Ball's well that ends well

This is the closest to a perfect closing. Excess cord is stuffed inside the projectile. The knot was tied while it was on the outside but the closing knot is actually inside.

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Tight...

Center of the pocket, one side viewed
from underneath

Slingmoore's 2015 All Blacks are entering production, here's one side of the back of the pocket receiving its ever-so-subtle pinch for the perfectly rounded pocket.  The funny thing is that I have tried making metrics for exactly where these holes should go and the results were disastrous.  In the end, the eye-balled holes were better.  I can't explain this beyond sometimes experience is better than anything.

Slinging at the Teesta

Nothing like slinging at a swift river with no shortage of rocks... I'm amazed at how picky I've become. In the U.S. I would sling anything, asphalt, pinecones, I even slung an empty bottle once...(by the way...don't do that) I was so desperate for projectiles... but here, if it doesn't look like I could cook it sunny side up and slap it on my grits, then I don't even give it a second look... behold Teesta Slinging

Good sling curing practices

It's simple, a good egg-ish rock and some time. Make sure your rock is centered, and be patient.  It's wise to store your sling like this while your slinging in your dreams, because otherwise, it should be in your pocket or backpack ready for action.  And by "action" I mean, that rare moment when an open field, and a projectile and your sling collide in the same space-time.

A stuffing trick

Getting your projectiles stuffed tight enough can be difficult.  Often, it comes down to you jamming one bean at a time into the last stitching hole before you close.  But here's a trick.  Twist stitch the last two inches or so a bit loose, then stuff the ball tight as usual.  Right before the final closing knots you can go back and pull both sides of the twist-stitch tight.  This will give you a bit more slack for the closing knots and pull the halves together giving you a nice solid ball to sling with.  

16 row bean-fed...Jupiter spot?

One of planet Jupiter's most striking features is its big red spot. Longer than three earths, this storm has raged for over 1/2 a century and is somewhat of a mystery. A mystery much like these spots on this 16 row bean-fed. I have noticed these hole features appearing on the last few sling projectiles and am wondering if they are consistent artifacts of errors in the crochet pattern. After all the pattern is merely an approximation of a sphere and perhaps the non-perfectness of it produces these holes of mystery.

Slingmoore secret revealed

Drumroll... Hemostat during hole punching.  There... I said it, secret's out, that's how it's done.  Oh... that, and a really nice cutting board.

16 row cornfed finds its calling.

sling made by slingmoore, see the sling warehouse at
slingmoore.com

This is where sling projectiles find their greatest joy.  The only problem with corn, is that it breaks up over time and leaks out the crochet holes.  I don't think there's a way around this.

Waste Not Sling Moore

Cleaning up today I noticed that my waste pile was infinitesimally small, with the addition of one small leaf piece.  Why is this note worthy?  Because it means your sling from Slingmoore hasn't been hacked and chopped ultimately reducing strength... But rather your sling has the strength that only wholeness can deliver.

Proven: balloons inadequate

I stuffed this 16 row asymmetrical trichrom with a balloon.  Inside the ballon stuffed with this tiny "yellow dhal". The dhal makes a great stuffing with a few small problems.  First it extrudes out of the crochet holes no matter how tight I crochet.  This is the reason for the balloon meant as a liner to hold them in.  But these projectiles are intended for slinging, and after only two throws the balloon ruptured.  I have experimented with balloons off and on but I am hereby official done.

Out of the nursery

slings in the raw, with two other
essentials:
see through omni straight edge and
coffee.

As slingmoore's 2015 all-black slings exit the nursery they are cut to length. Two things you need at this point, first, coffee, enough said on that point. Second, here at slingmoore we craft slings in small batches. Partly because we are always running out of gear, but the more poignant reason is that small batches allow for constant innovation. With this batch of four I'll experiment on one sling with a slightly longer pocket. Quality...that's what we're about here... Oh and chucking stuff...yes, chucking stuff and quality.

The Perfect Non-Lethal Sling Projectile

the clippers are useful because they can travel with you 
on an airplane, not so the lighter, and the hooks are
hit and miss, depends on the THA agent.

16 Row Projectile Pattern:
Row 1) Magic Circle (Ch 2. 6 Sc in second Ch from hook.) (6)
Row 2) inc in each stitch around. (12)
Row 3) 1, +, 2, +, 1, +, 2, +, 1, + (17)
Row 4) 1, +, 3, +, 2, +, 3, +, 2, +, 1 (22)
Row 5) 2, +, 5, +, 4, +, 5, +, 2 (26)
Row 6) 4, +, 7, +, 8, +, 4 (29)
Row 7) 7, +, 9, +, 9, +, 1 (32)
Row 8) 13, +, 18 (33)

The above pattern should be read as follows, starting in Row 3 read: "one single stitch, one increase stitch, 2 single stitches etc..." This pattern will make half the ball, so make two of them, and then see the links below for the closing.  I like to use the tail of the pattern to sew the halves together, this mean, just to be safe you should leave 12 inches at least.

Also here's one more trick, if you take the tail end of each side and pull it through the final loop of the other side.  You can tighten this slowly for a very clean starting point.  Plus this brings the bulge of the patterns together like hand in glove erasing them both basically.  Some knots are in order after this inside the sphere of course and then you can begin the stitching together.  I found that if you keep the tails on the side corresponding to their own color, it allows the eye to focus on the color change at the seam making the closing stitching virtually invisible.  I have to do two or three rounds of tightening before I'm ready to close it up.

This guy is the perfect size and weight for slinging.  This ballistic crochet ball was done with a # 2.5 hook, closed with the baseball stitch and I tried a different closing, tying it outside and then pulling the knot down into the ball from the other side using the hook.  It is likely to come out after the beating it will definitely receive being slung, but, it is also possible to res-tuff it with something different because I left enough tail to be able to retie it.

Oh and how to know it's non lethal?  I subjected myself to some "testing,"  Had some former baseball players throw these as hard as they could at me from just 3 meters away.  These do pack a bit of a punch, but they don't cross the pain threshold

Punching for the stays

punching the holes for the stays

Great leather is a dime a dozen but well-punched holes who can find?  This is usually the moment that I make or break a sling.  Knots can be retied and stays restrung but once you've punched you're committed.  I have thrown away many slings just after doing this wrong.  Can you believe I stopped in the midst of the strain to snap a photo? 

The monkey fist trigger... knot to worry

glazed bead handles and
monkey first triggers in waiting.

Tutorials on tying monkey fists and sheep-shanks have entire YouTube channels devoted to them so I won't go into it. But I will say that recently I started tying a simple overhand with the smallest of tails and centering it within the fist for a harder more spherical trigger.  But the best thing about the monkey fist is that it doesn't shatter upon its first encounter with the ground, a common problem with beaded triggers.  Plus although it's hard as a rock, it doesn't hurt nearly as much as a wood on the rare occasions that it whips around to bite you on the cheek. Slingmoore always recommends wearing eye protection when slinging.  The glazed beads for the handles aren't a problem because it never leaves your hand.

The Ideal Closing using the baseball stitch: A step by step tutorial

In order to make a 16 row cornfed, first make two halves with the following pattern.  (+ = increase stitch)

16 Row Projectile Pattern:
Row 1) Ch 2. 6 Sc in second Ch from hook. (6)
Row 2) inc in each stitch around. (12)
Row 3) 1, +, 2, +, 1, +, 2, +, 1, + (17)
Row 4) 1, +, 3, +, 2, +, 3, +, 2, +, 1 (22)
Row 5) 2, +, 5, +, 4, +, 5, +, 2 (26)
Row 6) 4, +, 7, +, 8, +, 4 (29)
Row 7) 7, +, 9, +, 9, +, 1 (32)
Row 8) 13, +, 18 (33)

Baseball Stitch:  Using about 40 cm of cord from each half pull the cords up through the stitches then twist them so that the colors match up again.  White cord on the white side etc.

Push your hook down into the next stitch from outside the sphere.  Hook the cord of the matching color and pull through.

Do the same for the other side.  And repeat around the circumference.

Twist- stitch is shown here under my middle finger. I am sure someone out there, (of ballistic crochet's tens of thousands of followers) is saying, "why is he calling this a "twist stitch" it is only a __________ stitch."  If so please inform, I am ready to learn.

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