tiny sprawling, out-spreading toes are not only cramped in the movements that are necessary for their healthy development, but are wedged together with the great and little toes approached to one another, and thus the foundation is laid for deformity, afterwards to be perfected by the narrow-toed boot of later life.
I have sometimes seen these little shoes or socks so short for the baby that its toes have been quite doubled up by them. In crocheting or knitting the babies' stockings such as I have described on pp. 67, 68, care must be taken to allow for the outspread of the toes, the growth of the foot, and the shrinking which may take place when the little woollen garments are washed.
I may here observe that they should be washed in nearly cold water, stretched with the hands before being hung up to dry, and allowed to become as dry as possible before being finally aired by the fire. These remarks apply to all woollen clothes which have a tendency to shrink when washed, a tendency which the above plan will check as far as possible.
At a later stage, when shoes or boots are worn, and stockings are no longer as a rule made at home, there is greater difficulty in obtaining suitable foot-coverings.
All stockings ordinarily sold are rounded at the toes, and tend to divert the great toe from the straight line it should occupy. It is, however, of great importance that the stockings should be straight on the inner side, so as not to deform the great toes, and if such stockings cannot be
