Introduction: The Sixteen-Strand Braid

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Following the eight-strand braid, I thought it ought to be possible to create a sixteen-strand braid.

I was right!

Using the same loom, It makes a thicker, more cylindrical cord with a shallower helix.

Step 1: Starting.

I raided Kitewife's yarn stash, and found four complementary colours.

I cut two equal strands of each, then folded them in half and knotted at the fold, making sixteen individual strands.

Threading the strands through the loom, I arranged them in opposing pairs - two white strands opposite two white, two purple opposite two purple etc.

  • I only used this arrangement to make the steps of the weave clear, but the result looked rather good.

Step 2: The Weave.

Hold the loom with one pair-of-pairs vertically in front of you.

Take hold of the bottom two strands (C & D), and move them both one space to the right (anti-clockwise). The right-hand strand will temporarily be sharing a slot with another strand.

Take hold of the top two strands (A & B) and move them both one space to the left (also anti-clockwise). Slot the right-hand strand (B) into place, but bring the left-hand strand (A) down to fill the vacant space at the bottom of the loom.

Lift the bottom-right strand (D) out of the shared slot and move it to the vacant slot at the top of the loom.

Turn the whole loom a one-eighth turn to the left (anti-clockwise), and repeat the whole thing again.

Keep this up until you run out of either patience or wool.

By popular demand (well, one comment, one PM and a phone-call), I have added a video of the weaving action:


Step 3: Finishing.

As for the other braids, finishing is simply a matter of tying a knot in the end when you decide to stop.

Be careful, though: because the cord is thicker, it is slightly trickier to get the knot in just the right place.

If you don't want the knots, use a needle and thread to sew back and forth through the cord, locking the yarn in place.

As ever, take the idea and enjoy doing what you want with it.