Your braid
Open the braid to match your sample. The minimum spacing keeps the strands from intersecting.
The Core Twister is coming soon to my Etsy shop.
Design your rope now — the machine is on its way!
Turn the rope to see the pattern on every side. Angle changes the stitch length.
Your merry-go-round
01 / CHOOSETap a bobbin on the machine, then choose its thread color below. The red and blue bodies stay fixed.
Front view · R1 / B1 start at 1 o’clock. Labels follow each group’s direction. Spools are black PLA.
H1 is the upper-left gray hook; H2 is upper-right cream. Follow H3–H6 clockwise. Yellow rings mark the selected threads. Tap the hook to select all its enabled threads.
Six 0.8 mm threads · no core.
Colors and twist approximated from Bob’s rope photos.
Your colors
0 / 16Your own 16 colors. Use any color on any bobbin.
Thread & core
SIZE YOUR ROPE| Finished rope | Each bobbin | All 8 bobbins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 ft | ||
| 25 cm |
Start and stop lengths increase the amount needed. Allow extra thread on each bobbin.
Core is separate: 1 ft or 25 cm, plus start/stop allowance.
About these estimates
A geometric planning estimate for eight equal threads at the selected braid angle to the rope axis. The selected thread diameter is converted to a slightly flattened oval, 1.3 times as wide as it is thick, preserving its area. Spacing is limited by clearance between the complete strand surfaces. A larger core or looser setting increases the diameter and can reduce coverage. Braid looseness opens the diameter above the minimum that keeps the oval strands from intersecting. A core sets the minimum inside diameter. Interior shadow keeps the rope picture opaque; it is not an added core.
Set looseness to match a measured sample; it is a visual adjustment, not a measured tension setting. The range varies strand spacing at that looseness; it is not a measured tolerance or guaranteed range. No-core braid can collapse. Tension, thread construction and take-up can move the result outside this range. Measure a short sample to calibrate it.
Thread length follows the over-and-under strand path in this preview, using the selected braid angle, looseness, thread diameter and core size. Running length averages a complete repeat without thread stretch. Cutting lengths then add your extra percentage and the combined allowance for both ends of each bobbin’s thread. Adjust these for threading, ties and trimming. Check a short sample before cutting all eight lengths.
This page uses its own simplified geometric estimate, not Herzog’s proprietary formula.
Thread loading plan
02 / MAKEColor reference: sRGB / HEX#RRGGBB
This models a 1-over / 1-under braid from the shown loading order. Confirm it against a short sample from your machine. Thread size, tension and take-up determine the finished shape; screen colors are a guide.
How this preview is made
Each of the eight threads follows its own path around a cylinder. Four travel clockwise and four counterclockwise. At each crossing, one thread passes over and the other under; the next crossing reverses them.
The merry-go-round uses a simplified baseplate outline and the actual red/blue track paths, aligned with all red bobbins inward and all blue bobbins outward. Screw holes and small hardware are omitted for clarity. R1–R4 follow the clockwise path; B1–B4 follow the counterclockwise path. These are bobbin loading labels, not gear numbers. Bobbins are drawn upright with simplified height so you can see both the fixed body color and chosen thread.
The round view and unwrapped view use the same thread order and crossing sequence. The unwrapped view cuts open the cylinder, so a thread leaving one edge returns at the other. The angle slider is a visual setting, not a calculated gear ratio.
Steady take-up and slightly oval threads are assumed. The four strands in each direction retain their physical width. Clearance is checked across each crossing, including its sides, so an under-strand passes below the full thickness of the over-strand. Shallow radial dips preserve the same one-over/one-under crossings. Interior shadows hide the background. Rotation brings each side into view. This predicts how the colors interlace for this setup. It is not a photo of real rope. Braid looseness changes the preview diameter and the planning estimate under Thread & core together.