Page 63 - Lindsey Philpott "The Ultimate Book of Decorative Knots"

braids and plaits 57

6 – then cross the left strands of each pair again,

here shown loosely, so that you can see the
pattern. Maintain tension evenly throughout to
get the desired length of your braid, and then Top: The finished braid seen from the front…
tie off with a Constrictor Knot.
Bottom: … and from the back.

Five-strand braids
Five-Strand Braids take a little more managing, but
the shape is still very elegant. These braids require
one further step of crossing over and under the next
two strands in the grouping, using the three-strand
as the basic model. Because this number of cords in a
braid requires manipulating a more bulky set of
strands, it does not work as well with thicker cords
or rope, but it can be made quite readily with finer 2
cords. – then take the right cord under, over, under,
over to the left…

1 Lay out five cords flat… 3 – and then repeat with every ‘new’ right-hand

cord, under, over, under, over until you have the
length you need. Be sure to apply even tension
throughout. This is very important!

The finished tightened braid.