figures

Fig. 55 -a Hd' Dd'

Fig. 57 -opening 2 a Va Aa' a

 

 

 

 

 

a pot-pourri of complex figures

One week i gave my string figure class the assignment of giving me the formulas of their favorite figures. i never checked any of the following figures out, but there is proably two or three which are knock-outs. But be cautioned that the flowering of a figure, especially complex figures depends a great deal on the length, diameter, stiffness and slipperyness of the string used to make it.

These Ten Men variations are what my students were making after six weeks in my string figures class. Below is a snapshot of what i found (bars | separate the individual figures). Figs. 27 through 32 show some of my students displaying their creations (photos by Robin Moore).

Mitzi Cruz: a b' Ba | a' Bb a | Cb Ba a b' | b' a Ba b' | Bb’ b a a a Aa b

Olivia Bowman: a Aa b' | d b' e | Ba c d | a d b c | a b b

Celeste Peeple: kb Aa Ae Ac | Aa e Aa | kb b Ca c | Ca b' a a | kb c b a' |kb a Cc a (kb=katilluik bottom index; kt=katilluik top index)

Noel Wilson: a Ab | b Aa b' | Aa d a' Aa | a c b' Ac d | Ba d c e

Park Soo Mi: a a b | b a a | Ba Ba a b | Ba a a b b |a a c

Keisha Gumbs: Aa e a | Ba b' c d | a b Bb c | a d b Ab | Aa Cc a c

Anthony Anaman: b e' c c a | a b a b a | Aa' a' a

Heather McCarthy: d'' a |Aa b e a | c'' a c | c’ e a | Ae' Ab'

Tomeka Brown: Ac a | e d | a Ac Ac

Katherine Harding: Aa b' c e Aa | c' c' b b Ca a | Bc e' a d Ad | e' d' b c' a | a Ca b b c' c';

Jason Soto: Ab a Ba b a (earthquake) | a' b Ab a (bat in flight) | c' b Aa a' b a (heartbeats) | c' Ab c' Ab c' Ab (bleeding volcanoes) | c' Aa b (America the Beautiful) | b' Ab a' c Ba a (Presidential Confusion)

Joy Richardson: Aa' Ba Bb' | Aa Ba' Aa'

Stephanie Chawlasky: Aa Bb b | Aa Bb a | Bb Aa b | Ab Ab a | Bb Ab a

Nicole Caporale: Aa d c | e b' Ad Aa | a b b | B' e Aa |Ca b e'

Lorenzo: a a Aa | a Ab | a a b on index b | a b on index b | a a Ab

Serai Ramos: e' a c' | a Ab | a b' b | c b c' | Cb a a c Andrea White: e' b Ac | Bc d Ca | d Ab b' | Ce a b' Ad | Ec Da b c | Ce a b' d | b' Ba c' a | e' a c'

Jasmine Crowell: a' d b' Aa e | e Aa b' d a' | Aa a' Bb b' | c' d e' b' a' a' | a' a' b' e’ d c'

Sarah Woozley: c a' b' Na | c Ra c' c a Vc' | Qa Ia | a Ta' Pa | b a d a

Christine Giacona: Bb c b' | Ac Ba Ab | a' b' c' | a' a' a' | b b a'

Imelda de la Cruz: Aa Aa c' | Aa c' a | d b Ba | d c' Ca | d Ba a''

Nancy Namias: a Aa | Ac b' Ca' | Cc Aa Bb a c | a b | Ab c' a'

Erik Torrente: a a b' a | c b a | a b Ab' d | a' Aa b';

Cucu: a c a | d Ba a' | Bb c' a | Aa d c | Cb Ac Bb

Steven Oquendo: a d b' c | d a c e b' | b' c a | e b d a | c b a b'

Chip Shelby: e a a Aa b | Aa a' Bb b' Cc c' | Bb DDd a b e | Aa b Cc d Nb' | d Aa Ra Na' e

Doris Fuentes: b e' c c a | a b a b a | Aa a' a | a c b | a a'

Ricardo Liriano: b e c c a | a c b | Bb b' a c a | Aa' a Clare Spigner: a' c a | b' a' c | a b b | b d a' | a b a

Faith Anderson: a Bb a' c | Ca b' Bb' a |Ad a c' e' | a c Cb d | e' Bc c' d

Girelli Gillett: a b' d' c | d' a c c' | e a b' c | a' b' c' d' | b' c a b

Tyrone Hall: Bb c a b | Aa a c a' |Ca b c' c | Da Aa Ba c' | a' c' b d'

Cynthia Cortez: Aa Bb b e | Aa a Bb c | Aa Aa Aa b'

Murphy: (kt is katilluik top transverse) kt a c Aa a | kt a Cc Aa' | kt a Cc Ba | kt Va Nc a | kt b on index a a Aa' b' | Ca b c' Ab c | Aa Bb Cc c' b | a c b' Bc d | Aa d a' Aa | Aa Cb' Aa

Jithro Hangad: b b a a | Aa Aa b | Ca Ca a a | Ba Aa Ba | Ab Ab Ba Janet Li: a e c a' | Aa e b b a | Ba c a' e | Ab a' b a | Ca b' c e

Caribbean creations

i end this section with a list of recent creations, some of which i invented while cruising the Caribbean last February. A long thin string is usually required, and i encourage you to extend these figures using either the Power Lift, the Two-Diamonds Ending, the Caroline Extension, or a combination thereof. (Editor’s Note: The illustrations show the figure after Cleaning the Top and applying the Caroline Extension. Only the central design is shown, i.e., the finger loops have been omitted).

1) Va b' (fig. 47)

2) a Ec c' Ab (fig. 48)

3) a b (on top) b' Bc a b (on top) b' (fig. 49)

b (on top) is the same as opening 3, or doing a b weave on the lower far index string. Lately i’ve been using this terminology whenever i use this move as a weave and not as a means of forming an altered loom. The reason i call it “on top” is because the index loops lie above the little finger loops when you point your fingers away from you in preparation for doing this move. Bc is a move designed to lift the complexity back onto the top frame string. It is a constant motif in my figures]

4) a b’ a Bc a b' (fig. 50)

5) b b (on top) b' (fig. 51)

6) c b (on top) c' (fig. 52) [compare 5 and 6 and look for meaningful differences]

7) double katilluik loom a e Aa c (fig. 53) 8) a Hc (fig. 54) [during the H-Universe weave, pick up the second string near the center of the figure, then downflip both of the strings you retrieved]

9) a Hd' Dd' (fig. 55)

10) a Hd' Dd' c b' (fig. 56) [best when extended using the TwoDiamonds Ending plus Power Lift]

11) opening 2 a Va Aa' a (fig. 57)

12) katilluik top index only a c Aa (fig. 58)

13) a BWa Aa a' (fig. 59) [recall that BWa is “backweave a”; after finishing the first a weave the loom is reset by transferring the little finger loops to the tops of the indices. You then imagine that the little fingers are your thumbs and your thumbs are your little fingers. Also remember that near and far are defined relative to your little fingers rather than your body while back-weaving (important for doing Universe moves correctly). Once you finish BWa, reset the loom by transferring the thumb loops to the indices and complete the remaining weaves normally. Note that you cannot extend from the backweave position — your hands don’t work that way!]

14) Aa BWAa d b' (fig. 60)

15) Aa BWAa d Bc a BWa a b' (fig. 61)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    things to consider

    Try forming the three-weave figure a a a on your hands. You should notice that the last two a’s merely add small loops to the lower frame string. You should then conclude that any further a’s will only add more loops.

    But now form a Aa' a on your hands and you should notice that there is a richness introduced into the figure by blocking the “collapse” of the two inverse weaves (a a') with an A-Universe move.

    This is, in fact, why i invented the Universe moves — i tried to see what an “almost collapse” of the figure would achieve, and i was pleasantly surprised.

    In summary, Universe moves are useful for (1) blocking reciprocal weaves; and (2) pulling the web back up onto the top frame string in cases where the design has collapsed.

    This could best be shown by forming the following two figures (a rather long string is required):

    a Aa' a a

    a Aa' a Bc a

    You should be surprised at the result. The Bc weave is a crucial one in some of the higher order figures i form in the Ten Men series.

    But don’t be deterred from experimenting and finding your own special weaves among the Universes. i haven’t begun to scratch the surface of having tried them all. i’ve merely imagined the large number of possible differences i can try. The final word on Ten Men figures will probably never be written!