It takes a man's strong hands to weave great armchairs and baby carriages, but boys and girls can make charming little mats and baskets as well as tiny chairs and tables for the doll's house, and other interesting things. Dealers in kindergarten supplies sell the rattan in different sizes, from No. 00, which is as fine as cord, to No. 7 or No. 8, which is almost as thick as rope. You will only need the medium sizes, Nos. 2, 3 and 4, for your weaving, with some raffia--the soft but strong fibre that the gardener uses for tying up his plants. This you will also find at the kindergarten-supply store. A pair of shears, a yardstick and an awl are the only tools you will need. [Illustration: FIG. 15. TWIST OF RATTAN] Rattan comes in long skeins or twists (see Fig. 15). Always draw it out from the loop end, so that it will not get tangled and break. Two sizes of rattan are generally used in making a basket, the thicker for the spokes or ribs and the fine for the weavers. Both must be soaked in warm water to make them soft and pliable. As many spokes as are needed are first cut the required length and tied together with a piece of raffia. The weavers are then coiled into rings, so that they also can be soaked. This is done as follows: Starting near one end of a length of rattan, coil it into a ring. Twist the short end around this ring once or twice to hold it (see Fig. 16). Coil the rest of the strand into rings, one above the other, and twist the other end of the rattan around them all until they are held securely. Have ready a basin or pail of warm water--not hot--and let the spokes and weaver soak in it for ten or fifteen minutes. [Illustration: FIG. 16] Suppose we begin with a mat, which is started, just as the baskets are, at the centre. _A Mat or Stand for a Teapot_ =Materials Required:= 4 12-inch spokes of No. 4 rattan, 1 7-inch spoke of No. 4 rattan, 1 weaver of No. 2 rattan.