north american net system

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switching systems and inverse weaves

 

INVERSE OR RECIPROCAL WEAVES

In the Ten Men system, each of the five basic weaves (a, b, c, d, e) has its inverse weave (a', b', c', d', e') created by ‘downflipping’ the string rather than picking it up from below in the normal fashion. Once a loom is established, the sequence a, reset loom, a', reset loom (or a', reset loom, a, reset loom) regenerates the original loom (i.e., the two weaves cancel each other). Do inverse weaves exist in the North American Net system? — Most certainly they do! From Opening A do the following:

 

First Inuit Weave Inverse (I-1')

• Pass each thumb away from you over the near index string and under the far index string, then pick up the near little finger string and return.
• With the help of the opposite hand, remove the upper thumb loop, rotate it a half turn towards you (a -1/2 spin), and reset it on the thumb as an upper loop (fig. 22).
• Pass each middle finger toward you over both index strings and down through the upper thumb loop (this takes some practice since the upper loop is now very tight), then pick up the lower far thumb string and return.
• Drop both thumb loops and extend.

 

Inverses of the First Navaho Weave (N-1) and First Klamath Weave (K-1) also exist. Begin with Opening A and do the following:

 

First Navaho Weave Inverse (N-1')

 

• Pass each thumb away from you over the near index string and over the far index string, then pick up the near little finger string and return .
• With the help of the opposite hand, remove the upper thumb loop, rotate it a half turn towards you (a -1/2 spin), and reset it on the thumb as an upper loop (fig. 23).
• Pass each middle finger toward you over both index strings and down through the upper thumb loop (again, this takes some practice since the upper loop is now very tight), then pick up the lower far thumb string and return.
• Drop both thumb loops and extend.

 

 

First Klamath Weave Inverse (K-1')

 

• Pass each thumb away from you over the near index string, pick up the far index string, and return.
• With the help of the opposite hand, remove the upper thumb loop, rotate it a half turn towards you (a -1/2 spin), and reset it on the thumb as an upper loop (fig. 24).
• Pass the tips of each index and middle finger down through the upper thumb loop and pinch between them the lower near thumb string; draw this string through the upper thumb loop and place it on the back of each index by rotating the index-middle finger pair away from you and up.
• Drop both thumb loops and extend.

 

To demonstrate the inverse relationship, try the following experiment: Establish your loom (do Opening A), then complete the First Inuit Weave (I-1). You now have a loop on each index, middle finger, and little finger. To “reset the loom” transfer the middle finger loop to the thumb, inserting the thumb from below, thus generating a configuration that resembles Opening A. Now apply the inverse weave. If you now reset the loom (i.e., transfer the middle finger loop to the thumb) you should have Opening A on your hands. And because I-1 and I-1' are true inverse weaves, the sequence I-1', reset loom, I-1, reset loom also regenerates the original loom. The same thing happens with N-1 and N-1', or K-1 and K-1' performed in either order — the two weaves cancel, thus restoring Opening A.

 

Now practice using the inverse weaves as a means of adding richness: Make the Inuit Net but replace the first weave with its inverse (I-1'). The result is shown in fig. 25. Now try the following combination: Do Opening A, First Inuit Weave Inverse (I-1') and Second Inuit Weave (I-2); apply the Continuation Move, then make the Inuit Net from the beginning, as if you had Opening A on your hands. The result is shown in fig. 26. Note that by introducing the second weave and Continuation Move between the two reciprocal weaves, the cancellation is forestalled (in my Ten Men system universe weaves produce the same effect, see Murphy 1998:172-176).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As in the Ten Men system, each weave also has its anti-inverse counterpart (notated using a double-prime), the only difference being the direction in which the upper thumb loop is rotated prior to resetting it on the thumb (i.e., +1/2 rather than -1/2). As a design tool an anti-inverse weave is useful for introducing a running half-hitch into the figure. As an example, make the Navaho Net but replace the first weave (N-1) with its anti-inverse (N-1''). The result is shown in fig. 27.

 

 

 

 

SWITCHING SYSTEMS

In addition to switching from one net to another in mid-course, it’s possible to switch from one system to another (i.e., from the Ten Men system to the North American Net system or vice-versa). Recall that in the Ten Men system, the transverse strings of the three-loop loom are the upper and lower near index strings (Murphy 1998: 163, fig. 1, step 5).

Switching from North American Nets to a Ten Men Loom After completing the first two weaves of any given net and applying the Continuation Move to obtain a configuration that resembles Opening A, select one of the following two methods to set up the Ten Men Loom:

Method 1: Transfer the little finger loop to the thumb, inserting the thumb from above (pass thumb over the index loop during the transfer); transfer the index loop to the little finger, inserting the little finger from below; transfer both thumb loops to the index fingers (simultaneously, not individually). You now have a modified Ten Men Loom.

Method 2: Transfer the thumb loop to the middle finger, inserting the middle finger from below (pass middle finger over the index loop during the transfer); pass each thumb away from you under all the strings, pick up the far little finger string and return with it, then drop the little finger loop; transfer the index loop to the little finger, inserting the little finger from below (pass little finger under the middle finger loop during the transfer); transfer thumb loop to the index, inserting index from below, then transfer the middle finger loop to the index, again inserting the index finger from below. You now have a modified Ten Men Loom.

Switching from Ten Men to a North American Net Loom

Again, there are at least two ways of doing this. After completing any number of Ten Men weaves and resetting the loom, select one of the following methods for setting up the North American Net Loom. Note that Method 1 is used in my ‘Sunrise over Klamath Bridge’ (see page 198).

Method 1: Transfer the upper index loop to the thumb, inserting the thumb from below; transfer the remaining index loop to the middle finger, inserting the middle finger from above; transfer the little finger loop to the thumb, inserting the thumb from below (pass thumb under the middle finger loop during the transfer), then retransfer this loop to the index, inserting the index from below; transfer the middle finger loop to the little finger, inserting the little finger from below. You have a modified North American Net Loom.

Method 2: Transfer the upper index loop to the middle finger, inserting the middle finger from above; transfer the index loop to the thumb, inserting the thumb from below; transfer the little finger loop to the thumb, inserting the thumb from below (pass thumb under the middle finger loop during the transfer), then retransfer this loop to the index, inserting the index from below; transfer the middle finger loop to the little finger, inserting the little finger from below. You now have a modified North American Net Loom.

things to consider

note that you should be becoming more adept at considering new ways of using the methods you are now practicing. later lessons will add many more to your repertoire.