Tutorials

Here is a list of links to any post with instructions on it. (Links will open in a separate window.) Some tutorials have videos, some have photos, a few have neither—just bare-bones text instructions.  Other than the order of the 5-11 loop braids, the order in this list is arbitrary—for example you might want to look at the “longer braids”  or “bicolor loops” info right after learning a five or seven-loop braid.

See my Spiral Braid video links, and others, down at the bottom of this page. These are video tutorials that I haven’t written posts for yet: easy 2 to 3-loop braids, and 4 to 10-loop versions of the spiral braid. (Check back periodically, I occasionally add to this list.)  I am open to video requests—leave a note under “comments” below, or email me.

Start Here: 5-loop braids, both square and flat.  4 videos, photos, text.

Continue Here: 7-loop braids. Video tutorial showing the 7-loop version of the basic square, flat, and divided fingerloop braid introduced in the “Start Here” tutorial.

Introductory tutorial on Kute-uchi 5-loop braids (two methods) for making square and flat braids. 2 videos, braid photos. Kute-uchi is a hand-held loop braiding method. Loops are held around the whole hand rather than on separate fingers. (So far, this is my only Kute-uchi tutorial, all my other tutorials are on fingerloop braiding.)

Introduction to bicolor loops.  Loops made out of 2 different colors can result in interesting color-patterns. Just added —> Now includes a 3-loop video tutorial. The photo-tutorial section shows how to make three different bicolor patterns for 5 loops or more. Video, photo-sequence, text. (scroll down a little for the tutorial)

A very cool and complex 17th C.  “spanish” braid of 7 loops
Makes a rectangular braid, i.e. about as thick as a 4-loop square braid, but twice as wide. Slo-mo video, plus text description of the moves and several color patterns. Learn 7-loop square braids before this one (see above). Even though this braid only has 7 loops, it is twice as complex as a square braid. The moves may seem odd at first, but are very efficient once you get used to them. For learning this braid it would help to be aware of the traditional names for the fingers (a, b, c, d) and that R=right and L=left. This braid is the base, component braid of the doubled 14-loop letterbraid.

Round version of the 7-loop spanish braid (or not?):
Great variation of the above braid—perhaps different enough to not to be quite “spanish.” Invented or discovered by a blog reader, Doug Grant, who calls it the Spiaggian Eagle braid after one of its color patterns. Text-only instructions given—for two alternative braiding methods for making this braid. (One of these 2 methods is quite similar to the spanish braid method taught in the video-tutorial above.) Makes a firm, round braid. Looks slightly square in some color-patterns, but is twice as intricate as a regular square braid, with very different color patterns.

9-loop braids: (square and flat braids, also info on unorthodox variations) Requires using thumbs.  Go ahead and try 9-loop braids before you are lightning-fast at making 7-loop braids! [rationale here]) Two videos, photos, text.  Miscellaneous info in the “notes” section following the tutorial: historical references to 9-loop braids, current revival of loop braiding, how I got into loop braiding, etc.

Unorthodox braids of 9 loops: In the notes section following the main 9-loop tutorial. Text instruction for 2 unorthodox (UO) braids, plus how to come up with more on your own. Unorthodox braids are a huge topic, deserve a whole series of posts I haven’t gotten to yet. Even more beautiful unorthodox braids can be made with 11 loops.

Lace Dawns and Lace Piol   Alternate, V-fell method. This is a much quicker method for making these 8-loop medieval braids (if you are used to using thumbs, as taught in my 9-loop tutorial). Video, text.

[Let me know if you want more video tutorials for braids that require using thumbs...]

Ways to set down your loops in the middle of braiding.
Video, photos, text.

Ways to braid LONGER loop braids –up to several feet or yards/meters (first part of post). Photos, text.

Ways to start a braid with no ends hanging out/ smooth starts (second part of post). Text, photos, one video, more to come.

11-loop braids. (square, flat, also info on unorthodox variations) 2 videos, photo-tutorial, text. Requires holding 2 loops on little fingers. Wait til 9-loop braiding moves are very automatic before moving on to 11 loops. You’ll need the control over your loops that will be there by the time you can braid 9-loop braids while carrying on a conversation, or watching tv, etc. Do watch both videos when you are learning this braid—they repeat a lot, but both have tips scattered through them that are not repeated on the other video.

Videos not yet in posts:

Setting up a loop bundle for making a 3-loop braid, easy method.
Setting up a loop bundle for making a 3-loop braid, great way to start with an eyelet/loop  at the top of the braid, and no ends at the top of the braid. (Also works for braids of more than three loops.)
3-loop braid, part 1—square braid
3-loop braid, part 2—divided and flat variations, plus a trick for better tightening of 3-loop braids
3-loop braid, bicolor pattern—also shows how to rearrange loops on fingers to change patterns or revert to a previous pattern
unbraiding a 3-loop braid—using A-fell and V-fell methods for undoing a braid. (this video is now in my recent blog post on unbraiding, but I’m leaving it here, too, since it goes along with this series of 3-loop videos that I don’t have a post for yet)

2-loop braid, short loops, right handed
2-loop braid, long loops (hand-held loops), right handed

4-loop Spiral braid, part 1, right handed, incl unturned exchanging
4-loop Spiral braid, part 2, right handed, incl adding a loop into braid
6-loop Spiral braid, part 1 , right handed, incl 3 different ways to exchange w/out turning the loop—results in no torque to the braid (a neater braid)
6-loop Spiral braid, part 2, right handed, adding a loop into the braid
8-loop Spiral braid, part 1, right handed (lace bend round of viii bowes)
8-loop Spiral braid, part 2, right handed (including vertical stripes patterns)
8-loop Spiral braid, part 3, right handed (a divided spiral braid, for making a loop)
10-loop Spiral braid, right handed, (this is also posted in the “you CAN put your loops down”  blog post, since it demos how to set loops down on a comb when stopping in the middle of a braid—see beginning and end of video.)

See Dominic’s bracelet with a ONE-color spiral braid. This makes a great texture, I have never tried this before. Thanks, Dom!

Left-handed videos:
2-loop braid, short loops, left handed
2-loop braid, longer loops (hand-held), left-handed
4-loop Spiral braid, left handed
6-loop Spiral braid, left handed
8-loop Spiral braid, left handed (Shows 2 things not covered in the right-handed videos: how to make the spiral pattern change direction, and how to unbraid a spiral braid for several cycles.  Skip to halfway or so through the video, to just where I start to join up the mid-braid loop I’ve made in the braid.)