Almost certainly not a new move, but hey you never know

OK - I couldn't find this in my (admittedly cursory) search of the message boards. If it's got a name can someone tell me what it is? I call it the Opposite Weave. If this explanation is too confusing, someone tell me and I'll try again!

Basically, the move is built on Thread the Needle which I assume people know. You have to be good at doing it forward and backward. Practice doing Thread the Needle to your side on both sides, forwards on one side, backward on the other (I do forward on my left).

Now, you also need to be good at doing a simple cross with each poi going in a different direction. This is quite hard at first and I hurt some delicate parts while doing it! Practice both with the right hard crossing over the left and left over right.

Now, with poi going in different directions, practice taking the poi in the right hand over to the left, keeping the poi on the left in the same place, making a simple forward butterfly (on your left side). Do that on the other side as well to make the reverse butterfly. (This assumes the poi in your right hand is going backwards btw, otherwise it's all the other way round!).

This is nearly the whole move, which is basically a 3-beat weave with the two poi going in OPPOSITE directions. If you've been following so far you might be able to see what I'm talking about.

Now for the whole move starting with poi going in opposite directions at your sides - right backward, left forward:

1. Bring poi in the right hand over to the left to make butterfly on the left side with right hand over left (like above)

2. Switch the hands over (thread the needle without moving your hands much) so the left one is going on the top.

3. But almost as soon as you have switched the hands over (i.e. the poi in your left hand does only 1/2 a turn), bring the poi in the left over to the right hand side.

4. Then follow with the poi in the right to make a reverse butterfly on the right with the left hand on top.

5. Now switch the hands again so the right hand is on top (like thread the needle again) and like in 3 bring the right hand over to the left almost as soon as you have switched.

6. Then bring the left hand back to the left and you should be doing forward butterfly on your left hand side with right hand on top.

Those are all the moves you need to be able to do. Then just repeat from 2 onwards. 3 and 5 are the hardest bits I think, and I might be able to explain them better if people want. Once you've got it perfectly, do it with the poi out of phase (so far I've assumed all moves are being done in phase) and that's it! Your hands should make exactly the same movements as when you do the normal 3 beat weave. I'm told it looks pretty cool!

Oh, and one nice thing is that as you're only doing the butterfly all the time, extension to 5-, 7- or any number of beat weaves is really simple!

Good luck - and if anyone pulls this one off behind the back then respect!

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