A few links to new info …and a poll! Short and easy—scroll down my sidebar to see it →. I’m trying to get an idea for which way this blog should be heading.
I haven’t finished enough braids to make a nice glossy post yet…Lately I’ve been spending more of my free time outdoors hiking than indoors braiding. But in the meantime, here’s a preview photo (click twice to enlarge):
I’ve also made a couple of behind-the-scenes additions to past tutorials:
I am so sorry about this– twice now I’ve hit “publish” instead of “save draft” on a new post I’m working on. If you are a subscriber to this blog, please accept my apologies for getting two invalid notices about it. A real post is in the works but wont be ready for a while. (and no, this was not an attempt at an April Fool’s joke!)
I may as well announce here that I recently added an info page on the 17th C. alphabet braids—it can be accessed through the “About” tab in the menu at the top of every page. Just hover on “about loop braiding” and you should see it at the bottom of a secondary drop-down over to the right. Again, sorry for the false alarm!
I wasn’t trying to make a Year of the Snake fingerloop braid when I made the first of these curvy braids last month, shortly after Chinese New Year. Continue reading
This is part 3 of my double braid tutorials, on the hollow, or tubular version of the double braid. [Part 1 – Basic instructions, and Solid Rectangle double braids; Part 2 – Flat double braids.] No video in this tutorial—it’s not needed, as the method is so similar to making a flat double braid.
These are what I’ve been working on recently while I’ve been away from my computer—warp-faced, plain weave finger loop braids that I’ve been making with a new (to me) method.
Warp-faced plain weave, embroidery floss, 7-16 loops. Photo will enlarge 2 times to show the structure (click twice)
Part 2 on two-person fingerloop braids done by a solo braider: Flat double braids.
[Part 1 introduced the basic instructions for double braids, and taught solidly rectangular, and divided double braids.]
Flat double braids of 8 loops. Embroidery floss, 5/2 perle cotton, linen, rayon
Part 1, see also Part 2 (flat double braids) and Part 3 (hollow double braids)
Two-worker loop braids; multi-person fingerloop braids; team braids, double braids—whatever term you use, these are the braids that are tantalizingly out of reach for most loop braiders, because the traditional methods for making them require two (or more) braiders working together on one braid.
The class I taught at Braids 2012 was two days on how to make “double braids” as a solo fingerloop braider. There were two main things I was hoping to get across:
First of all, a procedure for making 6 and 8-loop double braids (“double-square,” “double-flat”, and many other doubled braid shapes) as a solo braider. Secondly, but just as importantly, an understanding of the basic structure of these braids, so that all 12 or so of their shape variations would make sense—and therefore be easier to remember and to braid.
Ok, here goes with Part 2… This is about the kute-uchi loop braiding day in Joy Boutrup’s class at Braids 2012. (Her first day had covered historic European finger loop braids. The highlight had been several unusual braids and braiding methods that she learned through analyzing museum specimens—braids that are not recorded in any of the surviving loop braiding manuscripts.)
I just wish I had taken more photos, and asked Joy more questions!
It’s been weeks since the conference and I still keep having dreams about interlaced strands…
While the classes were the official focus of the conference, a lot of the enjoyment was also the fun and excitement of being around so many other people as interested in obscure textile techniques as myself, sharing some of these, seeing braid exhibits, chatting, (eating!), and exploring Manchester and the nearby city of Macclesfield. There were people from all over the world—a few familiar faces, a few whom I’d only known “virtually” before the conference, most whom I had never met before.
John Whitley (Seattle,USA), Dominic Taylor (UK), Tulvi Turo (Estonia), Joy Boutrup (Denmark)
And there were several participants who had come specifically for the two loop braiding workshops. To me this was completely amazing and wonderful! Continue reading
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