Empire Reticule

EMPIRE RETICULE.
Materials required
2 large skeins Perle Cotton, No. 3 ; 1 Star crochet hook, No. 1 ; 1 bone or amber crochet hook, No. 7.

THIS reticule is made of 24 squares joined together so that each side is three squares wide and four squares in depth. To make the first square: use the No. 1 needle, chain 20, turn, make one double crochet stitch (1 d. c.) in the eighth chain from the needle, * ch. 2, skip 2 chs., 1 d. c. in the next chain and repeat from * 3 times, thus forming five squares.
Second row: turn, ch. 5, 1 d. c. on the d. c. of preceding row, * ch. 2, 1 d. c. on next d. c. and repeat from * twice, ch. 2, 1 d. c. caught in the third ch. of the 5 chs. made when turning for the preceding row. Re¬peat the second row until there are five rows in all (25 squares). Make 3 single crochet stitches (3 s. c.) in the last space formed, 3 s. c. in next space, 2 s. c. in the center space, chain 6, turn and catch down in last s. c. made, to form a ring. Turn, 2 s. c. in the ring, chain 3 and catch back to form a picot, 3 s. c., picot, 3 s. c., picot, 2 s. c., all in the ring, 2 more s. c. in center space, 3 s. c. in next space, 7 s. c. in the corner space. Make second, third and fourth sides of square, in the same way, finishing the last corner by putting 4 s. c. there and joining, with a slip stitch, to the first of the three s. c. made there when beginning the round.
Second round: * chain 6, catch, with slip stitch, in the first picot of the ring, ch. 7, catch in third picot of the same ring, ch. 6, catch in fourth s. c. of the corner space and repeat from * all around.
Third round: 3 s. c. over first space of 6 ch., chain 4 for the picot, 3 s. c., picot, 3 s. c., all in the same space; 3 s. c., picot, 3 s. c., picot, 3 s. c., picot, 3 s. c. in the ch. 7 space, and repeat all around, having the extra picot in each ch. 7 space to form the corners. Fasten off.
The second and all succeeding squares are to be made like the first square, until the final round is reached. On this round they arc to be joined, as follows: after making two picots and 3 s. c. on the first 7 ch. space as usual, ch. 2 and catch, with a slip stitch, to third picot on corner of finished square, ch. 2, 3 s. c. in the same 7 ch. space, 3 s. c. in next space, chain 2 and catch in next picot of finished square and continue, in this way, catching each picot of the two squares together and working the s. c. stitches in the spaces, as usual, until the first picot of next corner space has been reached. Do not join the center picots of the corners.
Cordeliere : still using the No. 1 hook, make a chain six yards long, or longer if an extra length cordeliere is desired. Turn, skip the chain next to the needle and make 1 s. c. in each succeeding ch. until the work measures 20 in.; then, without breaking thread, make another chain, long enough to reach within 20 in. of the beginning of first chain made. Make 1 s. c. in each chain to the end, thus forming two ends to be run through the openings at the bottom of first row of squares and the top of second row of squares, with two long chains between. Now, with No. 7 needle, crochet a chain beginning at the end of one s. c. strip and ending at the other s. c. strip, using the two lengths of chain as one thread.

Slip Balls: chain 6 and join in a ring, 12 s. c. in the ring. Do not join, as the balls are worked around and around, both threads of stitch being taken up.
Second round: * 2 s. c. in first stitch, 1 s. c. in next, repeat from * all around. Make 4 more rounds of 18 stitches, followed by 2 rounds skipping every third stitch. Fasten off, but leave a long end of thread. Slip ball on cordeliere and after running the end of cord through the openings and fastening it firmly, slip ball over the joining, fill with cot¬ton and draw up with the thread left. Fasten two balls to the slip ball.
Balls: chain 4 and join in a ring. Make 8 s. c. in the ring.
Next round: 1 s. c., 2 s. c. in next stitch and repeat all around.
Make four more rounds of 12 s. c., then two rounds, skipping every third stitch on each round. Fill with cotton and make two rounds skip¬ping every other stitch. Draw up with 1 s. c., chain 6 and fasten off. Make 13 more balls in the same manner. Fasten ten balls across the bottom of reticule and two balls on each slip ball.