THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
299 
serves as a heading to the lace. Just above each row of 
braid are three or four small drops of pink silk, or chenille 
balls, and small gilt coins are hung about an inch apart 
over the portion of the basket not covered with lace. 
The baskets are used for holding fancy work. 
An odd little match-holder is made of a diminutive pair 
of Dutch shoes (about three inches long) carved of some 
soft wood; they can be obtained for thirty-five cents a 
pair, ungilded, at most of the stores where fancy work is 
sold. The shoes should be securely glued or riveted 
side by side, the toes downward, to a small wooden 
plaque, or panel, which should be painted dark blue or 
crimson, and the shoes gilded either with gold paint or 
gold-leaf. 
Bore a hole through the top of the plaque or panel, 
and run in a satin ribbon, which, tied with bow and 
ends, is used to hang the plaque against the wall. 
A thin board, six inches square, covered with dark blue 
velvet, also forms a pretty background for the little shoes 
to rest against. After gilding, they are fastened on the 
centre of the board in such a position as to be upright 
when it is hung by a screw in one corner. On the toe of 
each shoe the word “ matches ” is written in black, gro¬ 
tesque letters, and there is sufficient roughness on the 
sole, where the shoe turns up at the toe, to easily light 
the matches. They are novel little things, and if well 
made prove very pretty ornaments. 
A cushion for the toilet table is made in the shape of 
two diamonds. Each cushion is six or seven inches 
square, made of cloth, satin, velvet or plush, a different 
color for each one. 
Crimson and gold are pretty, or blue and gold, olive 
and pink or blue, in fact, any colors which contrast well 
and are suitable for the room in which the cushion is 
to be placed. 
They can be decorated with designs in tinsel, em¬ 
broidered with silks, painted with water-colors, or they 
may be of satin with lace covers. A long and rather stiff 
wire is then run through the cushions from point to point, 
the ends which must slightly project, are bent to form a 
loop, and then sewed securely to the cushions to hold 
them together. 
The sides are trimmed with a full box-plaited satin rib¬ 
bon edged with lace. A feather, which has been gilded, 
is thrust through a bow of ribbon tied between the cush¬ 
ions. The feather, besides being gilded, may be deco¬ 
rated with any pleasing design in oil-colors. 
A novelty in the way of a frame for photographs is 
made by drawing, or, it may better be termed, etching on 
wood with a hot steel point. 
The pretty white-wood frames, which can be purchased 
for a trifling cost, answer well for the purpose. Three or 
four steel points of various sizes are necessary. Crochet 
needles, with bone handles, will be found convenient— 
first breaking off the hooks with a pair of pinchers, then 
point the metal by filing or rubbing it on stone until 
there are four grades of points. A small alcohol lamp is 
also necessary in which to heat the needles. With a pen¬ 
cil lightly sketch on the frame any pretty design of birds, 
flowers, landscape or marine, according to fancy; or, sim¬ 
pler still, use an appropriate transfer pattern, such as is 
furnished by Briggs & Co., which requires only a warm 
iron pressed over the wrong side to transfer the design. 
Then heat one of the fine points to burning heat,"and 
with it trace over the sketch as if using a pencil. 
When the deeper shadings are desired a larger point 
must be used, going, when this is necessary, over the 
lines which have previously been made. 
Of course the points require heating every minute or 
two, as they cool very quickly, and will then make no 
mark. The work is very interesting and pretty, and 
many other uncarved white-wood articles can be dec¬ 
orated in this way. M. E. Whittemore. 
Knitted Knee-Caps. 
I N response to the request of a subscriber we give the 
following directions for knitting knee-caps to be used 
in case of rheumatism : 
The ends of the caps are ribbed, as most wristlets are 
knitted, to give elasticity and keep the caps in position. 
Between these ribbed ends is a gore, knit garter-stitch to 
enable the knee to move freely. 
With fine yarn and two No. 17 knitting-needles com¬ 
mence the gore by casting on eighteen stitches; knit fif¬ 
teen rows plain garter-stitch; then widen by making one 
stitch after the first and before the last nine stitches. To 
avoid leaving a hole when widening, make the stitch by 
knitting the first side of the old stitch in the usual man¬ 
ner; then before removing from the needle knit a stitch 
in the other side (that portion of the loop on the back 
of the needle which gives you a new stitch from each 
side of the old loop). After making the two stitches as 
directed, knit four rows plain, and in the fifth widen 
again in a similar manner as at the first. Continue knit¬ 
ting in this way, widening in every fifth row until you 
have eighty stitches on your needle. The gore is now 
half made, and should measure about five and one half 
inches in length. Complete it by narrowing two stitches 
after the first and before the last nine stitches in every 
fifth row, to make this half of the gore correspond in size 
and shape with the first. When reduced to eighteen 
stitches, knit fifteen rows, as at the beginning, without 
narrowing; then bind off, and sew these two ends of the 
gore together. 
Take up the stitches on the edge of the gore. Four 
needles will now be required, as the ends are knit in 
rounds alternating two plain and two seamed stitches to 
form the ribs. 
The gore is thus knit first, and the stitches on its sides 
taken up to knit the ends. The size of the gore and the 
number of stitches required for it must be regulated by 
the size of the knee to be fitted, as well as size of yarn 
and needles. 
Cover for Wood Basket. 
T HE design given for wood basket, or rather the pieces 
for decorating its sides, may be embroidered in 
silks, crewels or tinsel, as one may please, and the mate¬ 
rial to which it is applied is also a matter of choice, for 
