Page 568 - The Ashley Book of Knots

DECORATIVE MARLINGSPIKE SEAMANSHIP (APPLIED KNOTS)

I was reared in a town that was steeped in nautical tradition and •

[he youth of my town scorned almost any activity that was of inland

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origin, unless perhaps it had to do with the pioneer, the cowboy, or • •
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the Indian. So, although "store" baseballs were preferred in practice,

every boy felt the urge at some time to make himself a ball, in a

manner that was undoubtedly handed down from an older genera- ~ ...

tion of seafaring ancestors. •

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3S24
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Around a hard round core of ivory, stone, rubber or even ,1 glass ::::= ~ . , • • • • .
alley (agate) spun yarn or cord was wound meticulously, round and - J • •

tight, to form a ball. And this was stitched over (#3544) with hard

fishline and soaked in thinned shellac or rigger's tar. I remember

many such balls being made, but very few ever being played with.

In late years I have conducted a search for one, but have failed to

find a single survivor. The puppies of the last two score years must

have accounted for them all. For such needlework a somewhat

blunted needle is used. If the object is of large diameter, the end of

the needle may be heated in a candle flame and bent slightly to allow

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easyentermg.

Most sailors' needlework with which I am familiar is in the nature

of coverings. But there are colored worsted embroidered pictures

of ships made by foreign sailors that would not greatly lower the

average of many contemporary fine arts exhibitions, and I have seen

elaborate doilies and cushion covers of knotted and sewed wicking

that are said to have been made at sea. ,

'" -:. .. c::. I.
3524. Hitched eyelet holes were often made by the sailor on his I I

clothes and ditty bags, and I have a ditty bag tbat has "buttonhol- ( I

ing" (# 36 II). I /

I, 35"28

3525. Thimbles are frequently added to the boltrope of small-boat

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sails without the employment of eyelet holes. After the groove of

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the thimble is well filled with sail twine, it may be served, before I •

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frapping turns are added. The drawing shows a thimble lying

parallel with the sail.

3526. If the thimble is to be at right angles with the sail, round

turns are taken and frapping turns added. The drawin~ shows a

thimble seized to an eyelet hole.

3527. Seizing in a square-sail reef point. This is done with needle r

I t JS2~

and thread and frapping turns are added. In reefing square sails the

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points are led either to the yard or around the jackstay so that the

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weight of the sail is below the spar. The reef point is sewed to the

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upper edge of the eyelet hole. Formerly reef points were knotted I I

in, as # 1938. { I

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3528. The reef oint of a fore-and-aft sail is sewed with the same
JS30

stitch, but to the ottom of the eyelet hole, as the pull is upward, 4

away from the boom.

3529. Another way of sewing in reef points on fore-and-aft sails.

After the point is rove the two halves are seized together through

the sail, just below the eyelet hole, and frapping turns are added on

both sides of the canvas.

3530. Crowfooting a reef point is a method used on large tore-

and-aft sails. Grasp the point at the center with both hands, push the

two parts together, at the same time twisting them strongly against " I
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the lay. The lay will open and as the twisting is continued a loop I I

will erupt from each strand. Seize the point at either side of the loops t I

and reeve it through the hole. Stitch the loops flat to the port side

of the sail.

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