Silkewerk - Lace vinee of 16 bowys

Lace Vinee of 16 Bowys

This braid is a double-sized "lace vinee of 8 bowis" [t56]. Rather than the expected color pattern of two lace vinees side-by-side, this two-worker version chooses to double the number of loops in each color and then make one big vinee across all 16 fingers.

Some of the text is missing, but it seems reasonable to use the one-worker "Lace vinee" to fill in the gaps.

The direction that the loops are given the half-twist determines which side of the braid faces upward during the braiding. For the sake of consistency, all my directions will form a braid with the more attractive side facing down.

Seat a partner on your right side.

Take sixteen loops in three colors, and place them on the following fingers:

Color 1: A B C D - partner's hands
Color 2: A B C D - your left hand
Color 3: A B C D - your right hand

Work with the left hands: (See Note below)

A goes through B C D left, and D C B right, and takes the loop on A right unreversed.

(You'll have two loops on A temporarily.)

High the right loops.
Move the loop from D left onto D right unreversed.
Low the left loops.

(Hook B in the back A loop and pull it over and around the front A loop and onto B.)

Exchange loops on your inner hands:

(No explanation is given for how to do this. You and your partner need to exchange A loops, with his passing through yours unreversed. Try using your outer hand to pull his loop through yours, giving your inner loop to him, and then transfering his loop from your outer hand to your inner hand.)

Twist all your loops, giving a 180° turn to each loop:

Left hands - Twist the top of each loop downward (Clockwise).
Right hands - Twist the bottom of each loop upward (Clockwise).

Continue working with the left hands until you and your partner have switched starting colors.

(A total of eight times.)

Work with the right hands:

A goes through B C D right, and D C B left, and takes the loop on A left unreversed.
High the left loops.
Move the loop from D right onto D left unreversed.
Low the right loops.

Exchange loops on your inner hands:

(You and your partner need to exchange A loops, with yours passing through his unreversed.)

Twist all your loops, giving a 180° turn to each loop:

Left hands - Twist the bottom of each loop upward (Counter-clockwise).
Right hands - Twist the top of each loop downward (Counter-clockwise).

Continue working with the right hands until you and your partner have your starting colors back again.

(A total of eight times.)

Repeat from the beginning.

NOTE:

Imagine that your four hands are really one hand with sixteen fingers arranged like this:

(You) A B C D D C B A * A B C D D C B A (Partner)

This braid begins by taking your partner's far right loop through all the others as far as the * where you take it through your A, continuing its passage through the rest of your loops to end on your far left.

Because of this, you and your partner can't begin working at the same time - first your partner works, then you exchange, then you work. Or, the worker whose loop is doing the traveling needs a one-move head start and exchange after which both people can work simultaneously until the final passage . At that point the other worker needs a corresponding final move finish the traveling loop's passage.

To prevent the traveling loop from showing briefly in the center, make sure you exchange loops on your inner hands so that the traveling loop always passes through the standing loop.

Tollemache 57

Lace vinee of 16 bowys.
Take 8 bows of color and set them on thy fellows hands and 4 of another and set them on thy right and 4 of another and set them on thy left [...] and after every taking shall change the over bows of your next hands then reverse all and begin again until 4 bows of one color be on the right hand of thy fellow then shall ye work with your right hands as ye did with your left hands until the 4 bows become again the left hand and so work again as ye did first.