Bobbin tossing

Ingredients:

• 4 bobbins, or bottles full of water or sand, sticks, small rocks with holes in them, or any other kind of weight that can be tied on a string
• 4 strands of string
• a hook approx 2m off the ground
• two people (one person versions occur too)

Recipe:

• tie each string to a bobbin.
• tie other end of all 4 strings to the hook
• stand opposite each other (about 1m apart) holding a bobbin in each hand
• simultaneously throw the bobbin from your left hand to your partner, catching their bobbin.
• do the same with the bobbin in your right hands
• repeat (left hands, right hands) until end of string
• adjust how hard you pull on the string to adjust tension
• experiment with different colours in different starting positions to achieve patterns such as spiralling, straight lines along cord, etc.

A similar effect can be created using fingerweaving with 4 cords, or fingerloop braiding with 4 loops, but both tend to be shorter, slower, and less fun.

Cords of this structure are documented in Viking York (England), although we cannot be sure which technique was used to create them.