Regarding 2 strand twists: How do you twist each part before twisting together?

[alexstin]

I don't understand. I read that one of the secrets to good twists is to twist each part before twisting together. Are we talking about doing a two strand twist on sections and then twisting those two sections together?

 

[Nonie]

I am one of those that uses this method. I take the section that I'm going to do a two-strand twist on, divide it into two equal parts. Then I twist each section on its own axis clockwise, before wrapping the two sections around each other anticlockwise. I tried to make a video doing it slowly for demonstration and then one doing my twists normally to show that it doesn't have to take long even with that step added. It gets easier with practice. I'll be back with the vids. Otherwise, I'm attaching a diagram showing what I just tried to describe.

 

[Nonie]

The first link is the slow vid showing how this is done. You will find that twisting this way, where the two strands are twisted in the same direction makes the wrapping around each other come almost naturally. I don't know if any of you weave baskets with sisal, but my granny used to and I first learned how to twist like this when preparing sisal to make baskets. We did it on our thighs though--and in some places when getting kinky twists, stylist will twist the length of the braid on their thighs like this coz it's faster.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-PPsh1_Np0

The second vid shows that it does become easier with practice and so takes about an hour to do a full head of small twists once you've been doing this for a while. And the cool thing is, they can last through washes w/o unraveling:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm0c7KPcj08

 

[so1913]

Oh, this is interesting! I may have to try to start practicing this method...

 

[alexstin]

Thank you for that video. I'm going to try it.