LLX > Neil Parker > String Figures > Odds & Ends
I discovered these figures one day while playing with variations on [Jayne 1906]'s "Many Stars."
1. Opening A.
2. Insert thumbs into index finger loops from below, and pick up near index strings.
3. Insert middle finger from above into thumb-index loops, and from below into lower thumb loops. Pick up far thumb strings and return. Release thumb loops.
4. Pass thumbs from above through index loops, and under all other strings. Pick up far little finger strings, and return through index loop. Release little finger loops.
5. Pass thumbs over index loops and under middle finger loops. Pick up far middle finger strings, and return under near middle finger strings. Release middle finger loops.
6. Insert indexes from below into upper thumb loops, and pick up upper far thumb strings.
6. Remove lower index loops from indexes, past upper index loops. Remove lower thumb loops from thumbs, past upper thumb loops.
7. Two loops loop around far-thumb-near-index string, the nearer of which is the former lower thumb loop. It has a string on the upper side of the figure, and one on the lower side. Insert little fingers up through this loop, so that the upper-side string is at the front of the little finger, and hook little fingers over this string, clasping it to palms. Release thumb loops.
This figure is a continuation of the preceding.
8. Two strings run from the sides of the figure to the middle of the far index string (that runs straight across the top) - one on the near side of the figure, and one on the far side. With thumbs, from below, pick up the near-side strings.
9. Transfer right thumb loop to left thumb. Then insert right thumb from below into left thumb loops.
10. Insert thumbs into index loops from below, and pick up near index strings.
11. Remove two lower thumb loops from thumb, past upper thumb loop. Release index loops.
An interesting pair of variants can be obtained by replacing step 2 above with the following:
2. Pass thumbs under index and little finger loops. Pick up far little finger string, and return under other strings.
To get a good display of the second figure, it helps to transfer thumb loops to indexes at the end.
I'm not sure what the first variant figure looks like. The second appears to be a bird with long wings (an albatross?) diving downward.
The same figures can also be made in a manner similar to [Jayne 1906]'s "Owl's Net":
1-4. The same as steps 1-4 above.
5. Pass ring and little finger foward under middle finger and index loops, and insert from below into thumb loops. Release thumb loops, and clasp ring-little-finger loops to palms.
6. Transfer middle finger loops to thumbs (over index loops).
7. Pass middle fingers from above (proximally) through ring-little-finger loops, under index loops, and into thumb loops from above. Pull far thumb strings back through ring-little-finger loops. Keeping middle fingers pointed down, release ring-little-finger loops, and transfer middle finger loops to ring and little fingers. Clasp ring and little fingers to palms.
8. A loop loops around the far-thumb-near-ring-finger string. Insert middle fingers toward you into this loop, and pick up its lower string. Keeping middle fingers pointed down, release ring-little-finger loops, and transfer middle finger loops to little fingers, and clasp it to palms.
9. Insert middle fingers into index loops from below. Bend index and middle fingers toward you and down, inserting middle fingers into thumb loops from above, and passing indexes to near side of near thumb strings. Pinch near thumb string between index and middle fingers, and turning index and middle fingers away from you and up, pull this string up through index loops (which slip off), and take it onto indexes. Release thumb loops.