Plaiting and Braiding
Have
you ever tried to teach a small child how to plait? Actually what I
meant to say, have you ever tried to teach a group of small children how
to plait? It can be really frustrating, and it can make you feel really
miserable when it goes wrong.
One technique I have used is to get the children to practice with a really thick bit of cord. Even better is to have your cord in three different colours.
One technique I have used is to get the children to practice with a really thick bit of cord. Even better is to have your cord in three different colours.
Another good idea is to tape the plaiting to the table so they can hold it with a bit of tension.
But overall I tended to avoid plaiting with my craft club, as it was just too difficult for most of them.
But overall I tended to avoid plaiting with my craft club, as it was just too difficult for most of them.
But
I have discovered this really great way to make a braided cord, that I
think most children could manage. I'm not sure if this is well known,
but I had not heard of it before. If anything the result is nicer than a
simple plait. But it is so easy, that so long as we have prepared
lengths of wool in advance, my daughter can sit in the back of the car
on journeys and braid without any help. It is really fun to make
friendship bracelets this way.
So here it is. You need to cut a bit of card in this octagon shape. Cut the 8 slits around, and a hole in the middle.
If
you want it to last for several cords, you can reinforce it with tape,
but you don't need to do this. Tie seven pieces of wool together, and
with the knot in the central hole, put one piece of wool in each of the
slots. One slot won't have wool in it. Hold your octagon so this slot is
at the bottom. Then simply move the wool from the third slot to the
right to the empty slot at the bottom. Keeping the same side of the card
facing you, rotate your octagon so the slot that now has no wool is at
the bottom, and then move the wool from 3 to the right to this slot.
Repeat this for a longish time, letting your braided wool grow backwards
out of the central hole.
If you get a bit tired or need to do something else, you can take a break from braiding with this technique, and it won't unravel. Simple. Happy braiding!
If you get a bit tired or need to do something else, you can take a break from braiding with this technique, and it won't unravel. Simple. Happy braiding!
PlinkaPlonka Gets Crafty
My daughter has only been knitting for a little while, and up to now it has mostly been little squares, or rectangles, doll's scarves etc. But she has suddenly branched out, has learned to purl, increase and decrease, so the knitting world is now her oyster.
Her first knitting from a pattern was a leaf, from Lesley Stanfield's Small Leaf pattern, which she has followed up with a whole lot more leaves. She has joined Ravelry, under the name PlinkaPlonka (don't ask me why). This is the link to her leaves http://www.ravelry.com/projects/PlinkaPlonka/small-leaf-2
What I think is even more cute is she has decided to design her own patterns. So we sit together with our knitting and our notepads. So watch this space. I have said that as long as I can follow her instructions, she can post it. She's only 9 years old!
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