|
A HolyOak Whip done in "Leprecon" Green, of course!!! Please excuse how (not cute) I look in this picture. I was quickly getting soaked! If you get a chance to crack in the rain I highly recommend taking it! 
0 Comments
A week ago I sent of a Tibetan Wave Trilogy set to Thailand. I was really nervous because I have never shipped anything that far. One whip would have been bad enough but 3 really had me on edge. Yesterday, I received word that that they made it safely and pictures to prove it. I really love how Savate posed these pictures. I think they are better than the ones I took. 
 This stunning purple and blue whip belongs to a very special lady named Barbara. It is the first Show whip that has my new design and I am really excited for everyone to see it. I've been thinking about re-working how I do my show whips lately. Most the whips like this have handles made of PVC pipe. I love the design of these whips but I haven't been completely happy with the handle material for a while. I've changed the handle from PVC pipe to a beautiful copper pipe! I think it looks Amazing and it only added an ounce and half of weight! I love how sturdy the handle is and how it seems to glow as you use it. I have also stopped doing the two strand taper twist at the end. Lots of Nylon whips are built with a twist at the end. The thing I don't love about that is that it makes it difficult if not impossible to change the fall if you need to. I'm ending all of my whips with a 4 plait and a traditional fall hitch because that is what I would want on my personal whips. I love the new changes! Check out the pretty pictures!      I received this book as a gift from my father in law when I told him I was building whips. He is an avid reader and has books on every subject you can imagine. How to make cowboy gear by Bruce Grant was published in 1953... and looking at this book, I think Glen has had it in his possession that long. The book is yellow and a bit crunchy. Duct tape holds the spine together and it has the distinct smell of vanilla that only really old books have. I almost didn't dare open this book for fear that it would fall apart. I'm so glad I did look at it though. It is full of practical things like how to make hobbles, reins and riding crops. It also tells in detail how to build a saddle from the "tree" up. The very best thing about this book is the many pages on decorative knots. There is a really cool one called the Lonestar knot that I want to use on my whips as soon as I can make it look right. There are ring knots and button knots and all kinds of hard and cool things. I'm excited to learn all this new information. Maybe make some copies so the book won't fall apart while I'm concentrating.  This stunning green whip was made from my good friend Kerry. She picked out a really cool carved goddess face to put in the end knob and I really love the personality it gives the whip. Most of the whips I have sold so far have gone to people I have never met. This one was So fun because I kept envisioning having Kerry over to my house for a cup of tea and to play with whips. I can almost see her in the outfit that matches this goddess whip and that puts the biggest smile on my face. I love how this whip photographed. I don't pretend to know anything about taking pictures, but I like the contrast with the autumn leaves the neon green.       This Tibetan Wave is going to a cool guy named Alan who lives in Kentucky. I love everything about this one. I hope you enjoy it, Alan! 
This Tibetan Wave Trilogy was made special for Savate in Thailand. These whips will go farther than any of the other ones I have made. I think its really cool that they will be on the other side of the world. I hope you get have lots of fun with these, Savate!    There are two ways that most people use to plait whips. Some people use a vice and some use a hook. Vices are popular because you it is easy to get the seams really strait.... at first. If you pull with the same tension one each side the whip will be strait. If you pull harder on one side the whip will twist. If the whip was built on a vice the twist may not be apparent at first and only show up after it has been broken in. Hooks, on the other hand, seem unforgiving when it comes to twists. If you pull harder on one side while using a hook the twist will show up almost immediately. I like that actually. It allows me to correct or redo if need be. Pretty much, after it is rolled, what you see is what you get. The whip isn't going to change when it gets broken in. It is really a matter of personal preference. I'm a member of a whip making group and a gentleman was saying how he has no room for a vice and didn't want to hang a hook in his walls. Ever since I got my Rhett Kelley whipmaking DVD I have used the door as my hook. I'm so glad he put that bit of info in there! It allows me to stay in the room with my daughter and be available to her needs. I took these pictures to better explain the idea. I thought it would be a good thing to keep here on the blog just in case I need to share with someone else. 
First you want to double over a piece of paracord with the core still inside. Doubled over it will be about 2 1/2 feet. tie a knot at the end and one about halfway down. Attach apiece of smaller cord to the end of that to make it easier to attach to the whip. 
I start my whips with a flat start and attach the little cord over the top of the paracord. This has the added bonus of not allowing the cord to slip down the spike as you pull. 
Make sure it is good and tight! 
Toss the first knot over the top of the door and then close the door all the way shut. This should be secure enough to work from. At some point you will have plaited down far enough that you will want to move the other knot over the door to raise the whip up a little.
It just that easy! If you have a door you have a hook! A few weeks ago I posted a short introduction of my daughter K. I spoke about how she has autism and how the money from my whips go to help pay for her treatments. Since then, I have received quite a few emails and facebook messages from people who just wanted me to know that they have a child, nephew or next door neighbor who is on the spectrum and they get what I am going through. I've made some new friends because of it. I already knew that people in the autism community were wonderful as well as the people I have met in the whip community. I have learned that there are many of us who use our practice time with the whips as our therapy and to get a moment of personal space that has nothing to do with our worries. Its beautiful, really. I just went to get the mail and I found this note and money in my box. It doesn't have a return address and it isn't signed. Based only on the post mark, I suspect it is from someone who has purchased a whip from me in the past. I'm just setting here with grateful tears rolling down my face. I'm so touched and overwhelmed that a stranger would reach out and do this for me. The kindness of people in this world just amazes me. To the person who gave me this gift. The only thing I know about you is you have a generous heart the size of Texas and that you read this blog from time to time. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I will do as you suggest and treat myself to something just for me. I think you already know that is the hardest thing to do when you are a care giver. I do hope you let me know your identity one day... until then I trust that you will see this and know how much it means to me. xox  I love this Phoenix Tongue. I'm sending it to a really nice Lady in Main. I think it is cool that this is the first one I have sold to a woman. Since this is October and breast cancer month, I am giving 100% of the proceeds from my pink whips and pink crackers to a friend of mine who is going through cancer treatments. Lets all help her "whip cancer"! 
No need to ship this Dragon off... It is going just across town. 
I make crackers and about half of the people who order a whip will want 10 extra crackers to go with it. We all know how to make them our self but sometimes it is nice to have it done for you. I always stuff them in a plastic baggie when I ship them because I don't know a better way to keep them tidy. I came up with this HolyOak Cracker Keeper that is doing a great job. Its just a flexible key ring with a "Holy Oak" attached but I think it adds a bit of class to my crackers. I know I like having my crackers together and organized instead of getting loose in the bottom of my whip bag. No, they aren't for sale out right. If you order a whip you will get one.  I have 3 Dragon's Tails and a Phoenix tongue plaited and waiting for knots and falls. It will be good to let my fingers rest a little. 
I put in some extra hours so that I could get this Dragon's Tail sent out. It is going to be in Germany eventually, but to save the international shipping, I sent it to California to meet up with its new owner before he goes back home. I'm so happy that it worked out. 
 I can't stand to waste... really anything, but especially my nylon paracord. I do my best to cut the strands so that there is very little left over. The picture to the left shows the amount of waste I had from a 10 plait belly. Not to bad! After building a few whips, I always end up with short little pieces from the end of the spools that are not really usable on an overlay because they may not match up with the new spool. I cant stand to toss them out and waste them so I usually put them in one of the under bellies of the whips. What ends up happening is beautiful and abstract. It looks quite a bit like a random rainbow a lot of the time. It is a beautiful secret, hidden inside your whip that only I get to see. It makes me smile when I think about it. 
|
Bobbi
I wear a lot of hats! I'm a homeschool Mom, Autism advocate, Jewelry maker, cosmetologist, gardener, spiritual adviser....and happy to be a Full time Whipstress whip-maker of HolyOak Whips. 
How to care for your whip
How to attach a cracker Ric Boyd Falls Carenvall cracker attachment TW & SA Differences 
Archives
June 2020
"One small crack does not mean that you are broken, It means you were put to the test and didn't fall apart."
|
RSS Feed