Lets Try Fingerloop Braiding
From this website (http://fingerloop.org/):
I won't explain anything about it because the website is really good and you can just go look at that. It's a lot more confusing reading about it than trying it though.
Mine here are done in wool, but I will try them in embroidery thread at some stage.
There was a ruler on the table where I wanted to take the picture, so I left it in so you can see the scale.
This is my first attempt - it's hard to keep the tension the same from beginning to end (it explains it more on the website), so this shows the loose start and tight end.
This is my second go - much better!
This one is the second pattern on the website. The top is what happens if you do it wrong, and the bottom is correct. You can't see that well in the picture, because pictures are flat, but it's essentially square in cross-section, which is pretty cool. Initially the instructions for this seem kind of impossible, but after trying it for a bit, it just sort of works out and it is fine.
If you try it and you get the split version, it means that you are a) picking up the top rather than the bottom of the loop, or b) doing what I was doing which is picking it up with my finger scooping downwards rathar than upwards.
One key point is DO NOT THINK whilst doing it, once you've worked out the sequence of hand movements you need to do. It's one of those things where if you think about it you suddenly can't and you start to screw it up.
And... I got so distracted by these I forgot to have a shower and can't have it now because my hair will be wet when I go to bed and it is cold here, so I will have to get up early tomorrow instead.
Fingerloop braids are braids woven using loops (or "bowes") of string on your fingers. Fingerloop braiding reached a high point in Medieval Europe and England between 1200 and 1600 CE. This braiding technique still survives today in isolated areas of Europe, the Middle East, South America and Japan.Said website had instructions from manuals from the 1400's - 1600's telling you how to make the fingerbraids. It's like more complicated finger-knitting like we did at school. (At my school finger knitting involved only one finger and making loops, which we used to make friendship bracelets, not the more fingers kind of finger knitting.) I always wanted to know how to do more complicated ones, but no one knew. However, I was looking at this because of my 16th century outfit I am making, and these can be used for the laces.
I won't explain anything about it because the website is really good and you can just go look at that. It's a lot more confusing reading about it than trying it though.
Mine here are done in wool, but I will try them in embroidery thread at some stage.
There was a ruler on the table where I wanted to take the picture, so I left it in so you can see the scale.
This is my first attempt - it's hard to keep the tension the same from beginning to end (it explains it more on the website), so this shows the loose start and tight end.
This is my second go - much better!
This one is the second pattern on the website. The top is what happens if you do it wrong, and the bottom is correct. You can't see that well in the picture, because pictures are flat, but it's essentially square in cross-section, which is pretty cool. Initially the instructions for this seem kind of impossible, but after trying it for a bit, it just sort of works out and it is fine.
If you try it and you get the split version, it means that you are a) picking up the top rather than the bottom of the loop, or b) doing what I was doing which is picking it up with my finger scooping downwards rathar than upwards.
One key point is DO NOT THINK whilst doing it, once you've worked out the sequence of hand movements you need to do. It's one of those things where if you think about it you suddenly can't and you start to screw it up.
And... I got so distracted by these I forgot to have a shower and can't have it now because my hair will be wet when I go to bed and it is cold here, so I will have to get up early tomorrow instead.
Comments