Takadai Oblique Interlaced Braids by Rodrick Owen is an important reference for braiders interested in takadai braiding. This title has been out of print since 2011 but remains a valuable resource. BraidersHand occasionally acquires used copies, which will be offered here when available.
Written in a clear, step-by-step format, this is the only English-language book devoted exclusively to the takadai. It begins with setting up the takadai and progresses through plain weave, twill, rep weave, double braids, and double pick-up braids. A gallery of finished work, materials and equipment information, and a photocopiable appendix of charts and instructions complete this comprehensive reference.
On Graphs 2 and 4, the total number of tama at the top is listed as 21. It should be 24.
Page 95, Design 27
If you repeat the final two moves three times, as written, the contrasting color will end up in the middle position on the tama. This produces the braid shown in the photograph.
To produce the symmetrical braid shown in Figure A, repeat the final two moves five times, not three. This returns the contrasting color to the top position on the tama.
Tim Clark has not tested Figures B or C, although he believes the same correction likely applies to Figure B. He cannot confirm whether it applies to Figure C.
Pages 163–167 and 165
If you plan to make any of the double-faced braids, please note that the Takatool templates printed at the back of the book are not reproduced at the correct scale.
As Tim Clark discovered, the master templates on page 165 are slightly smaller than the twill graphs on pages 163, 164, 166, and 167. If you trace the templates directly from page 165, the resulting Takatools will not fit the graphs properly.
Instead, print one of the graph pages at full size, place a sheet of translucent plastic over it (Tim used a flexible plastic cutting board), and cut the Takatool to match the printed graph.
Our thanks to Tim Clark for discovering and sharing these corrections.
