A “double braid” is my term for a doubly-wide type of loop braid that was traditionally made by two braiders cooperating in braiding a single braid. I make many of these braids solo, holding the loops of one hypothetical braider on my left hand, and the loops of the other braider on my right hand. Double braids have also been called multi-person braids, 2-worker braids, multiple worker braids, etc.
Two double braids from the 17th C with a wonderful “unorthodox” loop exchange method that goes back to the 12th Century, if not further. This exchange move is so easy to do with REALLY cool results! It produces unusual loop braids that may be unique to Europe. Videos for my solo braider method, illustration for the traditional team braiding method.
A track-plan diagram is both a cross-section view of a braid’s shape, and also a road map of how the strands interlace. Aside from looking cool, they can be useful even if you don’t totally “get” them. Even a little familiarity with them can help you better understand what you’re braiding.
There are 3 ‘rules’ for braiding flat braid zig-zag patterns, and they apply to all (unfolding) flat braids, including 5 and 7-loop flat braids. Using them you can plan wide zig-zags, skinny zig-zags, double zig-zags, bordered zig-zags, and more. Set-ups given for several 7 and 8-loop flat ‘square’ and double braid zig-zag patterns…
Here’s a video that shows how I make twelve-loop double braids. If you are new to my site, please don’t be put off from loop braiding because this video makes it look too complicated! – I have many tutorials for easy and beautiful loop braids, see my Tutorials index.
In the first part of the video I show some braids in my twelve-loop double braid sample book…
Also tips on how to make yet another double braid shape than the flat, hollow and rectangular ones of my double braid tutorials—the side-slit double braid.
Set-up instructions for 11 color patterns for flat double braids, plus 1 solid double braid color pattern, 1 hollow, and 2 side-slit rectangle color patterns.
Just an announcement: my first double braid tutorial now includes the set-up instructions for all the braids in photos! These are solid rectangle double braid color patterns for 10-loop braids, as well as a few 6 and 8-loop color patterns. In my first Double Braid Tutorial, scroll down to Color planning and loop set-up (below…
Tips on braiding as a team – the traditional way to make what I call “double braids” — ten-loop braids that are twice as big and complex as a square braid. Yet all you and your partner need to know first is how to make a 5-loop square braid! Video and photos.
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…
Hollow/ tubular ‘double braid’ – my solo method, plus openwork, color tricks, and jewelry ideas. Several color patterns taught for 6- to 10-loop hollow braids.
My second tutorial on “double braids”! Here I show you how to braid a flat, ribbonlike double braid, twice as wide as the rectangular braid of my earlier tutorial, but made almost the same way. The tall braid photo located somewhere in my right sidebar is of a 10-loop flat double braid, made with color-linking – a color-manipulation trick that I demo in this tutorial.
The braids in this photo are like square braids, but twice as wide! They are nice and substantial, not ribbonlike, and can have very different designs on the upper and lower surfaces if you use any bicolor loops.
I call these braids “rectangular double braids” because the traditional way to make them required two people to braid square braids side-by-side and joined together (the braids, not the braiders!). Here I teach my workaround method for one person to braid a double braid without a helper.
The class I taught at Braids 2012 was two days on how to make double braids as a solo fingerloop braider. I also learned a lot from my students, including that one of them had learned how to braid 9-loop braids using thumbs as well as fingers in China during the mid 1900’s! This is totally new information for the history of loop braiding!
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 was on European finger loop braids.) Her class covered so much that it was like a feast…
Loop braiding highlights at the conference: Two different 2-day loop braiding workshops, plus a report from Mari Omura on loop braiding archeological evidence in Asia going back thousands of years B.C! Joy Boutrup’s 1st day of class included several unusual European loop braids that she has discovered through analyzing museum specimens—braids that are not known from any of the 15th or 17th C. loop braiding manuscripts…
This braid is an unusual variation of a 7-loop spanish braid, with intricate color-patterns and a shape that is firmly rounded rather than rectangular in cross-section. Invented or discovered by Douglas Grant, a reader of this blog, who allowed me to share it here. (Thanks, Doug!) [A more recent post has the video for this braid, but this post has photos + instructions for several different color patterns.]
How to set up the loops on your fingers to get the color order you want in your square, flat, Spanish, or double braid. Also, many square and flat braid color-patterns with setup instructions (and some flat double braid patterns contributed by Dan Gaiser). Part 2: hints and ideas on how to choose effective color combinations for your braids.
I am very excited about this! I just got word that my workshop proposal (Intro to double braids as a solo braider) was accepted by the organizers of Braids 2012! That’s an international braiding conference (who knew?) that will be held in Manchester, England next year, August 20 – 24, put on by the Braid…
This is an incredible finger loop braid from the 14th Century! It’s only known from a single museum artifact somewhat older than the 15th C. loop braiding manuscripts. This braid is amazingly similar to a Japanese kute-uchi braid that was made by a completely different method…
An intricate and unusual 7-loop braid —the word for braid was spelled some funny ways in the 17th C. manuscripts— is the basis of the 14-loop alphabet braid. Joy Boutrup described this 7-loop braid in her recent groundbreaking analysis of the 17th C. letter braids.
Ok, I finished the last bit, and decided to take a couple more pics after washing it and before sending it off. After shrinking less than an inch, it’s 46 inches total–40 inches to the point where it splits into 2 separate parts for the first half of the “tail.” A little over 1/2 inch…
Loop Braiding 