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Weaver's Puzzle
© 2020 Michael Reilly. All Rights Reserved.
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The illustrations below explain and demonstrate my ‘Weaver’s Puzzle.’ The photos to the left are my original prototype.
Beneath the illustrations below is a set of directions intended as a DIY (do it yourself) project to help you make your own version of my ‘Weaver’s Puzzle.’
NOTE:
This puzzle is not suitable for young children as the string might present a choking hazard.
As with all items, I believe:
“Children Deserve Loving Supervision!”
How to Build a 'Weaver's Puzzle'
I build most of my puzzles backwards.
Maybe ‘reverse’ is a more apt word.
The best way to explain this process
is to take you through it step by step.
In fact, with a few simple materials
and some time you can build your own
version of my ‘Weaver’s Puzzle.’.
With some patience and diligence,
you can build a very difficult puzzle,
and build it very easily.
Again,
if you are under twelve years of age
you will need
the loving supervision of an adult.
Please read all these instructions before you begin and assemble all your materials like you would for a recipe.
Pay special attention to instruction #7
You will need the following materials:
About 24 art tacks.
(or push pins, thumb tacks, carpet tacks, small nails, sewing pins, whatever. Be creative, that’s the ‘point’ here.)
A small hunk of soft wood for the base, about the size of a CD jewel case.
(foam core board, Styrofoam, thick cardboard, etc. Once you read all the directions you’ll have a good idea of what might work best. I’m a big believer in using what you have at hand.)
A length of yarn, (or kite string, twine, dental floss, etc.; but not your mom’s necklace or your dad’s chalk line. You’ll need about three feet, Thirty-six inches, of stringy stuff. Not too stretchy. No rubber bands!)
A pencil and a piece of paper that is as large, or larger, than your base.
(And you will probably need a band aid if you’re not careful with the pointy things.)
Instructions for assembly:
(Note photos. These are not illustrative of assembly but should give you some idea of what your version should replicate.)
1.) Stick a pin somewhere into your base.
2.) Tie one end of your string to this pin. You can tie the string on first, if that is easier for you.
3.) Stick another pin into the base some distance away from the first pin.
4.) Stretch your string to reach this second pin. Pull the string taut and then stretch the string to somewhere else on the base and put a pin in there.
5.) Continue to trace a path with the string, putting in pins where you want the string to make another turn.
Make sure that your string only touches each pin once and once only!
6.) Once you have built a path among all the pins, tie your string to the last pin. This last pin is special. It will be the only pin that is removable!
Trim off the excess. This last pin will be the only one that will be removable but DO NOT REMOVE IT YET!
7.) Most Important!
Make a drawing of your string’s path!
This is absolutely essential! You have no idea how many puzzles I have built, disassembled and been unable to reassemble – meaning Solve!
The object of this puzzle is to weave the string from pin to pin, touching each pin only once, and then have the sting reach, and without excess length, place the last pin in its designated hole!
NOTE: I used 16 post (pins) but if you use less that's OK. The fewer the number of posts, the easier the puzzle! Experiment.
The illustration above shows the solution. The one RED dot is the free post.
Contact: reilly4puzzles(put the little 'at' sign here)gmail(DOT)com
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