[string-geekery] Kumihimo patterns
If I start doing posts like this on a more frequent basis I'll create a specific list for it. But this is the very first post in the category so alla youse get to see it. This is really mostly for me to record what I've done so I can recreate it later is desired/needed -- or to avoid things that didn't work so well.
After working up a few basic 8-strand kumihimo round braids in two colors, I decided to see what I could do with 12 strands and three colors. My first attempt was to take 2 pairs of each color and space them as evenly around the wheel as I could, so a pair of color X was opposite the other pair of that color, ditto for color Y, ditto for color Z. This means it takes 6 crossings to go once all the way around the wheel (the basic 8 strand pattern uses 4 crossings per cycle). The resulting spiral pattern was nice and even but more elongated than the 8-strand spiral.
In hopes of getting a tighter spiral I decided to go back to a 4-crossing-per-cycle setup, with 4 groups of 3 strands. But the first attempt didn't work at all.
4 groups of 3, experiment one: Initial pattern had colors X X and Y (in that order) at "north", Y Z and Z at "east", then continuing around with X X and Y at "south" and Y Z and Z at "west" -- each diameter had two radii of the same color. The result, however, was a mess, with the Y color threads getting pretty much lost in the shuffle. So I tried something else.
4 groups of 3, experiment two: initial pattern had colors X Y and Z (in that order) at each cardinal direction, again each diameter having two radii of the same color. This resulted in as close to a checkered effect as one is likely to get in a 3 color round braid. Not unattractive, but really doesn't help make the colors stand out. So on to the next.
4 groups of 3, experiment three: X X Y at north and east, Y Z Z at south and west. Each diameter now has two colors. I am not getting a spiral out of this, but I am getting an "offset diamond" effect which helps each color to be visible and distinct from the others. I like this pattern so I'll make a complete cord of it.
After working up a few basic 8-strand kumihimo round braids in two colors, I decided to see what I could do with 12 strands and three colors. My first attempt was to take 2 pairs of each color and space them as evenly around the wheel as I could, so a pair of color X was opposite the other pair of that color, ditto for color Y, ditto for color Z. This means it takes 6 crossings to go once all the way around the wheel (the basic 8 strand pattern uses 4 crossings per cycle). The resulting spiral pattern was nice and even but more elongated than the 8-strand spiral.
In hopes of getting a tighter spiral I decided to go back to a 4-crossing-per-cycle setup, with 4 groups of 3 strands. But the first attempt didn't work at all.
4 groups of 3, experiment one: Initial pattern had colors X X and Y (in that order) at "north", Y Z and Z at "east", then continuing around with X X and Y at "south" and Y Z and Z at "west" -- each diameter had two radii of the same color. The result, however, was a mess, with the Y color threads getting pretty much lost in the shuffle. So I tried something else.
4 groups of 3, experiment two: initial pattern had colors X Y and Z (in that order) at each cardinal direction, again each diameter having two radii of the same color. This resulted in as close to a checkered effect as one is likely to get in a 3 color round braid. Not unattractive, but really doesn't help make the colors stand out. So on to the next.
4 groups of 3, experiment three: X X Y at north and east, Y Z Z at south and west. Each diameter now has two colors. I am not getting a spiral out of this, but I am getting an "offset diamond" effect which helps each color to be visible and distinct from the others. I like this pattern so I'll make a complete cord of it.