Page 194 - Des Pawson "Pocket Guide to Knots & Splices"
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Three-Strand Flat Plait/Braid
The three-strand flat or ordinary plait is the simplest of all plaits and is seen all
over the world. This is the hair plait of little girls’ pigtails. While often used for
decoration, the plait has many practical uses. Plaited in straw or palm leaf, it
may be made up into a hat or mat. As the plaiting together of three strands will
give a stronger line than the three strands on their own, sailors in the past made
up great quantities of plait—or, as they would call it, sennit—from the yarns of
worn-out rope, and used it for all sorts of purposes around the ship. It is a
simple step forward to make this plait with three pairs of strands or even three
times three.
Pocket Guide to Knots & Splices
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