entiendo

Take your time rawhide, I'm so grateful you are taking the time to do this. You pictures along with the book really helped me out. Hmmm, the book had me pull out the string from the first loop, or at least that's how I read it, then I think I did the same thing you did, hopefully it will hold...LOL I already put it on a show halter, but mine looks a bit like a rookie did it now that I look at yours, even with the 2 colors!! LOL I find it odd that the ends aren't put under 3. It's really hard for me to get past that since everything I do goes under 3 before clipping.

I didn't see it either, very nice. What did you use for a core on that hackamore? I made some of my presents too, it's it a great thing to do! I hope to make more next year.

I'd like to see how you finish yours rawhide. I think I did it right but I still stuck my ends under 3 before clipping them, which changed the look just a tad.

Luke...I'm not close to a Tandy store, but wouldn't they sell it on their website as well?? Is that all it shows? Eventually I would like to learn how to lace 4 plait round braids together to make a lovely flat braid. I'm not a big fan of the flat braid but I could see lots of potential if I could put 4 plaits together. Thanks again Rawhide, I would have been driven to tears had I not had your pictures. Question though, I'm guessing you tighten as you go rather than tighten after it's done? I tried to tighten one I made last night and it was quite difficult to follow the string, of course my first mistake was using a chrome tanned hide. I wanted it white and the only white I have is chrome tanned, but my second choice was my veg tanned purple and that's much nicer to work with. And do you pound this to finish it? Does it smooth out at all or is it used "as is"? It can't be rolled of course.

You rock Rawhide!!! I think I have it. I was doing it correctly until the over 2, through the ring, and then through the X. I wasn't making a full loop around the ring. I haven't tried to end it yet. Hopefully I can make better use out of the finishing instructions. I've been sick today so only my determination got me this far.

no I don't know how to do it on leather either.

I need to cover a ring, I haven't done this yet and I'm sure it's way over do. I've got Bruce Grant's "How to make Cowboy Gear" and I cannot follow the instructions to save my life! Don't get it, don't get it, can anyone help?

That is just LOVELY...I worry about making stampede strings to fancy with to many buttons because I'm afraid they will get to heavy, should I worry about that at all?

I do a back braid, or turn back. Here is a link where my mentor shows me with an 8 plait. I usually cover with a button. http://horstraining101.proboards57.com/ind...&thread=833

Thanks. Someone sent me a grid. I don't know how to use it yet but I have a fealing once I figure it out I'm on my way.

OK, I have to read what you posted several times, but I only have Grants, "How to Make Cowboy Gear". Thanks KAW So can I follow the standing standing string on the other side. I read in Gail's book that you need to cross over the standing end at each pass and keep it to the right or below the working end, when going right and keep it to the left, or below the working end, when going left. Course this all depends how my own brain sees the button. The gal that taught me to braid looked at the button completely different than I did and it took us a while to communicate.

Yes, I did go over 2, I was under the impression that you do go over 2 on a gaucho. If I didn't go over 2, I would no longer be following the standing string. With a herringbone I'm always splitting parallels on the turns, with the exception of the first 2, but on the gaucho the only parallel to split on a turn is the last turn. Do these rules change on a larger button with more turns?

This one is the starting end and where I stopped. And here are 2 pictures of the turn on the other end.

coming right up

I don't think they should be pets at all. They are very difficult to care for and unpredictable, albeit, it is very rewarding. However, 99% of the population cannot properly care for any large bird, but that's just my opinion. People say my cockatoo is spoiled, but I think I just do for him what needs to be done. Anywho, enough on that, back to braiding...

I have an adopted Moluccan Cockatoo.

Yes, this is my Internet name and I do tend to make it fit me. Ha, ha.... I do not think over and under, I simply follow a string, in this case I follow the original standing string from beginning to end, passing over it at each turn. Oh yeah Horsehair...lots of fun...ya see me smiling don't ya! I haven't kept my messed up knots, I reuse all my string and on the occasions when I have cut one I've given them to my cockatoo to play with. I did keep the turk's head from this knot though. Here are the first pictures though...Maybe they can shed some light.

All right mike, that does seem the next logical step, thank you very much. That's a lot of pictures though. I'll post them on my photobucket account so I don't slow down the loading of this thread and the board. They should be good pictures so nothing is missed. How often should I take a picture? At each whole pass or every time I make a turn? Not sure. Again, everyone thank you so much for trying to help me out. I know most of you have been in in this same position. It just seems so easy, I can figure out why in the heck it isn't coming out right. I'm about to throw this darn thing at a wall, course it won't break so a lot of good that will do...

Ok guys, I cut the button off started completely over from scratch and I made the exact same mistakes! HELP!!! Does anyone have any idea what I'm doing wrong? Please!!!

Well I have good news and bad news...good new is I do have the right idea. I just made a perfect 6 bite gaucho with no left over parallels, with Gail's instructions of course. Course that doesn't help me with my large gaucho, because I didn't have a light bulb moment. I bet I followed the wrong string for one of those passes, because the parallels are consistent.... AWWWWWW!!! I just want to scream... Well off to see if I can figure it out.

How in the world can I mess up a whole pass??? What I'm going to do is make a smaller one using Gail Hought's directions. Hopefully I will figure out what I'm doing wrong. It is after all the same button just smaller. I'll let you all know what I come up with. And I believe that is an 8 bite, 6 didn't cover it. If I have to take out all the string again I will take a picture of the foundation button. Both strings seem to be in pretty good shape so I'm going to hold off cutting them...for the moment. The black has got some abuse but it's an "A" cut. I can't imagine I messed up on the first pass because it's the easy one, just a couple of parallels to split, but you know I might back out the first pass and see if there is anything to see, cause that would be easy to fix...well I think. Thank so much everyone, if anything else comes to you let me know.

Yes, this has a foundation turk's head, and I did go over it with a fine tooth comb when I messed up on the black and then went over it again when I pulled out the natural. I'm certain that the foundation string is correct because I've never had any trouble with large herringbone interweaves. In fact there is a large herringbone on the other end of this quirt. But thank you very, very much. I'm prepared to pull it apart but I need to know what it is I'm doing wrong because I already have hours and hours invested in this darn button and I can't make the same mistake(s) again. And I'm dying to learn how to do nose buttons, I think that's what they are called, but haven't figured it out yet.

The blue is the interweave. I see what you are saying, it looks like I added an extra black pass, but that's not the case.

Oh and here is a picture where I circled a couple of the parallels, thought that might be helpful.

I'm almost in tears...here's the picture, this is the 3rd time I've tried to figure out this interweave. The first this knot was all black but I ended up with parallels that were not split when I went back to tighten the knot. Since this is the very first time I've taken on a gaucho that was more than basic I thought maybe I just missed something. I took it all out and thought I should use a second color so I could watch what I was doing. My first choice was the natural but sadly that hide was to weak to do this button. I even cut 1/8 inch from my "A" cut of the hide and I still lost a string halfway through doing this darn knot, so sadly I didn't get far enough to know if my second color idea was working. Now here I am, I thought I was finished and it just does not look right and I still have parallels! Help. please. I looked through my book and I thought I did it right but clearly I'm doing something wrong. ">