Three-loop fingerlooped braid exploration, part 2

So...  today I looked again the Jean Leader version of the 3-loop fingerloop braid to see if and how it was different from the Ingrid Crickmore version.  I had speculated that it was the difference between A-fell and V-fell (i.e. using the index vs the middle finger as the operator/picker finger).

Nope.  It's different.

Oh, wait!

I screwed up again, and didn't follow the instructions properly.  I ended up with a true 3-strand braid, with both loops always traveling together and never crossing/intersecting with other loops.  It is fairly flat as one would expect from a 3-strand pigtail braid.  One side of the braid is going V up and the other side is V down.

It is, of course, adorable. 

The basic method for this one:   With this version of the 3-strand fingerloop braid, one has 2 loops on one hand (index and middle finger), and one loop on the middle finger of the other hand.  The empty index finger goes into the middle-finger loop on the other hand and scoops it from the bottom loop, which reverses it.  The other-hand index finger loop moves to the now-empty middle finger.  And then one repeats with the other hand (i.e. the now-empty index finger scoops the other-hand middle-finger loop from the bottom, move the unworked index-finger loop to the middle finger, etc. and repeat).

OK, now to try yet again to do the braid using Jean Leader's instructions...

And yes, whew, finally!  It is pretty much the same triangular braid as I produced with Ingrid Crickmore's instructions.  It's not exactly the A-fell vs V-fell instructions, though it is that, too, but it's still about the picker-finger going through one of the other loops before picking up (and reversing) the third loop.

Jean Leader's instructions (for real this time):  One has 2 loops on one hand (index and middle finger) and 1 loop on the middle finger of the other hand.  The empty index finger goes through the middle-finger loop on the same hand and then scoops up the middle-finger loop on the other hand from the bottom, putting a twist in it.  Move the other-hand index finger loop to the middle finger.  Then repeat starting with the empty index finger, as before.  It's pretty fast and automatic after you get the hang of it.

So...  do I get the same structure with the Crickmore/Leader instructions if my picker finger goes through the other available loop before picking up the loop that will be changing hands?  Probably?  Though maybe it'll be a less ergonomic move, depending on one's ergonomic preferences.  I'll have to check in order to see for myself.  (Yes... see below, and it's very ergonomic no matter which operator finger one uses.)

I know I'm easily entertained, but I do indeed find it entertaining that there are several different braid structures that can be made with this 3-loop fingerloop set-up and basic instructions, depending on how many loops the operator finger goes through before picking up (and reversing) the loop that will be grabbed.  It also entertains me that there is more than one way of producing the same braid structure for some of these braids.  That doesn't even include the split/double braid or the flat braid(s), both of which include some non-reversing loops.  I suspect that there are some different flat braids possible, too, given that half the moves of the flat braid are identical to the square/round/plain braid.  And obviously these structure variations depending on loop-intersections will apply to larger braids and will generate even more possible variations.

In case it wasn't clear...

In the above photo, the top braid is made using Ingrid Crickmore's instructions.  The middle one is my misunderstanding of (or not remembering) a different set of instructions.  The bottom one is yet another misunderstanding of Jean Leader's instructions.  There is no pic of the 4th braid, but I am pretty sure I did indeed follow the instructions properly, and it looks pretty much like the top braid.  I used one loop each of three different colors.  I didn't feel like doing 6 different colors, but obviously one can make lots of cute braids by varying the colors of the different loops and the different sides of the loops.

Later, I tried the Jean Leader version of the square/triangular braid using the middle finger as the picker/operator and picking up the loop from the top to reverse it.  Yup, it worked, seems to be the same structure, and it's faster and easier to keep snug than the Crickmore version whether one uses the middle or index finger as the operator finger.  I also was able to make the 3-strand braid with no intersecting loops using the middle-finger and hooking the loop from the top.  Cool.

I can now envision a class to be taught on different ways to make 3-loop fingerlooped braids.

Hmm.... Another idle thought/speculation here -- for Ingrid Crickmore's 4-loop loop-exchange braid, would I be re-creating an 8 strand kongo-gumi braid if I always reverse the loops in the same direction, and if so, how much of a hassle would that be?

Probably everyone who's done any fingerlooping already knows all about this, but what the heck, it's my turn now.  I've known how to do different kinds of basic fingerloop braiding while following instructions for many years.  But I never thought about it much beyond following the instructions.