Getting Started

[ShortBBL]

I'd like to learn to do some braiding and want to know the best learning tools. Is there a book or two that you think is best? Maybe a DVD or YouTube or something?

I want to braid small thin Roo lace to use for Holster Hammer Thongs. I'd also like to make a necklace and bracelt for my wife sometime. I dont have a ton of time to spend braiding, my first thing is holster/sheath making, but I need to dress them up to stand out from the crowd!

Thanks for ideas!

Jon

[KnotHead]

Ron Edwards - Most usable books: Round Braids, Turks Heads. He has all kinds of books on plaiting. The best ones are Plaiting Whip Handles, and Plaiting Whip Handle Designs. These books will teach you the foundations to braiding round braids and flat braids.

Tom Hall - Introduction to Turks Heads: The best book around for learning all about turks heads and the interweaves involved.

More Western Tack Tips: Very good all around braiding book.

Bruce Grant - The Encyclopedia of Leather Braiding. Very good book also.

I recommend all of the above books to have in your library. With just those 3 books, you'll get a great start and be learning for years and you will always be able to go back to them for reference.

Brian...

[Alberta Bound]

I really like Gail Hought's books. The Art of Braiding: The Basics, Revised Edition gives some pretty good bang for your buck. If you decide to get one of her books, you'll want to start with this one because the others build on it. The unrevised original edition isn't as helpful as the newer one.

You can find the revised edition here: http://www.hought.com/brbooks-basics2.html

All of the books Knothead mentioned are pretty nice as well. However, I'd shy away from books by Bruce Grant at first unless you want to spend hours pulling your hair out. They're useful books with lots of great information, but they can be a little confusing to start out with. Tom Hall's books are great, they're very down to earth and have some knots, measurements, etc. that you'll not find in many other books.

A nice cheap little book that's relatively easy to find is Robert Woolery's Braiding Rawhide Horse Tack. It has some good ideas to apply to all projects and the price is great at around $10. It doesn't just apply to rawhide braiding, but it does focus on the techniques used with rawhide.

[Alberta Bound]

Oh, and whichever way you choose to learn - Good luck! Welcome to the braiding addiction... err... hobby.

Jen

Edited November 4, 2010 by Alberta Bound

[Aggiebraider]

I second the Gail Hought books, but unless you want to make horse tack such as bosals and romal reins, the other books arent necessary after the Basics book. I bought Woolery's book last month when I was at the Congress and read it on the plane and in the airport. Its a really good read even for experienced braiders as its full of different ways to do things. I started like most people did with getting the Grant books, and I completely agree they are quite confusing for the beginning braider. Some pics are backwards as apparently Grant was left handed, and there are some steps missing. There are a few good videos on youtube, namely from a guy named bernie (i think) that are mainly geared at making whips, but he is a great teacher and covers quite a few of the braid patterns. Ron Edwards book is also very good, so either his or Gail's book, you cant go wrong.

Welcome to the obsession lol

CW

[ShortBBL]

As if I needed another "thing" to keep me overly busy! Oh man!

Thanks everyone..... here we go!!

[roo4u]

i still cant figure out why everyone says that about grants books....i have done every knot in all 3 of his books and the only ones that are messed up are the ginfer and the side button knot for the bosal(really hard to follow the drawings). grants encyclopedia has lots of applique braid work that would look awesome on holsters.

[lilpep]

i agree With roo4u , why does every one think grants books are difficult?

well any way fro appliques and edge lacing i would deffeneatly get Grants Encyclopedia and western tack tips from T Hall. they both have the basics clearly especially grant and they both have lacing and appliques. some thing other books don't have. as far as the other author mentioned i have nothing good to say so i wont say anything at all (i'm not reffering to Edwards).

[roo4u]

i have heard from other braiders on this forum that there are mistakes in houghts books as well....guess nobody is perfect.

[8thsinner]

Grant's encyclopedia was my first leather braiding book and venture into using flat lace for knots and though some things are hard to see and there are minor mistakes every knot can be made fairly easily with practice. You do have to sort of use your common sense too.

I have Ron edwards making whips too, the new one, and the plaiting handle patterns section is awesome, his detail on round knots however is rather pathetic.

But I think he more than makes up for this in the small details throughout the entire book.

I hope to get some of Gail's books at some point though. But currently cannot comment on them.