Fishing for an Answer

Fishing for an Answer

Pictorial or Video? Which to use for the Double Fishtail Weave?

For those of you who have been keeping up with our social media, we have started creating and posting both videos and pictorials for various weaves every week. Our most recent design was for the "Double Fishtail Weave," which we uploaded to our YouTube page last Friday and posted a pictorial for on our social media pages yesterday (you can find both the video and the pictorial below). As I have merely been the content poster for these designs, and not actually the man behind the weaves, I figured I ought to put my skills to the test by trying out the Double Fishtail by watching both the video and the pictorial. Every visual learner has their own preference between video and image, so I wanted to see which worked best for me and put silence to the debate: which is better?

Pros and Cons of the Pictorial

Pros:

• The pictorial allows you to dictate the pace of your weaving, without having to readjust the video to catch up.
• The pictorial, in my opinion, is more aesthetically pleasing to look at. Each step is laid out plainly and cleanly.
• You are able to see the finished project at the same time that you see the early steps. This helps you keep a fresh idea of what your design should be looking like.

Cons:

• You are not able to hear vocal instructions. Sometimes just looking at a picture doesn't help, and you need that voice in your ear to talk you through it.
• Pictorials often make the weave look a lot easier than it actually is. It doesn't show the aches and pains that a video might.
• The first and last step are harder to see. Which side should you go through the buckle? How do you get the cord through the backside of the bracelet when your weave is finished? For experienced crafters, this isn't a huge issue, but if you are new (and have no idea what a "fid" is) then you may run into some difficulties.

Pros and Cons of the Video

Pros:

• You are given much more thorough instruction, both through vocal commands and behind-the-scenes footage of how you set up the base of the bracelet, how you use the fid, etc.
• It seems much more personal. With a pictorial, you are not given any words of encouragement or helpful pointers. With a video, those are available (and, quite needed on difficult weaves).
• You are able to follow along with your "teacher." I say "teacher" for lack of better word, but when you are learning a new design, the person that is instructing you is exactly that--a teacher. You may have to hit pause a few times, but you are able to make your bracelet in sync with the person on the video.

Cons:

• I hate clicking pause. I hate rewinding video. I hate feeling like I am going too slowly! With a tricky weave, it is sometimes unfortunate to see how easy your teacher makes it look.
• If the teacher ever moves their hand out of focus, you don't get as sharp of an image as you would with a pictorial. This can complicate matters, or just become more of a nuisance to look at.
• You are not able to see the finished product simultaneously. Sometimes it feels like you are just aimlessly weaving, and this can make you worry that your project won't look as great. You will eventually get there, but it can trip you up mentally at times.

You will have to decide for yourself which works best for you! I found that the video was the best to use for starting and finishing the weave (getting the cord on the bracelet, and using the fid to finish off the pattern), but the pictorial was most useful for the middle steps. To be honest, this design was a little bit more difficult than expected. Because the original Fishtail Weave is so quick-and-easy, I expected this one to be the same. However, I found that it was a lot tougher to keep the weave tight and symmetrical, and I also thought that getting both pieces of cord on a single buckle was pretty time-consuming. I would suggest using a larger buckle and/or thinner cord (275, 325, 425, etc.) for this design. It's worth a shot! I'll be interested to hear what works better for you: the pictorial or the video.

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Written by: Jackson Yakowicz

Contact at jacksony@imsetc.com

To read Jack's full blog, visit here.