Week 03 of 52 : Wide Single Columns
Building on the last couple of weeks, we're sticking with the Somerville Bowline, this week for a wide single column, such as a waist or thigh.
Technically I have nothing much to add to the previous couple of articles, Somerville Bowline and Somerville Directionality. But while the technique is fundamentally the same, it's worth taking some time to think about and practice these wider single columns as the angles are often different to more common wrist ties, for example, and also there is more potential to create uneven or untidy wraps when wrapping with a longer length of rope.
Beginning a futomomo tie from the thigh rather than the ankle may seem a little unusual, but you might find the differently distributed tension in the wraps makes for a more comfortable tie.
The single column tie is identical to the one we've already described (see previous week-1 and week-2) but the additional width compared to an ankle means that more rope needs to be fed around to make the initial two wraps, and although there's nothing difficult here, a little extra practice will be helpful in ensuring the wraps stay flat and parallel, whilst your moves remain fluid. Feeding more rope whilst maintaining tension and allowing the rope to slide between your fingers, hand to hand, is a useful skill.
There are a multitude of possibilities when it comes to these futomomo style ties, but this one has become a regular for us; we definitely find it more sustainable. If you always begin with a double-column around ankle and thigh, or a single column to the ankle, why not give this variation a try? :-)
References
If you are intrigued by this beautiful and erotic rope-play, take a look at the free and paid courses over at the ShibariClasses website. A few recommendations:
- Tying Techniques Part 1
- Futomomo (Shin to thigh)
- Nina's Hip Harness
- Japanese Rope Bondage parts 1 & 2
Don't forget to pick up some authentic shibari supplies at Esinem-Rope.
Next week will be the last of our single column ties for a while, and we are taking a look at a single column tied around two columns, such as the beginning of a gote shibari, aka the box-tie. ;-)
