : tenth and eleventh rounds same as second and 
third. 
In the twelfth round the last 10 stitches are disposed 
of by slipping off the first four stitches on the fifth or 
extra needle, knitting the next four, then the four from 
the extra needle, and seaming the two stitches remain¬ 
ing to complete the round. This operation must be re¬ 
peated in every twelfth round until you reach the point 
at the top where you begin to narrow off the mitten, 
and one shell stripe each side of the twist is continued 
from the wrist to the same point. 
The stitches for the beginning of the thumb must be 
so chosen that the twist pattern will come directly on 
the back of the mitten. For the right hand the thumb 
is on the left of the fancy work, while for the left hand 
it is on the right. Take 3 stitches for the base of the 
thumb, and seam 1 stitch on each side of the 3. Make 1 
stitch by the side of these seam stitches in the next 
round and in every fourth round following, thus in¬ 
creasing the width of the thumb 2 stitches in every 
fourth round. When you have 27 stitches in the thumb, 
knit 3 rounds without adding any stitches, but at the 
end of the third round, cast on 4 extra stitches. Slip 
the 27 thumb stitches on a piece of twine, tie securely, 
and with the remaining stitches continue the hand, 
narrowing in each round once at the point where extra 
stitches were made, until 79 stitches remain. Continue 
knitting all plain except the fancy stripe in the back,, 
until the mitten will reach to the tip of the little finger. 
The fancy stripe need extend no further unless desired, 
and the hand is finished by beginning at corner of 
needle, knit 7, narrow, k 7, narrow, k 7, narrow, k 7, 
narrow, k 7, narrow, k 7, narrow, k 7, narrow. Knit 
the rest of this round and the second round plain. 
In the third round narrow every seventh stitch and 
knit seven rounds plain. 
Eleventh round narrow every sixth stitch and knit 
six rounds plain. 
Eighteenth round s narrow every fifth stitch and knit 
five rounds plain. 
Twenty-fourth round narrow every fourth stitch and 
knit 4 rounds plain. Now narrow once on each needle 
in every round until only 4 stitches are left on a needle, 
then narrow twice on each needle and cast off, 
which is done by knitting 2 stitches and passing the 
first over the second. When decreasing once on each 
needle, do not narrow at the same point in every round, 
but at a different place in each successive round. 
To finish the thumb place the 27 stitches on the 3 
needles, and pick up 4 stitches from the base of the 
gore formed between the hand and the thumb, by cast¬ 
ing on the 4 extra stitches. Knit once around and nar¬ 
row once in each of the next 4 rounds, at the point 
where the gore is, then knit fifty rounds plain or until 
the thumb is long enough to finish off, which is done by 
narrowing once on each needle in every round, until 
all the stitches are disposed of. 
To make a larger size mitten after this pattern, the 
82 stitches first cast on must be increased by as many 
more as are required for one shell. 
Decorative Notes. 
Congress canvas is a novel material for fancy aprons.. 
It resembles grenadine in texture, but is made of rather 
heavy white threads. It is about twenty-four inches 
wide, and is sold for sixty cents per yard. Three quar¬ 
ters of a yard is sufficient for an apron; and this allows, 
for a hem one inch and a half wide all around it. In 
the top hem is run a ribbon of the same width, and long 
enough to tie about the waist. Above the bottom hem 
a narrow row of drawn work is made by pulling out 
five or six threads of the canvas ; an inch space is left 
above this, and then five threads more are drawn out.. 
This inch of plain is then divided into squares by draw¬ 
ing out the same number of threads from those r un - 
ning in the opposite direction. From the centre of 
each one of these inch squares start a thread of linen 
floss and carry it up and fasten with it a little cluster 
of threads in the drawn border. Repeat this until you 
have made six stitches of drawn work on each side of 
the square, so that there are radiating lines from the 
center of the square to the drawn border on all sides. 
It is very simply and quickly done, and would be 
equally pretty for the border of a tidy or buffet cover.. 
