Presenting a Transverse Exchange

The structure of a "transverse exchange" was discussed in my previous article. However, a transverse exchange is ultimately only interesting insofar as it is results in an interesting presentation. Fortunately, the final configuration lends itself well to a multitude of different endings and extensions. For the purpose of this article, I'm going to assume you're using the "three finger" version, with loops on 1, 2, and 5.

Apache Door Ending

This is the ending used by the well-known "Apache Door". This gives you a very stable extension, with an attractive frame on all four sides, but the resulting presentation is small. Also, this ending can be difficult to achieve for tightly wound loops.

Many Stars Ending

The Navaho "Many Stars" figure uses this ending. In this one, 1 and 2 both remove the 5 loop from below. Then, you navaho both 1 and 2, and then extend by hooking the distal segment of the former 1 loop down through the 1 loop (either with 1, or 5, or whatever is handy). The extension here is large, but slightly unstable, with a tendency to collapse in the middle. In can benefit from the Caroline ending (by transferring 1 to 2 from above, picking up 5n with 1, transferring 2 to 1, and then doing the caroline extension), though this turns the figure upside down.

Caroline Ending

The Caroline Ending is a good, wide one, though it can result in a lot of empty space to either side of your pattern. Just transfer 1 to 2 from above, and then move 1 underneath, pick up 5n, and then transfer (upper) 2 to 1 from below. Then, do a Caroline extension.

Eongatubabo

Since this movement is, itself, a transverse exchange (see Variations on the "Transverse Exchange"), you're effectively just chaining this onto whatever other transverse exchange you did, and capping it off with the Caroline Ending. Still, it's a quick way to present a pattern, and it has the benefit of not altering the internal weave--it just adds diamonds to either side of the "main" pattern.

Amwangiyo

This is another Nauruan maneuver, although it is known elsewhere in the Pacific Islands. It's basically just the Gilbertese Movement, followed by a thumb twist, followed by the Gilbertese Extension. (See my article titled More on Mataka for a description of the Amwangiyo maneuver.) This is a really pretty and robust extension, and can be further extended by doing the Nauru Ending (which is basically a way to do a Small Amwangiyo "in place", without inverting the figure).

Small Amwangiyo

This is a good extension for forcing an otherwise narrow figure to fill out the left and ride sides of a Caroline extension. It creates a few tight loops on the ends of the figure which pull the figure left and right. In brief, the Small Amwangiyo works like this:

1. 1 moves through 2 from above and returns with 5n.
2. 5 moves through 2 from below and returns with 1f.
3. Release 2.
4. 2 moves under the "inner" (non-transverse) 5f string, hooking down the "outer" (transverse) 5f, and rotating down, toward you, and back to position.
5. Release 5.
6. 5 removes upper 2 loop.
7. Double navaho 1 (transverse loop over non-transverse loop, then release non-transverse loop over transverse loop).
8. Caroline ending.

"Two Kick" ending

I'm not sure if this ending has a published name or not. I call it "two kick" because it uses the "kick" maneuver (from "Mizz Code") to free up 1 and 5 for a Caroline Ending. It's actually very similar to the Small Amwangiyo; essentially:

1. 1 picks up 5n.
2. 5 picks up 1f.
3. 2 hooks down over palmar string, rotates toward you and up, allowing original 2 loops to slip over knuckle.
4. 1 removes 2 loop from above.
5. 2 and 3 move under the "inner" (non-transverse) 5f string, pinch the "outer" (transverse) 5f between them, and return to position with 5f on the back of 2.
6. Release 5.
7. 5 removes upper 2 loop from above.
8. 2 and 3 move under the "inner" (non-transverse) 1n string, pinch the "outer" (transverse) 1n between them, and return to position with 1n on the back of 3.
9. Release 1.
10. 1 removes 3 from above.
11. Caroline ending.

This doesn't give you as wide (horizontally) an extension as Small Amwangiyo, but the "double kick" (steps 5-7 and 8-10) can add some complexity to your final figure. Also, there is some variation possible just within this ending; steps 1 and 2 can be varied to pull the target string through the 2 loop, or under it, instead of over it.

Gilbertese Extension

The Gilbertese Extension requires that there be at least two loops on 1, and that 1 have both a transverse 1f and a transverse 1n. This is an easy requirement to fullfil if you have a transverse 1n and a transverse 5f—simply let 1 remove 5! (There is a lot of variation possible here, too, since you can choose between moving 1 under the 2 loops, or over the 2 loops, or through the 2 loops.)

Once, you've got the thumb loops set up, the Gilbertese Extension is easy to do. It's the same maneuver used at the end of Amwangiyo. I'll save myself some bandwidth and just point you at my "Mataka Series" article, where I describe the Gilbertese Extension.

"Tree" Ending

This is one that I came up with on my own, though it is very likely published somewhere. It's basically the Caroline ending, but with a navaho maneuver thrown in:

1. 1 picks up 5n.
2. Navaho 1.
3. 1 picks up 5n.
4. Caroline extension.

I call it the "tree" ending because the affect of the navaho in step 2 is to create some loops that depend from the upper frame string, but do not touch the bottom, like fruit hanging from a tree.

Incidentally, experimenting how 1 picks up 5n in steps 1 and 3 gives you a lot of room for variation, too. Whether 1 moves over, through, or under 2 changes the presentation, as you'd expect.

Northwest Coast Intertwine

This is a maneuver used by the Native Americans of the Northwest Coast. It is used in (among other figures), the Klamath Indian Owl's Net figure, as well as the Kwakiutl "Butterfly" figure. It is used to create mesh-like figures, but can be applied wherever you have loops on 1, 2, and 5:

1. 3 removes 5 from above.
2. Rotate 3 away and down, holding the 3 loop to the palm.
3. 4 and 5 enter 3 loop proximally, helping hold the loop to the palm.
4. 3, without leaving its loop, moves under 2 loop and enters 1 loop distally, hooking back 1f. 1f is pulled through the 345 loop.
5. 45 release their loop and help 3 hold the new 3 loop to the palm.
6. There is a loop around the palmar string. This loop has a distal and a proximal string. 3, without leaving its loop, enters that loop from the far side and hooks back the proximal string, pulling it through the 345 loop.
7. 45 release their loop and help 3 hold the new 3 loop to the palm.
8. 3 releases its loop, proximally enters 2 loop.
9. 2 and 3 bend over 1 loop and pinch 1n between them.
10. Place 1n on back of 2 by rotating 2 and 3 down, away, and up, returning to position.
11. Figure is extended between 1 and 2.

It's a complicated maneuver, and the resulting extension is unstable (tending to collapse easily) but it gives some attractive results. In particular, I've found that applying a Caroline ending after the extension (by transferring 2 to 1 and reversing the direction that 5 is inserted into the figure) gives a very robust extension, while preserving delicate meshes that the intertwine produces.

Conclusion

This is hardly the end. Rather, it's just the beginning! There are undoubtedly many, many more presentation techniques that could be applied, and I didn't even talk about other kinds of maneuvers that could be applied before, after, or between transverse exchanges (like rotating fingers to achieve more complex twists in the final pattern). If you find this article interesting, and come up with some attractive patterns as a result of playing with trasnverse exchanges, please let me know!

I intend to write some follow up articles in the coming weeks that explore some of the permutations described in this article. We'll see where I actually get with that. :)