_Tied in Large Knots and Loops._—It is hard for a Western craftsman to obtain sharp, well-defined knots by this method, of a diameter of less than half an inch or so. Usually, indeed, it is too much of a bother and nuisance to try any knots covering less than an inch and a half. From this size, up to fifteen and twenty inches in diameter, will be found the vast majority of all American work. The reason is very simple. The trouble of tying a knot covering five inches is very little more than that for a half-inch knot, indeed far less for most people, while the large knot produces an immediate effect not equalled by a dozen of the latter. Furthermore, with large knots, big bold designs can be produced, which, with pleasant and skilfully selected colors, give results far more striking and effective than can be shown by the small knots, no matter how carefully carried out. On the other hand, intricate and carefully planned designs can be worked out with small knots, which cannot be attempted with the large ones. For designs with large knots, beside the cloth, which should be soft and free from dressing, and a ball of soft thick twine or better, of cheap cotton binding tape, half to three-quarters of an inch wide, it is well to have a supply of large glass beads, of marbles of different sizes, and, if these are not easy to get, of pebbles, beans, hazelnuts, and the like. These are not always to be used, but in most cases it makes a more interesting contrast to have the centre of the tied spot come out dark, with the lighter parts, more or less shaded, around it. That means that the centre must be exposed to the dyestuff by being stretched out over a marble or pebble, while the parts around it are tied up. And the tying, too, is greatly facilitated by having a hard centre to work against. By tying around one marble first, and then putting in another and tying round that, a series of concentric rings will be formed, the black rings showing where the cloth, covering the marble, has been exposed, and the light-colored part showing where it has been covered by the tape or string. [Illustration: FIG. 7—SAMPLE OF TIED AND DYED WORK, “TIED IN BANDS,” WITH INCIDENTAL KNOTS. BY MISS MARY GREY]