Cat's cradle (string game)

Cat's cradle is a well known string game or series of string figures. The name of the entire game, the specific figures and their order, and the names of the figures vary.

The game begins with one player wrapping a loop of string around that player's own hands (around the fingers or wrists), then taking one side of the string and circling ones hands again. Then this player takes the string which runs on the inside of the left arm onto the first finger of their right hand, then, reaching through the triangle created, the loop on the inside of the right hand is taken onto the first finger of the left hand.

This creates two sets of crossed string between both hands. The second player grasps each cross horizontally with their thumb and first finger, pulls this outwards, down under the line which runs below the crosses from the first players wrists, and back up. The first player lets go of the figure and the second player stretches it open by bringing apart their thumbs and fingers. This figure is the cat's cradle. A series of other alterations lead back to the cat's cradle.