No pics yet, but I'm starting to learn how to do this, yay!
I started with 8 strands (of acrylic worsted weight yarn) folded in half, which is probably slightly more complicated than it needed to be, but it's giving me a lot of good info on what not to do and why.
My baby braid is very uneven. Hopefully it'll be a lot better by the time I'm done.
I used 4 different colors -- one color each for lower N/S, upper N/S, lower E/W, and upper E/W. That way, it's easier to keep track of each level and what it's doing. I'm doing the same moves each time and am getting a square braid with vertical stripes. I'm not fully sure why it's not spiraling like it seems to do in a lot of Youtube videos, but it looks about right compared to my in-print resources and according to what my brain thinks is happening. Or maybe not. I guess this is one of the things that will become obvious eventually.
One I finish mangling this braid, I'll retreat to 4 strands folded in half (2 threads per side instead of 4) and try again.
I do understand the underlying theory of having upper and lower threads, with the lower threads being the ones that move. I understand the idea of crossing the strands clockwise or counterclockwise, and I also understand rotating 90 degrees to do each side in turn. I'm sure there's a lot I don't understand yet, and probably am not even aware of not understanding. But that's what this kind of learning is all about, right?
I'm getting comfortable with holding the braid in my fist along with the threads that are not to be bothered during the current braiding step.
I liked the starting method, which I saw somewhere I can't remember but is probably universally known and I just didn't know it. Lay down the lower N/S threads, then the lower E/W threads, then the upper N/S threads, and finally the upper E/W threads. I used a piece of thread to hold the cross in place for the first few moves. One starts with braiding the lower N/W threads and goes from there. The threads will not be locked into place for a round or two so it's possible to adjust where the middle is.
I will probably show a pic of my baby braid when it's done, baby missteps and all.
One of the goals, obviously, is to be able to make Andean and Tibetan style braided slings, in addition to making cool braids in general.
The braided sling I wrote about in the previous post is keeping me entertained. I need something heavier to toss around -- cat toys don't have sufficiently predictable aerodynamic properties. But not too heavy, since my accuracy is still garbage and I don't want to break anything with a poorly-aimed projectile. What I really need is to find someone who is already a decent slinger to give me some good feedback.
My next bast-fiber sling might be with a 5-strand pigtail/herringbone braid. I'll probably do the same basic design. I do need to double-check how to split or join the braids at the pouch since I think it's slightly more complicated than doing it with a 3-strand braid. After that, I might start experimenting with different ways to add a sling pouch. Eventually, of course, I'll start tapering the various parts -- heavier near the pouch, perhaps more slender by the end of the release cord. Not all historic slings do that but some do.
So many fun things to learn and play with! (Netting! Sprang! More fingerloop braiding! More tablet-weaving! More inkle-weaving! Kumihimo/marudai fun! Etc. So much etc.)
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