Fingerloop braiding - a new braid

This weekend, I spent the weekend away with my wonderful reenactment group, the Cardiff Castle Garrison. I did an awful lot of distaff spinning and we also managed to conquer 3-person fingerloop braiding.

Myself (in the middle) and my two friends doing 3-person fingerloop!
Photo by A. Forster.

First we had a go at the 'Broad lace of 2 fellows', which is found both in the 15th Century Tollemache Book of Secrets and the 17th Century Serene manuscript. Then, we decided to have a go at 3-person braiding. I thought what we were doing might have been the 'A lace for hats of 3 fellows' but actually that braid is a 3-person version of the square 5-loop braid whereas this is a 3-person version of the flat 5-loop braid. Thus, it is a completely novel one not mentioned in the manuscripts but a logical step from the 1-person and 2-person flat braids. The obvious name for this new braid would be a 'Broad lace of 3 fellows'.

To braid the Broad lace of 3 fellows, do as follows (notation as per fingerloop.org):

Set up as shown. The left and right person each mirror the centre person.
Then, each person walks down the bowes on their hand which has 2 loops on.

Each person uses their free index finger: go through the loop on the middle finger of the same hand,
then pick up the loop on the ring finger of the opposite hand, reversed.

Left and centre person exchange the loops on their adjacent index fingers.
We found it was easiest if the centre person always led on the between-person exchanges.

Each person walks down the bowes on their hand which has 2 loops on.

Each person uses their free index finger: go through the loop on the middle finger of the same hand,
then pick up the loop on the ring finger of the opposite hand, reversed.

Centre and right person exchange the loops on their adjacent index fingers.
We found it was easiest if the centre person always led on the between-person exchanges.
Then, start from the beginning again!

Let us know if you end up trying our new braid. Happy braiding! ^_^