Page 89 - Merry Barbara "Marlinspike Sailor's Arts and Crafts"

82 < Marlinspike Sailor’s Knots and Crafts

A completed canvas board.

2> Apply two coats of gesso to the canvas. Let each Manila Ring Toss
coat dry, and lightly sand between the coats.
7 feet of ⁄8-inch manila rope
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3> After the gesso dries, use the masking tape to out-
line where the dark squares will go on the board. sewing needle and heavy cotton thread
sharp knife
4> Paint in the dark square with the burnt umber
paint. ruler
masking tape
5> After the paint dries, use the masking tape to make
a ½-inch outline for the edge of the board. The rings we’re making here will serve very well as an
6> Paint the edge of the board with the iridescent option for the kids or more gentle folk for the next
bronze paint. game of horseshoes you attend this summer. The
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material of choice here is three-strand ⁄8-inch manila
7> After the paint dries, cover the playing area with rope. These rings also work well as a pair of handles on
the clear polyurethane.
a wooden chest.
8> Add decorative knotting to the fringe at either end Follow these steps to make a manila ring:
of the board. This fringe treatment uses a tech-
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nique that goes by many names—macramé, drawn 1> Unlay (unwind the strands in) the 7 feet of ⁄8-inch
fringe lace, McNamara’s lace, or even square knot- manila, taking care to preserve the twist in the
ting. We use square knots to make the decorative rope. You now have three strands of rope. Tape the
knotting (described in Chapters 2 and 7) on one end of each strand to prevent unraveling.
end and alternating overhand knots on the other 2> Lay one strand full length on a table. Leaving a
end (see illustration). tail of 18 inches to the right, form a circle about 6