Square braid of 8.
A way to braid with 8 strands.

Tie your strings together and to a sturdy ancorpoint. Arrange your strings like this. In a left and a right half, each of them divided in two sets again. Take the left most string and cross it over the next 5 strings till it is in the middle of the set on the right. From there it goes down, under the 2 strings to its left and comes back to its own side. Now pull it tight and arange the strings in the left half in 2 sets of 2 again. Now take the right most string and bring it to the middle of the set on the left.

Go back underneat till your string joins its own half again. Pull tight and rearrange into two sets again. From now on you repeat the same moves. The outmost one on the left goes to the middle of the strings on the right, and back underneat the last 2 strings to its own side. And pull tight again. My drawing of the strings pulled tight is not the best, but while working you see easily when its goes right.

Take the outmost string on the right again, by now you can see it is also tho highest on its side. It goes over to the middle on the left and back to the right and back to its own side. After you park it on its own side you pull tight and regroup. And from the left again. Across most and back under a few.

You see that the string on the left stay left and the strings on the right stay on the right. Making the characteristic v shapes on all sides of the braid.
I remember this braid as, top most left goes across, throught the middle of the strings on the right and back to its own side and joins in the centre of the braid. Top most right goes over to the middle on the left and back underneat to the right, to join again in the centre of the braid. And repeat.

You can also use this braid with more strings. Arange in 4 sets, as equal as you can get them. Hold 2 sets left and 2 sets right. Braid like you do in this braid. One string goes across, through the middle on the other side and back to its own side. Pull tight and rearange into 2 equal sets. Take the topmost on the other side and repeat.
Braiding with 12 is as easy as 8, 16 posible and higher numbers bothersome because it goes slow but as easy and as square. With any number higher than 12 you will not notice if the sets are not realy equal, so braiding with 15 or 17 strands can be done on the same scedule.

©Willeke 2005


Tie your strings together and to a sturdy ancorpoint. Arrange your strings like this. In a left and a right half, each of them divided in two sets again.	Take the left most string and cross it over the next 5 strings till it is in the middle of the set on the right.	From there it goes down, under the 2 strings to its left and comes back to its own side.	Now pull it tight and arange the strings in the left half in 2 sets of 2 again.	Now take the right most string and bring it to the middle of the set on the left.


Go back underneat till your string joins its own half again.	Pull tight and rearrange into two sets again.	From now on you repeat the same moves. The outmost one on the left goes to the middle of the strings on the right,	and back underneat the last 2 strings to its own side.	And pull tight again. My drawing of the strings pulled tight is not the best, but while working you see easily when its goes right.


Take the outmost string on the right again, by now you can see it is also tho highest on its side.	It goes over to the middle on the left and back to the right and back to its own side.	After you park it on its own side you pull tight and regroup.	And from the left again.	Across most and back under a few.


You see that the string on the left stay left and the strings on the right stay on the right. Making the characteristic v shapes on all sides of the braid. I remember this braid as, top most left goes across, throught the middle of the strings on the right and back to its own side and joins in the centre of the braid. Top most right goes over to the middle on the left and back underneat to the right, to join again in the centre of the braid. And repeat.


You can also use this braid with more strings. Arange in 4 sets, as equal as you can get them. Hold 2 sets left and 2 sets right. Braid like you do in this braid. One string goes across, through the middle on the other side and back to its own side. Pull tight and rearange into 2 equal sets. Take the topmost on the other side and repeat. Braiding with 12 is as easy as 8, 16 posible and higher numbers bothersome because it goes slow but as easy and as square. With any number higher than 12 you will not notice if the sets are not realy equal, so braiding with 15 or 17 strands can be done on the same scedule.


©Willeke 2005