Six pack hammock

I tried to scan the instructions for this out of the (fabulous, inspiring) Play Book by Steven Caney, but the print comes out just too indiscernably tiny so I'm going to do you the enormous favor of typing it all out. That's right, I'm that committed. Because summer's already halfway over and you're going to have to get a move on if you want to gather up the 75 six pack carriers necessary for this relaxing little contraption. So here goes... might as well pop a brewskie while you read... you're going to need to drink a lot of 'em:

Before you decide to build the SIX PACK HAMMOCK, be sure you have a place to hang it. There are no absolute rules about distances between hanging points or height off the ground. If you are going to make your own hammock, it can be constructed to fit the space you have. The most popular place to hang a hammock is between two trees. You can also use a single tree in combination with a strong anchoring place like a house or a large post sunk into the ground. If you look hard enough, you will almost always find a sturdy hanging point. To hang the hammock, use large screw eyes at the attaching points and mount them about five or six feet above the ground. Screw eyes can be put directly into a tree without harming it. The actual height of the hammock is easily adjusted, but you still might want to have a helper and yourself hold the hammock in position to be sure your hanging points are properly placed.

MATERIALS

at least 75 plastic six-pack carriers

clothesline

2 wood sticks

2 metal rings

2 "S"-hooks

TOOLS

scissors

saw

drill and 5/16-inch bit

CONSTRUCTION

First detrmine the size of the hammock you are going to make. If you have selected a place to hang the hammock, measure the distance between the two hanging points. The "body" or people part of the hammock should be about half that dimension. The harness that supports the hammock at either end will take up the rest of the length.

A good two- or three-kid size hammock (as shown in the photograph) can be made from ninety six-pack carriers--- nine across and tehn long. You can collect the six pack carriers over a period of time or you might go scavenging around in a campground or a ball park. If you are really in a hurry, a local soda or beer "bottler" who uses six-pack carriers might help you.

The body of the hammock and the harness are both made at the same time by weaving clothesline through the holes in the plastic carriers. The hammock is woven one lengthwise row at a time. Lay out a single row of carriers to the length of the hammock body you want. Place the carriers lengthwise so that their end "circles" interweave and partially overlap.

Cut a length of clothesline cord a few feet longer than the entire length of the hammock (body and harness). Weave the clothesline the length of the row through the holes in the carrier where they overlap. Weave the cord over, through, under, up, over, through, under, up, Fig. 2. Adjust the clothesline so that here are equal lengths of cord at either end.

Continue to add rows of carriers in the same way until the hammock is the width you want. After the last row, weave another length of clothesline through the circles along each of the two outside edge rows.

Lay the hammock flat and square on the floor. To make the "spreaders" --- the devices used to keept hr ropes separate from one another--- find two flat sticks andc ut each of them a few inches longer than the width of the hammock. Place one of the sticks at each end of the hammock body and mark the positions of the ropes on the stick. Drill a hole at each mark down the center of the sticks. The holes should be large enough for the rope to go through easily.

Carefully make a singel loop knot on each cord where it leaves the body of the hammoc. Do this on both sides of the hammock. Place a spreader at each end of the hammock and thread the ropes in order through the holes in the spreaders.

Push the spreaders up against the knots. Using two more lengths of clothesline cord, weave the end circles of the carriers to the spreader sticks. Tie the cord at each end of the stick, Fig. 3.

Gather the cords at one end of the hammock and bring them together at the end. Tie each cord individually to a large ring, being sure to adjust each cord so that the hammock will lie flat on the floor with no cords kinking. Snip off any excess cord ends.

You can hang the hammock directly to the support eye hooks using "S" hooks, or using two more "S"-hooks and two short lenghts of chain, you can make the hammock height adjustable.

The SIX PACK HAMMOCK requires no maintenance and can be used outdoors year round. IT is strong and safe for adults as well as kids.