String Figures Video Showcase

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 11 people | Log in to rate

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String Figures and Cat's Cradle Games

I've been interested in cat's cradle games on and off since I was a child and recently found quite a few books on the subject on Amazon. I also discovered that there are considerable resources shared for free online.

I'm sure many of you know a couple of simple string figures but there are in fact thousands of cat's cradle and string figures out there, many published in book form and some of which are very old. I hope you enjoy watching the videos on this lens and that the information is helpful.

Equipment for making String Figures 

The equipment you need to make string figures is pretty basic - a piece of string is all you need. However you will need to prepare it before you start playing, and really it's not a good idea just to cut a long length and tie a granny knot in it to join the ends - in the more complicated figures the knot will get in the way and snag the loops and strings.

You can buy ready made string loops - resources are provided in the Resources section - but it's equally easy to make them yourself. All you need to start with is a tape measure or ruler, some glue and a ball of string.

Strings are referred to by the length of loop used. Usually professionals will have several different lengths - I keep a 3 foot, 4 foot, 6 foot and 8 foot loop handy. For a 3 foot loop you will need a piece of string 6 feet long, a four foot loop will require a piece 8 feet long and so on.

Some people advocate joining the ends by melting a piece of nylon string in a flame and then using the melted ends to join the string. I find it just as easy to take a tube of glue and covering the ends of the string in glue for about an inch. Overlap the ends of one of the lengths of string and squeeze them together so that a smooth circle of string is formed. Leave to dry for 24 hours and the string will be usable for several years.

Don't try to use the string before the glue has fully dried, because you may pull the ends apart and have to start again.

String Figures Videos 

The Hanapepe Swinging Bridge String Figure 2 points

E Loli E - Part I 2 points

E Loli E - Part II 2 points

The Kokee Flower 2 points

ALYXZANDER n CASSONDRA AMAZING STRING GAMES 1 point

How to do the Jacob's Ladder 1 point

ALYXZANDERS STRING SARDINES GAME 1 point

ALYX AND THE AMAZING STRING TURTLE 1 point

cats cradle 1 point

Fantastic String Figures 0 points

More String Figures 0 points

Jack's Awesome Objects of String 0 points

Mr. Umake 0 points

Piel de Culebra - Snake Skin 0 points

FOX/RENARD/%u05E9%u05D5%u05E2%u05DC 0 points

What do YOU know about string figures? 

Have you ever played the two person Cat's Cradle game? Maybe you've even made a couple of figures yourself.

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Great String Figures stuff on Amazon 

This selection of string figure books will keep most enthusiasts happy for quite some time.

String Games

Amazon Price: $7.95 (as of 11/09/2009) Buy Now

String Games (Klutz)

Amazon Price: (as of 11/09/2009) Buy Now

String Figures and How to Make Them: A Study of Cat's Cradle in Many Lands

Amazon Price: $9.37 (as of 11/09/2009) Buy Now

Fascinating String Figures (Master String Figures)

Amazon Price: $7.95 (as of 11/09/2009) Buy Now

Fun with String (ILLUSTRATED)

Amazon Price: (as of 11/09/2009) Buy Now

String Figure Resources 

International String Figures Association (ISFA)
This is the site for the string figure enthusiast. Its contents include information about how to join ISFA and obtain its publications, and the massive online Arctic String Figures Project.
String Figures discussion group on Yahoo
Here is a discussion group specialising in string figures on Yahoo.
The Arctic String Figure Project
The Arctic String Figure Project is a collection of string figures from the Arctic peoples. At the moment only the Jenness collection is online, but it's well worth studying.
WWW Collection of Favourite String Figures
Here is a lovely site featuring a collection of string figures with full instructions online.
Navajo String Games
This very interesting web site includes a full e-book in PDF format of Navajo string figures along with video clips.
String Figure Store
This online store in the US sells a range of resources and ready made strings which are not easily available elsewhere. The owner also does workshops and travels widely.
Hawaiian String Figure Store
Here is an online store in Hawaii specialising in string figure materials.

String Games and String Figures on Flickr 

1054P100_0704

1

1054P100_0704 4 points
Butterfly

2

Butterfly 2 points
string figure.. butterfly??

3

string figure..... 1 point
dscf0024.jpg

4

dscf0024.jpg 1 point
String Games

5

String Games 1 point
Room 4 Glenbrae School

6

Room 4 Glenbrae... 0 points
Two at This Game

7

Two at This Gam... 0 points
PA242005

8

PA242005 0 points
Eiffel Tower

9

Eiffel Tower 0 points
string games

10

string games 0 points
2007 - Day 131 - Cats Cradle

11

2007 - Day 131... 0 points
Jacob's Ladder

12

Jacob's Ladder 0 points
created by glossym

Strings on your Fingers 

Wysiwigs wrote...

I could play Cat's Cradle for hours growing up :o) Great lens on a fun subject - nice job!

ReplyPosted June 25, 2009

Heinani wrote...

Aloha
Great collection of String Figure videos. Happy to see the Hanapepe Swinging Bridge Figure that my husband filmed. Mahalo (Thank You) for helping to keep this art alive. Please connect with me to see that String Figures are my passion too.

ReplyPosted October 02, 2008

Shoukei wrote...

Wow cool. I've always loved making string figures and playing cat's cradle when I was a kid. Great lens Anime Eki

ReplyPosted July 07, 2008

Brassoo78 wrote...

Very good lens. Quite fun, amazing and surprising. I enjoyed a lot to watch the videos in this lens. Great job and keep it up. Rated 5*. I would like to share with you a good informative site about Wide Screen Hd Tv on Wide Screen Hd Tv Please visit this site to grab more information about Wide Screen Hd Tv.

ReplyPosted May 10, 2008

olirom wrote...

Wow...I never knew you could do all this with string. Well done!

ReplyPosted January 06, 2008

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by Gillie2tat

I'm passionately interested in needlecrafts and write as the Classical Music Editor for BellaOnline. I also collect teddy bears, Sasha dolls, playing...

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