Having cleared up any thought that I was just going to wax nostalgic about the past, I begin my posts on fun and games with a consideration of shoe strings. These long cords, capped with eglets(a word only useful in crossword puzzles) were a constant irritant in my childhood. If I tied them too quickly they came undone and threatened to trip me. If I tied them too tightly I ended up with a knot I was unable to undo. I clearly remember believing that I could never be a mother because I could not get a knot out of a shoelace.
But shoelaces were just right for the hand game of “cat’s cradle,’ pictured in the illustration above. The game took two people, both of whom needed to know how to make the moves and both of whom were willing to play at any given time. I rarely found another girl to play this with, so I usually only got through the first steps, the one’s I could do alone.
One summer, however, when we spent six weeks at my grandparents’ home in the country, my mother was unusually relaxed. She patiently went through the whole process with me with a grand flourish of “ta da” when we finished. After that she showed me “Jacob’s Ladder,” another string design. I was amazed at this playful side of my usually harried mother. I remember the game with fondness as I see the two of us under the large sycamore tree playing with a shoestring.
Saved By Words 
Who knew that “Living on a shoestring” could evoke such fond memories! 😉
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Glad you caught the pun.
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Do children still do that? I wonder!
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Good question. I haven’t heard from anyone about that.
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Must have been your mother’s ‘happy place’, playing the game to escape the world….
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Yes and her mother to share the work.
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OK
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Great memories with your mother, Elizabeth. I remember the games, too.
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I remember doing both of these as a kid, but I doubt that I could still today.
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Sweet memories of your mom. I never did get the hang of cats cradle. But I loved the button on a string game, where with a few winds it seemed to become elasticized. Remember that one?
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I remember seeing local girls doing this, usually with offcuts of wool. I never tried it myself though.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yes yarn worked well too. I don’t think any boy I knew would have touched the game! We had very clear gender distinctions.
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I was always a bit useless with those two-person steps myself. But then I took ages to learn to tie my shoelaces too. Cackhanded, my Gran called me.
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Great word. I will try to remember it next time I fumble with something.
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It was too difficult for me.
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Just as well. Not a marketable skill!
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It is difficult to teach it because both hands are tied up so to speak. I’ve tried to teach some pretty young children and we got one or steps but got stuck quickly. It is fun to do!
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I’m with you on that one.
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