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 →
I won’t have enough time to make “real” tutorials til after I get back from Braids 2012, but I just added text instructions for the Genji-Uchi braid to last year’s Kute-Uchi tutorial. The two videos already in that post relate directly to this braid! Here’s a photo of some Genji-uchi braids. They can be made with as few as 8 loops, and learned with only 4…the instructions for them are now in the Kute-Uchi post:
I just (re-) found Cindy Myers’ Silkewerk site, which has a wonderful section on Medieval fingerloop braids. She carefully compares the braid instructions of 3 different manuscripts,* with links to many photographs of her beautiful braid reproductions, along with very clearly-presented text instructions. Continue reading →
[A more recent post has a video for learning this braid, and a new color pattern for it, but this original post has the text tutorial , and includes more color pattern set-ups.]
Over 6 months ago Douglas Grant sent me instructions for a braid he had come up with. I meant to try it right away, but somehow it’s taken me this long to get around to it. I’m glad I finally did!
Spiaggian Eagle braid, designed by Douglas Grant
The braid is an unusual variation of a 7-loop spanish braid, with extra twists that cause the braid’s shape to end up firmly rounded rather than rectangular in cross-section. In some color patterns, the braid looks more square than round.
Same braid structure; different colors—5 bicolor + 2 single-color loops (doubled embroidery floss and rayon thread)
Gudrun Polak is an awe-inspiring and very inventive weaver, of both loom and card-weavings. Her weaving website is called The Loomy Bin. It’s a great resource— it has animated pattern-planning weaving programs as well as pattern libraries (for both card- and loom weaving). She’s also the mainstay of the braiding study group in the weaving guild I belong to—the Santa Cruz Handweavers Guild.
Here’s a loop-braided necklace that Gudrun made recently, using 5 bicolor loops in various patterns:
Necklace and pendant, 5-loop square braid, bicolor patterns, cotton embroidery floss. Made by Gudrun Polak. (very interesting closure!—see below)
[new- I just added text instructions for a more complex kute-uchi braid—called Genji Uchi—at the bottom of this post.]
Here’s a rather slap-dash post to announce two things—1 is that I recently made a couple of video tutorials on kute-uchi braiding (a Japanese hand-held loop braiding technique). I really wanted to finish up a Readers’ Gallery post and get that posted first, but it just ain’t done yet! Whereas these videos got dashed out in a hurry in answer to a video request, and they ARE done.
The other thing is my (tentative) new blog format—more about that below. Any feedback on this change is welcome—I am not wedded to this format, but certain things about it do seem better than the old one…
Here are the 2 new videos, each demoing one basic Kute-uchi move:
(these were video requests from Petr in the Czech Repuplic! He is very interested in both Kute-uchi and Kumihimo braiding—has now acquired plans for a marudai and is building it himself.)
A-fell loop braiding [index finger is the active braider] and V-fell loop braiding [ring or little finger is the active braider] move the transferring loop between the same fingers and through the same loops, but in the reverse direction. In the following video I demo using both methods to braid and unbraid a 3-loop square braid. This is a great way to undo back to a mistake. At the end of the video, I demo a slower way to unbraid that’s especially useful for braids of eight loops or more, since A-fell braiding can’t be done with more than seven loops.
[The video below shows braiding and unbraiding a 3-loop braid. I demo unbraiding a 7-loop braid in a more recent video-tutorial on 7-loop square braids. It's toward the end of that video, at 23:50. Unbraiding a 5-loop braid is almost the same process.]
This video tutorial demos an alternative method for braiding the 15th c. 8-loop braid called Lace Dawns, or Daunce in the Medieval loop braiding manuscripts. It is a much faster method, with no extra moves, or doubled loops on any fingers.
Lace Daunce, or Lace Dawns. 8-loop flat braid, wool
This year, the theme for the Braid Society’s swap was “Rainbow Girl”, which I first assumed was just a fun title for a rainbow color theme.
But when I finally actually read the full description, I found out that Rainbow Girl refers to a Navajo sand painting guardian figure (though swappers were given the leeway to interpret this theme in any way we wished).
Navajo sand painting, vintage photographic print by Poley, H. S. betw. 1890 and 1908.
According to the Swap organizer, Rainbow Girl is typically shown as an elongated and very abstract encircling figure, with stripes of alternating light and natural colors, a square head, a pouch, a kilt, and one or more bunches of 5 feathers. Continue reading →
5- and 7-loop square and flat braids are great-looking and easy to learn… For an even easier intro to loop-braiding, click on the links to my videos for 3-loop braids…(Click title to continue)
Loop braiding is a way of making cords and bands, using only your hands and some yarn or string…
I’m hoping to promote and teach loop braiding in this blog, as well as meet other braiders and textile craftspeople, and share pictures, ideas, and inspiration. Please comment under any of the posts! Or send me an email–click Contact at top of page. I would love to hear about what you are making! … (Click title to continue)
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Braids in header photo
Some are traditional, some are original, and some are a little of both. I made them all solo, including the ones that traditionally would have been made by two or three braiders working together. Described here, some with links to instructions .
