Plaits

   Before the first lacemaking group began we talked about exercising and warming up the hands before work. I knew from the previous 'thread management '  and 'craft of surgery 'meetings that puppeteers warm up their hands and fingers before working but did the surgeons? I had been thinking about what it was that I did and realised that of course every day I worked my fingers by plaiting my hair.
   It takes me ten minutes every morning to brush out and then re-plait which is a really complex task if you watch it being done. The control of loose strands, the small twist to each section with every move to make sure they are tight and smooth and the management of the lower un-plaited strands only covers the basics! If you do two plaits you begin one with the right hand dominant and the other with the left hand dominant. Each plait begins as a 'reflection'of the other with one hand dominating the tension and then as you work down the plait your hands are working in tandem.
   The complexity of movement is not something that we give much thought to but I have observed that a lot of textile artists have plaits ! and that we say 'do' rather than 'make' a plait (rather like the zen gardeners just 'do' instead of think when they rake the gravel in straight lines).