I've been asked to be part of a demo this weekend. Specifically, I've been asked to demo/teach braiding, and in particular, fingerloop braiding. I'll be in the family crafts area, so I'll be doing quick one-on-one teaching to people of all ages, plus or minus a bit of whatever I want to demo when I don't have customers to teach.
Hmmm.
This calls for the standard, most common/famous fingerloop braid, right? The 5-loop unorthodox A-fell braid! It's pretty easy to learn, not much to wrap your brain around. The hardest part is the finger dexterity as you walk the loops.
Put loops on the index, middle, and ring finger of one hand, and the middle and ring finger of the other. Use the empty index finger to go through the middle-finger loop on the other hand and pick up the ring finger loop. Walk the loops down on that hand, and repeat with the other index finger. Etc. It doesn't matter if the loops are taken reversed or non-reversed. Well, with the usual caveats about bicolor loops, I suppose, or the other subtle differences in the braid's structure or appearance. But the braid looks roughly the same either way and it doesn't do anything weird like fall apart or become two braids.
For people for whom that is too complicated, we can do the 3-loop variation.
What I like about the above braid (in addition to its near-universal prevalence) is that it is relatively bomb-proof, i.e., you'll end up with SOME kind of braid, and also that it generalizes very easily. With your index finger of one hand, go through the loop next to the loop on the smallest finger on the other hand and pick it up, then walk the loops and repeat with the other hand. That works whether it's 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, etc. loops.
I might bring discs with me to teach the 7-strand fill-the-gap braid, too. Or even the 8-strand kongo-gumi braid.
I should have some random demo braids on display, as well. Plus maybe make sure I remember how to do several other kinds of braids if I get bored, either for demo or to teach. Other variations on a 5-loop braid, of course. Maybe one of the loop-transfer braids (the 4-loop, probably), since that's fairly easy to teach.
Should I pre-cut yarn in addition to having some for others to cut their own lengths with? Should I do this in the context of making a project such as a small bracelet? Or not, and suggest using the braid as a bookmark or keyring attachment or small tie, etc.?
I should probably also re-read a bit on the history of cordage so I can spout a few facts and what-not at people.
I might want to bring a hand-out, taped down, that people can take pics of if they want info on links to good websites and other resources for learning.
Should I bring silly things such as a sprang project? Plus my knitting, of course. The inkle loom is probably too fragile to be out in public (i.e. too easy for people to break or steal).
I want to practice some in-hand Andean-style braiding at some point (in addition to everything else I want to do), so that's another potential project for me to bring to entertain myself with. Hmmm... is that a possible method that could have been used by people doing the common 4-strand sennit/braid? Or does it not generalize as easily? Is the braid easier to make going up from the hand, or down from a tie-on point?
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I also wanted to mention that Noemi Speiser has passed away. She was 99, I believe -- a good, long, productive life. Her contributions to our knowledge of historic braiding and braiding techniques are immense. I've learned a lot from her publications and from the people she educated and inspired, and I have plenty more to learn as I continue to explore the world of braiding and other narrow wares, both woven and not.
https://trauer.nzz.ch/traueranzeige/noemi-speiser
