I finished the zigzag braid. I like it and feel like I'm slowly getting better at the physical movements and am understanding more of the theory behind it.
Then I started a new braid. This braid has one side twisting clockwise and the other side twisting counterclockwise, to make a braid that is a straight square instead of a spiral. This is a pretty common braid that can be made in several ways.
I wanted to try this braid to see if I could match the braiding pattern on a photo of a sling from the Silk Road area (in Asia) that I saw in an online museum archive. I'm not quite there yet but I am getting to practice a couple of new things.
It's an intentional pattern design so I have to keep track of which strand goes where and when. Also, the colors are aligned vertically rather than spiraling, which means alternating the twisting directions on the N/S versus the E/W sides. And one side is all the same color, so I have to keep track of which thread is the lower vs the upper, the left set of threads vs the right, and so on. One additional thing is that this is in a fairly thick cotton yarn; dunno if that adds anything to the complexity but it is different from doing it in a fairly thick acrylic yarn.
As with other braids I've tried, I started in the middle, braiding the square braid with 4 strands (3 white and 1 green). Then I joined the ends together into a loop, and continued downwards with 8 strands.
My braid isn't perfect but it's getting better as I make various mistakes, realize what's going on, and then try to improve.
In addition to looking through Adele Cahlender's book on Andean Sling Braiding, and through Roderick Owen's books, I also used Jean Leader's explanations from this page on her website: https://www.fascinatingbraids.com/sling.html and in particular, her instructions on Sling Braids with Spirals and Stripes.
I'm not sure what's next. I do want to make a few hemp slings and share them with my friends.
Everything else is on the to-do list, too. But life is busy, and other things often take priority. Although I do fun things when I have a chance, I don't always end up with something interesting to photograph or write about.
