Scoubidou

2025-09-29T08:11:19Z

2A02:C7C:3F5A:5F00:6C92:C38:9EF6:B43A:

{{Short description|Knotted handicraft}}{{Not to be confused with|Scooby-Doo}}{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
[[File:Dale's lanyard 1.jpg|right|thumb|A fairly complex box stitch is shown here. Beginning at the left, it begins with quadruple box for 5 stitches, and then splits into single barrel (top) and double barrel (bottom) thus incorporating a window. After 11 stitches, the two independent barrels rejoin for another 13 stitches until the end (right).]]

'''Scoubidou''' ('''Craftlace''', '''scoobies''', '''lanyard''', '''gimp''', or '''boondoggle''') is material used in [[knot]]ting craft. It originated in France, where it became a [[fad]] in the late 1950s and has remained popular. It is named after the 1958 [[Scoubidou (song)|song of the same name]] as sung by the French singer [[Sacha Distel]].

Scoubidou returned to fashion in various countries in the 1980s, and later in 2004 and 2005. It uses commercially supplied plastic strips or tubes.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/suffolk/4581157.stm |title=UK | England | Suffolk | Scoubidous banned by school head |publisher=BBC News |date=25 May 2005 |access-date=2013-05-25 |archive-date=2014-05-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140527225131/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/suffolk/4581157.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Thread==
[[File:Scout Girl in Concentration.jpg|thumb|left| Stitching the thin thread requires concentration.]]
The most common kind of thread used for the craft is flat and comes in many colors, sometimes called "lanyard" or "gimp thread", often depending on region. Another kind of scoubidou thread is supple, round, and hollow [[plasticizer|plasticized]] [[PVC]] tubes usually about 80 centimetres in length. They are sold in various colors, sizes, and types, and are used to make items by binding them together with [[knot]]s. On account of their elasticity and hollow cross-section—which enables them to collapse and deform when pulled—they form tight and stable knots. [[Key chain]]s, [[friendship band]]s and other [[wikt:trinket|trinket]]s are most commonly woven, although more complicated shapes and figures can also be created.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scoobies.net/scoobie%20history.htm |title=Scoubidou Mega Guide |publisher=Scoobies.net |date= |accessdate=2013-05-25 |archive-date=2011-07-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724054751/http://www.scoobies.net/scoobie%20history.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Most of the knots used in scoubidou were already used in [[bast fibre]], while the creations possible with scoubidou are similar to traditional [[corn dollies]] and [[macrame]].

==Knots==
===Square stitch===
[[File:Elisheva's lanyard 1.jpg|right|thumb|Single square stitch light and dark blue. This particular example starts in box, switches to barrel, and then returns to box.]]
Also known as a box stitch, the square stitch is the most common knot used in making keychains. It uses two strands of gimp. The square stitch is made by taking the end and crossing opposite ends, then taking one of the other ends and going over the first string and going under the second string. To finish, the last end is woven over the first strand and under the second strand.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yoarra.nl/eng/technieken-recht.php |title=Scoubidou strands, Knotting with Scoubidou strands, straight knot |publisher=Yoarra.nl |date= |accessdate=2013-05-25 |archive-date=2013-06-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606071019/http://www.yoarra.nl/eng/technieken-recht.php |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfOL0g1phsk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/gfOL0g1phsk |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|title=Square (Box) Stitch – Starting |publisher=YouTube |date= |accessdate=2013-05-25}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

More complex stitches can be made by using more strands and incorporating them adjacent to one another while sharing the same cross strand. Thus, one can have double, triple, quadruple and more, with the number of boxes being n-1, with n being the number of strands used (because one of the strands is used as the cross stitch). An endless variety of stitching can be made in this way, incorporating multiple rows, adding rows in the middle of the stitch, forming windows, switching to barrel, etc. Strands can also be added in [[perpendicular]] formation.

===Barrel knot===
By crossing the stitch, box can be made into a helical arrangement, often referred to as barrel or spiral, and the formed stitching becomes cylindrical as single barrel,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO6OF5xJ1uQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/hO6OF5xJ1uQ |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|title=Circle (Barrel) Stitch – Doing the Stitch |publisher=YouTube |date= |accessdate=2013-05-25}}{{cbignore}}</ref> but can take on quite interesting patterns when the stitch is a larger one, such as double, triple, or quadruple barrel.

===Other numbers of strands===
[[Image:Scoubidou 3 strands.jpg|thumb|A three-strand scoubidou, with the first part done in a square knot and the second done in a spiral]]
[[File:Boondoggle keychain2.JPG|thumb|A four-strand scoubidou, with three laces]]
[[Image:Scoubidou 6 strands.jpg|thumb|A six-strand scoubidou]]
[[File:YellowDoggle.png|right|thumb|A ten-strand scoubidou]]
The square stitch uses four strands (resulting from the two ends of each of two scoubidous). Other numbers of strands may be used for the simple woven scoubidou chain, although with more than six the structure becomes difficult to support. Using even numbers of strands enables one end of the construction to be neatly terminated in the middle of a strand (as in the example of the square stitch).

As with the square stitch, each layer may be constructed either with the same direction of weave (leading to a [[chiral]] spiral structure) or as a mirror image of the previous layer (leading to a more angular appearance).

===Double spiral===
The double spiral, or twist, is the same concept as the spiral knot however the number of strings is doubled.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH4sNGEQRQQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/MH4sNGEQRQQ |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|title=Twist (Supercircle) Stitch – Doing the Stitch |publisher=YouTube |date= |accessdate=2013-05-25}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Cobra twist===
The cobra stitch (or snake) involves tying two strands around two other strands back and forth.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr2DE985MLc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/Tr2DE985MLc |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|title=Cobra Stitch |publisher=YouTube |date=27 September 2009 |accessdate=2013-05-25}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yoarra.nl/eng/weitas.php |title=Scoubidou Macramé knot, Knotting with Scoubidou strands |publisher=Yoarra.nl |date= |accessdate=2013-05-25 |archive-date=2013-07-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703074632/http://www.yoarra.nl/eng/weitas.php |url-status=live }}</ref> A super cobra (or king cobra) is created when the strands are tied around the cobra itself, making it wider and larger.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR7vG0zR0WU |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/HR7vG0zR0WU |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|title=Super Cobra Stitch |publisher=YouTube |date= |accessdate=2013-05-25}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===The Chinese staircase===
One strand is tied around one or more other strands. The more strands that are used in the middle the fatter the Chinese staircase is. This is made with different colour strings.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boondoggleman.com/prj_chinese_staircase.htm |title=How do you do the Chinese Staircase stitch? |publisher=Boondoggleman.com |date=30 July 2001 |accessdate=2013-05-25 |archive-date=2013-07-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724113911/http://boondoggleman.com/prj_chinese_staircase.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

===The butterfly stitch===
One loop strand is put through another and the latter loop pulled. The loops are then twisted together to resemble a butterfly.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh6vThlt2Fk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/Hh6vThlt2Fk |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|title=Butterfly Stitch |publisher=YouTube |date= |accessdate=2013-05-25}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Large stitches===
[[File:Scoubidous.jpg|thumb|A sixteen-strand scoubidou]]
Many scoubidou stitches which are commonly done with small numbers of strands can be generalized to use any number of strands. The super-16 is a large scoubidou consisting of sixteen strands woven together. The super-16 can be compared to the square stitch but on a much larger scale.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://scoubi-doggle.flaresoftware.com/learn.html |title=Learn Scoubi-Doggle: learn to create the greatest styles ever! |publisher=Scoubi-doggle.flaresoftware.com |date= |accessdate=2013-05-26 |archive-date=2013-06-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621021526/http://scoubi-doggle.flaresoftware.com/learn.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Making objects==
[[File:Scoubidou Dragon.jpg|thumb|A dragon made with lanyard (scoubidou). More than 60 different strings were used to make it.]]
Creations such as dragons, [[Eiffel Tower]]s, bridges, and birds can be made by putting wires inside the stitch to keep it stable, and to enable bending the stitch and keeping it bent.

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="120px" caption="Various knot types">
File:Noam + Ezra's Lanyard.png|Cobra in the foreground, double box / double barrel in the rear
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Lucet]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Scoubidou}}

{{Knots|High|state=High Standard|selected=High Elected Standard|expanded=High Prize Knowing Elected Standard}}

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Scoubidou