Two slightly different ways to make the three strand mystery braid or trick braid. Follow the instructions below or watch Kathy's video.
How to make the Three Strand Mystery Braid or Trick Braid
Practice making the braid on a piece of Inner Tube 9 inches -10 inches long x 3/4 inch wide
Fig.1
Make two cuts in the strip dividing it into three equal parts leaving both ends of the strip closed by 3/4 of an inch.
Fig.2
Bring the lower end of the strip up and pass it between strands 2 and 3 pulling the end through and down as shown in Fig.3
Fig.4
Go to the top of the strip and pass strand 1 over strand 2. Pass strand 3 over strand 1. Pass strand 2 over strand 3. Bring the lower end of the strip up and pass it through gap "A" between strands 3 and 2 as shown in Fig.5
Fig.6
With one braiding cycle completed and the braid kept to the top of the strip. Continue braiding repeating steps two - six.
Fig.7
Shows the finished braid after two braiding cycles.

I have just discovered how easy it is to weave a basket using newspaper! It's so simple to roll paper tubes out of newspaper and then weave the tubes into a basket. You can bet I will be making plenty of these faux wicker baskets for future projects, as well as for storage in the home.
I discovered this post on a Russian website and the instructions don't quite make sense, so I started putting together my own paper weave basket using newspaper that I normally keep for cleaning windows and messy projects. If you have never done basket weaving before, try starting out with this simple basket weaving project , and then work your way up to this basket chandelier .
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
1.
You need to cut long strips of
Fold the newspaper horizontally in use a sharp knife to cut into for rolling the tubes, but you can or 3mm dowel. Place the dowel on acute angle. This will give you a
2. Tuck under the corner edge and are various methods of rolling the of paper tubes you will work out start off rolling with my fingers and holding the end of the skewer in paper around with my left. newspaper to about 10cm wide. half and then half again, and sections. I used a pine skewer also use a thin knitting needle a corner of the newspaper at an long tube. then roll with your fingers. There paper tubes, and after a couple which one works best for you. I then carefully lift the tube, my right hand and rolling the
3. When you reach the end, smear secure in place. I have found the
It's not runny, holds the paper firmly and dries quickly. on a small amount of glue to best glue to be No More Nails.
4. You will notice once you have made a few tubes that one end is ever so slightly narrower than the other. Don't worry about this and you will find out why below.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
1. For the base of the basket cut two rectangular pieces of cardboard. These can be any size depending on how small or large you want the basket to be.
2. On side, place two rows of double-sided tape around the edges.\
3. Press down and secure the paper tubes in position. There are 13 tubes on the long side and 7 tubes on the short side.
4. Use double-sided tape to cover the top of the remaining piece of cardboard. Apply No More Nails to the back and press this down over the cardboard with tubes. Place a heavy book on top and leave to dry for an hour.

GOOD TO KNOW you can also use Masonite for the base of your basket, or continue to learn how to weave a base for baskets , as
I will be doing.
Here is the base for a square or rectangular basket. You can cover the top layer of cardboard in any fabric you choose. I went for a black weave but next time I will try burlap.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
1. To start weaving, join two tubes together as shown in the images just below. Bend in half and thread around the first upright. This is where it gets tricky in the explanation, but I have included a video at the bottom of this page that may help. The process is one tube in front - one tube behind and twist around every single upright.
Give this a try and you will understand what I mean.
2. As you weave and twist, make sure to pull the uprights up and keep the tubes nice and tight.
3.
If you need to take a break, use a bulldog clip or peg to hold everything in place.
4. At the corners do an extra twist before you go round the corner and repeat the weave twist.
How to make long tubes as you reach the end of a tube, take a new tube and insert the narrower end into the end of the tube you are using. Give it a twist so that it fits nice and snug inside.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
1. As you weave and twist each row it's easy to extend the length of the paper tubes as you work.
2. Continue to add rows until you reach the desired height. I added a total of 7 rows.
3. This being my first attempt at any kind of weaving, I wasn't sure how to finish off the top row and ended up just cutting off the strips. Only afterwards (10 minutes later) I discovered that you are supposed to bend them over and push them down through the weave on the inside!
4.
To finish off I sprayed on two coats of Rust-Oleum polyurethane spray. This provides protection for the newspaper and also stiffens it up nicely. You can use Rust-
Oleum 2X spray paint to add any color to your newspaper baskets.
ABOVE: my completed newspaper weave basket. Not perfect, but not bad for a first attempt.
My very first basket took about 4 hours, which included rolling all the paper tubes. It wasn't difficult and I thoroughly enjoyed making it. Now I need to brush up on the various ways to finish off the top and weave different designs.

Made from that most lovely of bike repair discards - old inner tubes. Got a flat tire? Make jewelry! MATERIALSI gather my raw tubular materials from local bike repair shops (usually happy to see good use made of their discards ).
Sometimes, you can also find them at SCRAP. You'll want a pair of sharp scissors. For the bracelet, the snaps and snap setter I'm using are from one of my favorite local fabric stores, Any local fabric store should have a good assortment - I recommend using Dritz snap size 25, Snap Source size 16, or other similarly sized snaps. Instruction for setting the snaps will be included in the package. For the earrings, I'm using kidney wires and small beads, both available on-line from
Rings & Things. You'll also need a small pair of pliers. Bead Fix glue (also available from Rings & Things) is optional.
GENERAL PREPARATION No matter which jewelry project you do, some basic preparation is in order: Start by cutting the tubing into manageable chunks. I find that 6" to 12" pieces make a manageable start. 9" is about all you'll need for a bracelet, and by 12" it can get really tough to lay the rubber flat for working. I cut my tubes open along the outer edge, though you can also cut along the inner edge. The pieces will lay differently each way, and I just find that they lay a little flatter if I cut along the outer edge. When you open it up, there will probably be a whitish powder inside. Wash this off with dish soap and a scrubby sponge. Let the pieces dry flat on a towel, or wipe them dry, and you're ready to go!