The first braid I worked with was the 3-strand braid. Okay, how do you keep the loose ends from tangling and re-braiding themselves? They needed a small amoount of weight. Presto, a lot of Kumihimo bobbins. I began winding the ends on one bobbin. When that was full, I added another bobbin, and so forth. First one, then two, then three and finally four per bout.
Then when it became obvious that I was going to run out of bobbins, I switched to the biggest pill containers I could find.
And what do you do when the pill containers fill up? Wrap the bout around the outside of the container.
Once that braid was dealt with, I began working on the 4-strand Kimihumo braid, and went straight to the pill containers. It's like a crazy game of cat's cradle, with a demented cat as opponent! Haven't got the hang of the placement and timing yet.....
Oh, by the way, a warping valet has many uses. The end of the braid was tossed over the bar of the warping valet twice (for a little added friction), and with some light fishing weights as counter-weights, I can easily keep the unbraiding at a convenient hight. A slight tug releases more yardage.
This a fun experiment but probably one I won't repeat! No way can I charge enough to cover the time consumed with braid ikat!
1 comment:
Interesting to need the about the twisting. I sure hadn’t thought that far ahead. This is a situation when it would be great to have a few studio helpers.
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