The first part of this figure is identical to the traditional Japanese string figure known as "Broom" (Noguchi 1984:14-15)
1. Hang the string across Left Thumb and Left Little so you have a near
thumb string, a palm string, and a far little string.
2. Pull down on the palm string. Now the near thumb goes across the
palm to become the far little and the far thumb and near little hang in
a large loop.
3. Pull down and out on the new palm string so now there is a twisted loop on the thumb and little with a palm string connecting the twist and a new long loop.
4. Holding the left hand up, palm facing right, put the right hand through
the long hanging loop from the right.
5. Put the R.Thumb into the L.Thumb loop from above. Put the R.Middle into the L.Little loop from above.
6. Pull these two loops down and out through the long hanging loop so that loop is brought up into a triangle, near the left hand, around the four strings passing between the hands.
You now have loops on the left thumb and little, the right thumb and
middle. The left hand is fingers up, the right hand is palm left. The left
near thumb string goes down through the triangle to become the right near
thumb string. The left far thumb string goes through the triangle to become
the left near little string. The left far little string goes down through
the triangle to become the right far middle string. The right far thumb
and the right near middle go into the triangle and loop around to become
each other across the bottom of the triangle.
7. Curl the left index finger down into the right thumb loop just beyond
the triangle. Curl the left middle down into the space between the right
far thumb and right near middle, just beyond the triangle. Curl the left
ring down into the right middle loop just beyond the triangle.
8. Curl the left fingers around the triangle and bring the right hand
above and behind the left droping the right thumb loop and middle loop
over the back of the left hand.
9. Turn the left hand palm up. Now there is a left thumb loop, a left
little loop, and strings passing between thumb and index, index and middle,
middle and ring, ring and little, these four strings comprising two long
loops hanging below the back of the left hand. Across the left palm is
a complex knot with one clear string passing between the loops on the thumb
and little.
10. Pull up on this clear short palm string and draw up four loops,
one each on left thumb, index, ring, little, in a manner similar to a move
in Tallow Dips: cf. Tallow Dips, fig.574, pp.250, Jayne.
Part two proceeds:
11. Turn the left hand fingers up palm right, letting the candles and
the loop they were pulled up with hang free.
12. Put the right thumb, from above, into the left index loop. At the
same time put the right little from above into the left ring loop.
13. Lift these two loops off their respective fingers and separate the
hands. This looks quite like where we were in step 6 except that the right
hand is now fingers up and the middle loop is now on the little.
14. Pass the right middle finger between the loops on the right thumb
and little and pick up on the front of the right middle the long horizontal
string of the triangle. Return the right middle giving the loop a half
twist on the way.
15. Extend the figure with the left hand down, palm up, and the right
hand up, palm down. The dancing man is standing on the left hand.
Bibliography
These first three titles are good books for beginners of Kai Kai. The
fourth title is fairly technical by comparison and includes an ethnological
introduction and comparisons of methods.
Cat's Cradle, Owl's Eyes: A Book of String Games Camilla
Gryski, Beech Tree, ISBN 0-688-03941-3
Many Stars & More String Games Camilla Gryski, William Morrow and Company, ISBN 0-688-05792-6
Super String Games Camilla Gryski, William Morrow and Company, ISBN 0-688-07684-X
String Figures and How to Make Them Caroline Furness Jayne, Dover Books, ISBN 0-486-20152-X
The International String Figure Association was founded in 1978. The primary goal of the organisation is to gather and distribute string figure knowledge through the publication of the Bulletin of the International String Figure Association and the String Figure Magazine.
A.J.Oxton, OA, OO, OAE, k1oIq
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Copyright © 2003, A.J.Oxton, The Cat Drag'd Inn , 03813-0144.