Hobbles

[Dwing8]

Hi,

I'm just getting started learning to braid so I bought Bruce Grant's Encyclopedia and have gone over a few examples. I am trying to do the hobbles on page 351 and I can't seem to get the part where I join the 2 eight strand braids into 1 sixteen strand braid in Fig. 3. The 'beginning" doesn't match the "end" so I can't get started on the sixteen strand part. I'm attaching 2 images so you can see what I mean. I can't seem to figure out how to braid in reverse.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Dano

[roo4u]

the two ends should match....can you invert that first picture? im having a hard time figuring out what is the problem with it so that i can tell you how to fix it. what i have had to do in the past is adjust the starting end of the braid until it is a match. what i mean is you sometimes have to undo a strand or work one more strand to end up with the match so you can braid them together. hope that makes sense.

[Dwing8]

the two ends should match....can you invert that first picture? im having a hard time figuring out what is the problem with it so that i can tell you how to fix it. what i have had to do in the past is adjust the starting end of the braid until it is a match. what i mean is you sometimes have to undo a strand or work one more strand to end up with the match so you can braid them together. hope that makes sense.

Thanks for the reply!

I've been driving myself crazy trying to figure out what was wrong and I saw it in my head a few minutes ago as I drove home from taking my wife to the airport. I started off the 8 strand braid by beginning in the middle as shown in the book but I found out in my head that I should just start off with the first left going behind U2O2U2 and the first right behind U2O2U2and running with that till I got the length I wanted. Now I'm tying the ends off and trying to join the 2 together because now they match.

Wish me luck and thanks again for the reply,

Dano

Ruh Roh......when I tried to braid the sixteen strands together this way they came up looking all wrong. The strands on the L and R after I began going around the back and O2U2O2 left side first then the right side till I got all 16 strands braided and the strands were doubled side by side instead of 1over and 1 under .

Edited October 30, 2011 by Dwing8

[Dwing8]

Looks like I got that sequence backwards when I added the ruh roh part. I meant to say U2O2U2.

[entiendo]

I am having a heck of time trying to figure out where you on on those hobbles, can you give me the page number, maybe that will help, I just finished a set of hobbles loosely using his directions but maybe you aren't doing the same set I did.

[Dwing8]

I am having a heck of time trying to figure out where you on on those hobbles, can you give me the page number, maybe that will help, I just finished a set of hobbles loosely using his directions but maybe you aren't doing the same set I did.

I'm on page 351....don't know if I'm right or not but I went back to the beginning of the 8 strand braid and unbraided it until it matched the end of the braid and started the 16 strand part. It looks kind of bad in places and I'm sure that's because I let a few strands get out of place and they got crossed over. I'll back out to where I messed up and give it another go. I'll try to post a pic if I ever get it looking good. This is after all just a learning thing....

If anybody has a suggestion or their way of starting the 8 strand Plate 47 I'd be thankful!

Thanks again for the replies!

Dano

[entiendo]

What you do is start just off center with the eight plait, then fold it in half and then start your 16 plait by combining your now 2 eight plaits. You shouldn't have to undo anything. The eight plait is just the loop. Gosh...I wish I could make this more clear. Seems like i"m no clearer than Grant and have I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what he's saying!

I'm enclosing a picture that might help. It's not hobbles but I think the same principle. The loop where the button goes in is actually my starting point and I started in the middle of my 8 strings, when I had the loop the size I wanted I did what fig 3 suggests in the book and started braiding the 16 strand.

Another option is to just make it a double 8 strand until you get a better feel for things. They are nice hobbles too.

[Dwing8]

What you do is start just off center with the eight plait, then fold it in half and then start your 16 plait by combining your now 2 eight plaits. You shouldn't have to undo anything. The eight plait is just the loop. Gosh...I wish I could make this more clear. Seems like i"m no clearer than Grant and have I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what he's saying!

I'm enclosing a picture that might help. It's not hobbles but I think the same principle. The loop where the button goes in is actually my starting point and I started in the middle of my 8 strings, when I had the loop the size I wanted I did what fig 3 suggests in the book and started braiding the 16 strand.

Another option is to just make it a double 8 strand until you get a better feel for things. They are nice hobbles too.

Thanks for the reply! I did just as you said, I started in the middle and did the 8 plait but where I began it all doesn't look anything like the way it ends. It looks like the picture. I tried to unbraid it one strand at a time until it matched and I got lucky but I can't do that again if I tried it seems. I like the picture you attached, that's exactly what I'm trying to do. Maybe I'm starting it off all wrong? I lay the 8 strands flat on my table and clamp a straight edge to hold them down. I have started the braiding with crossing over the 4 strands ( 3 4 5 & 6) like in the book and just going ahead and starting with #1 on the far left and going behind then U2O2 and neither way comes out matching the end.

Thanks again for the reply!

Dano

[entiendo]

I just don't know what you mean by it not coming out matching the end. Are you braiding tight enough? I clamp the 8 plait loop down and then prepare the strings to go to 16 plait.

The transition isn't perfect, that's why I have a knot over it in my picture. I don't think I've ever seen a transition that wasn't covered with a knot.

[Dwing8]

Look at the pictures I attached and you can see what I mean.