Braiding and Knotting: Techniques and Projects
3/5
()
About this ebook
All you need is three or more pieces of string, rope, cord, or some other pliable material and you're ready to begin! This book will teach you how to braid, weave, and knot them in hundreds of different ways, from simple three-stranded braiding through the attractive — though more complex — macramé knotting.
Complete, easy-to-follow instructions begin with braiding and weaving with anywhere from three to nine strands. Flat braiding, solid braiding, braiding over multiple strands, weaving across stationary strands, and many other techniques are covered. Each yields a different texture and pattern, so that with the imaginative use of color the results can be quite attractive. The knotting section covers the many different kinds of knots (square, spiral square, triple, half hitch, etc.) and how to use them in various decorative or functional ways. Fifty-seven drawings are especially helpful in adding clarity to the directions.
Along with these instructions there are directions for making numerous articles with your braids and knots: belts, lanyards, mats, rugs, sandals, hats, bags — only your imagination will limit the number of things you can make. Anyone inclined to take up braiding and knotting will find this book immensely helpful, not only in getting started, but in going through the advanced stages of crafts.
Related to Braiding and Knotting
Related ebooks
The Beginner's Guide to Friendship Bracelets: Essential Lessons for Creating Stylish Designs to Wear and Give Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5100 Beautiful Bracelets: Create Elegant Jewelry Using Beads, String, Charms, Leather, and more Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Knots, Splices and Rope Work Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKnotted and Beaded Macrame Jewelry: Master the Skills plus 30 Bracelets, Necklaces, Earrings & More Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Make it Modern Macramé: The Boho-Chic Guide to Making Rainbow Wraps, Knotted Feathers, Woven Coasters & More Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Paracord!: How to Make the Best Bracelets, Lanyards, Key Chains, Buckles, and More Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Practical Paracord Projects: Survival Bracelets, Lanyards, Dog Leashes, and Other Cool Things You Can Make Yourself Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMacramé For Beginners Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsElemental Macramé: 20 macramé and crystal projects for balance and beauty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hemp Bracelets and More: Easy Instructions for More Than 20 Designs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5New School Macramé: A contemporary knotting manual for over 100 fresh fibre projects Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings500 Bead Weaving Patterns for Bracelets Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/550 Thrifty DIY Lampshades: How to Make a Lampshade in 50 Ingenious Ways Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsParachute Cord Craft: Quick & Simple Instructions for 22 Cool Projects Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hello! Macrame: Totally Cute Designs for Home Decor and More Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Des Pawson's Knot Craft and Rope Mats: 60 Ropework Projects Including 20 Mat Designs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Knot Bible: The Complete Guide to Knots and Their Uses Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Friendship Bracelets 101: Fun to Make, Wear, and Share! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Macramé for Beginners: A Complete Guide with Basics and Beginner-friendly projects to master the techniques and knots of Macrame Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTotally Awesome Paracord Crafts: Quick & Simple Projects to Make Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Knot Book - Knots, Bends and Hitches - A Guide for Sailors, Adventurers and Hobbyists Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUltimate Wrap Bracelets: Make 12 Easy, Stylish Bracelets Step-by-Step (Downloadable Material Included) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beautiful Bead Weaving: Simple Techniques and Patterns for Creating Stunning Loom Jewelry Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/53D Beading Patterns: Collection of 20-faced Ball Projects Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMacrame for Home Decor: 40 Stunning Projects for Stylish Decorating Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Friendship Bracelets 102: Over 50 Bracelets to Make & Share Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Crafts & Hobbies For You
Kawaii Crochet: 40 Super Cute Crochet Patterns for Adorable Amigurumi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/540+ Stash-Busting Projects to Crochet! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Morpho: Anatomy for Artists Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Snuggle and Play Crochet: 40 Amigurumi Patterns for Lovey Security Blankets and Matching Toys Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLearn How to Play Piano Keyboard for Absolute Beginners: A Self Tuition Book for Adults and Teenagers! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Retro Crochet: Vibrant Vintage-Inspired Looks from the 70s, 80s, and 90s Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Big Book of Maker Skills: Tools & Techniques for Building Great Tech Projects Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crocheting in Plain English: The Only Book any Crocheter Will Ever Need Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Modern Crochet Bible: Over 100 Contemporary Crochet Techniques and Stitches Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Crochet Home: 20 Vintage Modern Crochet Projects for the Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Modern Amigurumi for the Home Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Crochet: Fun & Easy Patterns For Beginners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sharpie Art Workshop: Techniques & Ideas for Transforming Your World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Knitting Stitches VISUAL Encyclopedia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crochet in a Day: 42 Fast & Fun Projects Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The CIA Lockpicking Manual Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Corner to Corner Crochet: 15 Contemporary C2C Projects Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lit Stitch: 25 Cross-Stitch Patterns for Book Lovers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beginner's Guide to Crochet: 20 Crochet Projects for Beginners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Complete Language of Flowers: A Definitive and Illustrated History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crochet Every Way Stitch Dictionary: 125 Essential Stitches to Crochet in Three Ways Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden: Grow, Harvest, and Arrange Stunning Seasonal Blooms Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The New Braiding Handbook: 60 Modern Twists on the Classic Hairstyles Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hooked on Crochet! Afghans Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Celtic Charted Designs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Braiding and Knotting
6 ratings1 review
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I've always found this book hard to use, but I also haven't found a better one. I think it's just hard to explain three dimensional moves with words and two-dimensional pictures.
Book preview
Braiding and Knotting - Constantine A. Belash
BRAIDING AND KNOTTING:
TECHNIQUES AND PROJECTS
BY
Constantine A. Belash
Illustrations by
CHARLES E. WHITE, JR.
DOVER PUBLICATIONS, INC.
NEW YORK
Published in Canada by General Publishing Company, Ltd., 30 Lesmill Road, Don Mills, Toronto, Ontario.
This Dover edition, first published in 1974, is an unabridged republication of the work originally published by the Beacon Press, Inc., in Boston, in 1936. The text has not been abridged, but a brief Foreword and Preface which appeared in the 1936 edition have been omitted in this Dover edition.
International Standard Book Number: 978-0-486-15612-5 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 74-75266
Manufactured in the United States of America
Dover Publications, Inc.
180 Varick Street
New York, N.Y. 10014
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I
BRAIDING
I G ENERAL D IRECTIONS FOR B RAIDING
Instinctive Use of Braiding; Materials for Braiding; Securing Braiding Strands; Preventing Tangling of Strands; Joining Strands; Tension for Braiding
II F LAT B RAIDING
Simplest Method of Flat Braiding; Variation of First Method; Braiding over One or More Double Strands; Braiding over One or More Triple Strands; Braiding with Double Working Strands; Braiding with Triple Working Strands; Dividing and Rejoining a Braid
III W EAVING OVER S TATIONARY S TRANDS
One Strand Woven across Stationary Strands; Two Strands Woven across Together; Three Strands Woven across Together; Two Strands Woven across Alternately; Three Strands Woven across Successively; Four Strands Woven across Successively; Five Strands Woven across Successively; Three Strands Woven across to a Point on Each Side; Four Strands Woven across to a Point on Each Side
IV A RTICLES OF F LAT B RAIDING
Oval Rug or Mat; Sandals of Tropical Fiber; Raffia Hat; Suede Leather Belt; Bracelet of Wide Gimp on Metal Band
V S OLID B RAIDING
Round Braiding; Round Braiding Attached to a Clip or over a Band; Three-Strand Solid Braiding; Spiral Braiding with Four Strands; Reversing the Spiral; Square Braiding with Four Strands; Square Braiding with a Finished End; Braiding with a Core; Lock Knot
VI A RTICLES OF S OLID B RAIDING
Braided Bracelet on Metal Band; Boy Scout’s Lanyard; Dog Leash
PART II
KNOTTING
VII D IFFERENT K INDS OF K NOTS
Origin of Knotting; Cords for Knotting; Square or Flat Knots; Spiral Square Knotting; Square Knotting over Cores of the Same Cord; Triple Knot; Half-Hitch Knot; Picot Tops; Collecting Knots; Chain Stitch; Buttonhole Stitches; Sennit Stitch; Bullion Stitch; Triangle Stitch; Square Stitch; Shell Knot; Chinese Knot; Double Carrick Bend; Turk’s Head
VIII K NOTTED A RTICLES
Shade or Electric Light Pull; Round Gimp Knotted Bracelets; Buttoned Bracelet; Belt; Knotted Bag
PART I BRAIDING
CHAPTER I
GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR BRAIDING
Instinctive Use of Braiding
THE process of braiding strands together, both for decorative effect and in order to obtain added strength, seems to have been one of man’s earliest accomplishments. It may even have been that, through braiding, he was led to discover the more intricate art of weaving—an art developed by all the earliest civilizations, thousands of years ago. Because of the perishableness of braiding materials and the fact that no tools are used in the process, there can be no historic evidence to substantiate this theory.
The process of braiding applied to the hair can be more definitely traced. It is known that both men and women of long-haired races used to braid their hair in remote prehistoric times, either in one or two wide plaits or, as in the case of the early Egyptians, in a great number of small, tight braids. In Greece, the earliest center of European culture, men were wearing their hair in elaborate arrangements in the sixth century B. c., but, under the influence of the unrivalled Greek sculptors of the fourth century, the custom was introduced for men to have their hair cut short. The Romans quickly adopted the Greek style and short hair for men was continued in Europe under the Roman Republic and Empire and through the Middle Ages. In the seventeenth century A. D., long hair again became fashionable for men and, by the year 1680, had led to the wearing of large braided and curled wigs by both men and women of the wealthy classes. England followed the fashion of the Continent and the British soldiers in the American Revolution almost all had long braids, which they larded and powdered or wore in eel skins. In the early part of the nineteenth century, the fashion was dropped.
In the periods when men have worn their hair long, they seem to have taken great pride in their braids and curls, the only exception being for the queues of the Chinese. Previous to the year 1644, Chinese men, and also their neighbors in Japan and Korea, were wearing their hair long and done in a knot at the back of the head. In that year, with the establishment of the Manchu dynasty as a result of a rebellion which overthrew the ruling Ming dynasty, there was introduced into China the odd style of the Manchus of shaving the front part of the head and allowing the rest of the hair to grow long, and braiding the long hair in a queue, lengthened, if need be, with black silk or false hair, to reach below the knee. The custom was not generally adopted by native Chinese until, in 1864, after a rebellion against Manchu authority had been suppressed, an edict was issued requiring all Chinese men to wear their hair in queues as a symbol of submission. It is recorded that more than a million men suffered themselves to be put to death rather than submit to the humiliation. The edict was kept in force until the revolution in 1912 and the establishment of the Chinese Republic, when it was immediately revoked and men were allowed to wear their hair short in the European and American fashion, which had already been adopted by the Japanese and Koreans. The Chinese queues furnish the only known example of braids’ being used as marks of disgrace.
This summary has been given in order to show how the braiding of hair, almost universally by women until within a few years and recurrently by men, has been an instinctive impulse of the human race. But even by primitive people braiding was also early applied to other materials, such as long native grasses and weeds, or strips of palm or banana leaves in Africa and the East Indies, which were braided together for strength or even made into baskets at a very early date. That the ornamental use of braiding was especially emphasized is shown in our language by the fact that the word braid
is applied to any narrow decorative strip, whether or not made by the process of braiding. The various methods of braiding used today to give extra strength, for decorative purposes, and for making into articles, some of which have been known and practiced for many centuries, will be described in the following pages.
Materials for Braiding
Any material which can be made into strips and is flexible can be hand-braided. To the grasses and weeds already mentioned may be added an almost limitless list of suitable materials, such as string, cord, paper, cloth, leather, and even thin strips of metal. Different materials may even be braided together, or several strips of a fine material, like raffia, may be used together for each strand, but the strands should all be of the same thickness to make the braiding even. Various patterns and attractive effects can be obtained by using strands of different colors.
Securing Braiding Strands
The ends of strands should be fastened securely before the braid is started, so that they will not slip out of place. It is usually most convenient to tie the ends together with a piece of string, but it is often advisable to keep them flat. Strands of cloth or similar materials may be pinned separately onto a heavy cushion. The ends of strings or cords may be placed in position on a moistened strip of gummed paper, the gummed paper then folded over them and the covered ends inserted in a strong paper clip. This is the method which has been used for the illustrations of braids in the following chapters.
After the ends have been made secure, the work should be attached to a vise or other steady object so that the strands can be held taut during the braiding. Closing the end of a braid into a table drawer is also a convenient method of holding the work.
Preventing Tangling of Strands
If long strands of braiding material are being used, each strand should be rolled loosely and secured with a rubber band to prevent the ends from becoming tangled. If the strands are not rolled and a tangle results, pulling one strand out of the tangle will loosen the other strands also.
Joining Strands
The methods of joining strands, when added length is needed, vary with the materials used. Grasses and fibers, like raffia, may be joined by merely laying a new length on top of the short end of the old strand, when it is in the center of the braid, but never when it is on an outer edge. The braiding is then continued, with the new strand on top of the old one, for several inches until it is securely in place, when the short ends may be cut off. Strips of cloth should be sewed together, usually by a