LLX > Neil Parker > String Figures > Jayne

Crow's Feet

[Jayne 1906] describes this figure but doesn't give any illustration, referring readers instead to "The Leashing of Lochiel's Dogs." The method, which is totally different from "The Leashing of Lochiel's Dogs," is given near the beginning of Chapter IX:

1. Lay the loop on a flat surface, or your lap. There will be a near string and a far string.

2. Near the middle of the loop, pick up the near string with the little fingers. Do not separate the hands now or during the following steps, until the figure is done.

3. Bend index fingers away from you, over the near little finger string and the far loop string. Hook up the latter in the crooks of the fingers, and pull it forward, until it is just in front of the near little finger string.

4. Pass indexes toward the center of the strings, and under the near little finger string. The indexes should now be between two strings - the string just pulled forward and the near little finger string.

5. Turn indexes away from you and outward, and down into the remaining loose loops, to the right of the right hand and to the left of the left hand. Pick up the far strings of these loops with the indexes, and return through the middle, between the two strings mentioned in step 4 that sandwich the index fingers.

6. Straighten the index fingers and separate the hands.

This figure is made by almost the same method by the Yao people of central Africa ([Cunnington 1906]), the Yao method differing mainly in that it starts with the loop held on the feet rather than laid out loose, and pulls the far string forward under rather than over the near string.

LLX > Neil Parker > String Figures > Jayne