Techniques of Ply-Split Braiding
Ply-Split Braiding is an ancient art originating in the desert of northwestern India and in some parts of South America. 
In India this unusual braiding is used to make elaborate camel girths and other animal regalia of hand-spun goat hair, wool or sometimes cotton.
Unlike weaving or other forms of braiding where cloth is formed by threads interlacing in an over-under sequence, in ply-split braiding one plied cord passes through another plied cord or cords splitting the plies. 
Pattern is formed by the placement of cord color and the order in which cords are split.
Today, this technique is used by fiber artists to create handmade decorative items including neckwear, bags, household décor, garments and three-dimensional structures such as baskets and sculptures.
The Technique |
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Splitting the Plies |
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Create patterns by selecting split orders and cord colors. |
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The Basic Tools |
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A cord maker to twist yarn into cords |
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A gripfid tool that splits the plies and pulls a cord back through other cords |
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It is easy to get started doing this yourself!
See:
- Getting Started in Ply-Split Braiding
- Our Recommendations:
What to buy as a beginner - Our collection of videos
- Making Twisted Cords
a video and an example [pdf] - Our Shopping Catalog
Ply-split Braiding as easy as 1-2-3
1. Get a cordmaker or buy some ready-made cords
2. Buy a gripfid
3. You are ready to ply-split!
For further guidance, look at some patterns. For example
* Julie Hedges' book: Ply-Split Braiding, An Introduction
* A simple braid, published online at WeaveZine
* Our videos
There are many more possibilities from key fobs to fashion accessories to baskets to functional bands. Browse our website for much more information.
Techniques
