Getting string in Minecraft

How can I get string in Minecraft? Spiders are so few and far between (for me anyway), and I don't like to venture outside at night for fear of mobs, and even in the daytime there are creepers to watch out for.

Is there some sort of trap I can use to trap spiders?

Since spiders can climb walls, but not with a lip, I thought maybe a pen with a wall like this would work:

[][]        [][]
[]            []

Would this work to trap spiders? I need some way to get spiders so I can get string.

Solution 1:

Once approach would be to make a mob spawning area where various monsters can spawn, but everything except spiders falls out. Perhaps a large dark area with some 1x1 or 2x1 holes in the floor, that lead to lava pits.

Many monsters will spawn here, but zombies, skeletons etc will fall into the pits and die. Spiders need a 2x2 opening to move through, so they will remain, and presumably accumulate. Then you can add a 1x2 opening (such as a door) to open and kill the spiders through.

Another approach is to try to build an area where only spiders can spawn. According to this post, if you make a wide room with glass blocks 1 space over the floor, spiders can spawn there but not tall mobs. I'm not sure if this is (still) correct, but it could be worth a try.

Solution 2:

The AI pathing code generally prevents mobs from taking fall damage, so you wouldn't be able to make the pit very deep. Since the pit isn't deep, a spider may be able to effectively jump out. You could also use water to guide the spiders into such a trap, but at that point you might as well build a full fledged mob spawner/grinder.

Instead of trapping a spider, you're probably better off to go caving and find either a spider spawner or an abandoned mine-shaft. You can set up a spawner so that there is only a 1 wide by 2 block high exit, which the spiders can't travel through, allowing you to keep a safe distance while you kill them. Mine-shafts contain cobwebs, which when broken by a sword produce string. Obviously, these methods are more dangerous, but I would suggest that the rewards are significantly better in the form of resources that you find along the way.

Solution 3:

You can get string without worrying about spiders (sort of) by finding an abandoned mineshaft. These will contain a fair amount of cobweb, which can be broken with a sword to get string.