The 7-strand one-step disk braid

As I wrote in a previous post, setting up the 7-strand Fill the Gap disk braid as three groups of two strands and one group of one strand didn't work sufficiently well.  The gap kept moving around rather than always staying in the same relative position within its group.

However, setting it up as a "move the extra" rather than a "fill the gap" braid did work!

I set up three groups of strands -- two groups with two strands each, and one group of three strands.  As with the 5 and 9 strand braids, the extra strand jumps to the other side of the next group.

It doesn't matter what slits get used as long as the three groups are separated enough for the braider to know what to do next.

I am pretty sure this way of doing the 7-strand Move the Extra braid creates exactly the same braid as the Fill the Gap braid although it's conceptualized differently, plus or minus a bit of clockwise vs counterclockwise spiraling.  With the Fill the Gap set-up, you find the gap, count back two, and then move the third strand into the gap.  With this one, you jump over the four strands on the other side.  But the actual path of the thread is the same no matter which way you count it.  You move the same thread into the same position.

I'll be doing more thinking and playing around with these various tubular linked braids and one-step disk braids.  For now, though, I want to make sure I understand some of the possibilities well enough to be able to teach the 9-strand braid (and the general concept) this weekend.

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