Using A Braiding Board - Pattern 5 - Alternating Chain Braid

Setting Up

What? Where? How?

If you've landed straight on this page, all this talk of move groups and sequences might not make the slightest sense. If this is so, please do take a look at the introduction page for this topic - where everything is explained in full and hopefully clear detail.

Start with seven pairs of threads in a knotted or plain end, arrange them in mirrored pairs on the board like this:

T1 + B1
T2 + B2
T3 + B3
T6 + B6
T7 + B7
T8 + B8
T9 + B9

Nominate the threads in T6 and B6 (green in my starting layout) as the ‘link threads’ (you’ll see why later)

Move Groups You Will Need For This braid

Don't do anything just yet - this is just a description of the move groups you'll need - the order in which to perform them appears further down.

Move Group J

Pass the link threads to the left
Move:
T6 to T4
B6 to B4

Move Group K

Pass the link threads to the right
Move:
T4 to T6
B4 to B6

Move Group L

Work the right group
Move:
T9 to B5
B9 to T5
T8 to B9
B8 to T9
T7 to B8
B7 to T8
T6 to B7
B6 to T7
T5 to B6
B5 to T6

Move Group M

Work the left group
Move:
T1 to B5
B1 to T5
T2 to B1
B2 to T1
T3 to B2
B3 to T2
T4 to B3
B4 to T3
T5 to B4
B5 to T4

Creating The Braid

OK, ready... You've already set up the threads as detailed at the top of the page (right?)

Now perform the move groups in this sequence:

Move Group M - four times
Move Group J
Move Group L - four times
Move Group K

(4 repeats of each main move group, bringing the link threads back to the middle for passing over to the other group). After performing the first few moves after finishing move groups J and K, you will need to pull the link threads tight to close up the braid.

Keep repeating this sequence until the braid reaches the desired length, then turn back to this page to find out how to finish off.

Variations

Try 8 repeats of the main move groups to make a chain with larger links. Try an odd number of repeats (say, 5) of the main move groups - the link threads will be different each time and the colours will shift back and forth along the length of the braid.