I introduce here the concept of a canonical figure or “test pattern”, a simple weaving sequence that can be used to study the effects of small, systematic changes such as loop rotations and other minor modifications.
The canonical figure I have chosen for this article is nothing more than the Klamath Net with the First Weave (K-1) and Second Weave (K-2) eliminated. I used this same “reductionist” approach to create ‘Vertical Net’ from ‘Inuit Net’.
All that remains after elimainating the two Klamath weaves is Forming the Loom, a modified Shifting the Loops sequence, Fixing the Bottom and Cleaning the Top. To make the test pattern more informative I have introduced a loop exchange between Fixing the Bottom and Cleaning the Top.
Forming the Loom
• Begin with a three-loop loom (Opening A, Opening B, Left DNA, or Right DNA).
Shifting the Loops
• Introduce the middle and ring fingers into the little finger loop from above and close them to the palm to secure the near little finger string.
• Withdraw the little finger from its loop and reintroduce it from the opposite side, closing it to the palm. The three lesser fingers now clutch the former little finger loop.
Fixing the Bottom
• Without withdrawing the middle finger from the lesser fingers loop, pass each middle finger toward you under the index loop and insert it, from above, into thumb loop; curl the middle finger around the far thumb string and draw it away from you through the lesser fingers loop; withdraw the ring-little fingers and close the middle finger to the palm; reinsert the ring-little fingers into the middle finger loop, closing the far middle finger string to the palm.
• Near each middle finger a loop surrounds the palmar string of each hand; the loop has an upper and a lower string (the latter being a transverse string); pass each middle finger toward you through this loop, then curl the middle finger around the lower string, drawing it away from you through the ring-little finger loop; drop the ring-little finger loop and reinsert these two fingers into the middle finger loop, closing the far middle finger string to the palm.
Exchanging the Index loops
• Transfer the right index loop to the top of the left index, inserting the left index from above; insert the right index from above and from the near side, into the left lower index loop, then lift this loop over the left upper index loop and off the left index, returning the right index to its original position.
Cleaning the Top
• Withdraw the middle finger from the lesser fingers loop and insert it, from below, into the index loop; pinch the near thumb string between the tips of the index and middle fingers, and draw this string through the index middle finger loop by rotating the index-middle finger pair away from you and up, thus placing the retrieved string on the back of each index (the index-middle finger loop slips off as you return).
• Drop the thumb loop and extend to complete the figure.
If you started with Opening A, the resulting figure is shown in the figure below.
an extended discussion of the canonical figure and its derivatives