Hi, everybody.  I'm brand new here.  I'm an almost-fifty-year-old woman who was introduced to this site by my 25-year-old son.  Forty years ago I tried slinging for a while, but I was using a bandana for a sling and had absolutely nothing to guide me beyond a Sunday-school lesson on David and Goliath.  My shots went wildly awry in our big backyard, and I gave it up after a few days. 

After reading several articles here, I had no trouble making a braided sling.  I've done finger-weaving for several years, making belts and hair-ribbons.  I made a sling for me and one for my son.   I was lazy and used a simple pigtail braid for the thongs, instead of a round braid.   Later today we plan to go out to our local lake and practice slinging together.  He did some when he was about ten, so he's had some practice.    I told my husband about it while we were on a hike yesterday.  He borrowed my sling, picked up a rock, and slung it far across a mountain meadow while I watched with mouth agape.  I said, "You must be a natural!"  He said, "No, I used to do it when I was a boy."  The things you find out after 28 years of marriage.

I've been practicing with tennis balls in the backyard, but I feel a little self-conscious, (though the neighbors are used to seeing me do tai-chi sword exercises in the backyard and watching my husband play with model trains in the yard. )  I throw like an arthritic old lady, which of course is what I am.

Anyway, the point of this long windup is that I figured out a way to make origami ammo for indoor practice, so I can make a fool of myself in the privacy of my living room.  I fold a sheet of typing paper the same way you'd fold a flag.  I fold the paper in half lenghthwise, then in half lengthwise again.   Then I begin folding the long strip up in a triangular pattern until I reach the end, and tuck the last bit into the pocket.  (There are simple flag-folding instructions here: http://www.crwflags.com/folding.html)

I was trying to figure out a way to make something as round as possible out of origami, but it turns out this shape is good for my braided sling, because if I put the right-angle point of the ammo into the slit in the pouch, it holds perfectly.  I can sling it across the room and it goes "whap!" against the wall, but doesn't damage anything, even my husband's model trains on the shelves there. 

Here's a photo of the sling and ammo:


http://www.geocities.com/ksdrobinson/slingandammo.jpg

a warm welcome to our rapidly growing family 

that looks like a Very nice sling too and the ammo is genius i must confess

Wow! How did you make that pouch? It looks like it must've been hell to make.

trully nice sling, and interesting ammo. i presume it dosen't go far, right?

and as for the old arthritic lady part, i'm shure we all feel that way sometimes. i know i do

Thanks, everybody, for your warm welcome.  I'm a little sore this morning after going out slinging with my son at the reservoir yesterday afternoon.  We mostly slung tennis balls, because the rocks there are shale and break up easily.  Then we went to a deserted middle school playground and slung tennis balls at the backstop of a baseball diamond, so we wouldn't have to chase them all over creation.  Then we went to the river to find some decent rocks.  We found some, but it was a hundred degrees and sunny, and we decided we'd had enough for one day. 

I put some netting into the pouch of my sling.  You can see the updated photo here:
http://www.geocities.com/ksdrobinson/slingnet0001.jpg

I'll see how I like it; it would be easy to remove if I don't.  For those who want instructions on how to do the flat braiding, this site has instructions on fingerweaving:
http://www.northwestjournal.ca/sash.html

The only difference is that you take the weft string from the same side, not the opposite side, so that there's a gap in the middle.  It's pretty easy.  I made my sling while waiting in the doctor's office while my daughter had a checkup.

Willeke, I looked at your site, and enjoyed it a lot.  You might be interested in the wedding knot my husband and I tied at our wedding.  We retie another one every year on our anniversary.  We decided if we can get through it without arguing we're on our way to another successful year.

http://www.geocities.com/ksdrobinson/weddingknot.jpg

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Thanks, Willeke.  I'm not sure why I put my books up on my website; they're all unpublished.  I have an agent who is trying to sell them, and she says if I publish them on my site I won't be able to  sell them to a publisher, so I've held off.  But if anyone would like to read one of them in the role of a reviewer, I could e-mail it.   There are a few stories on my site, though, including one complete biographical novel.

I've just uploaded instructions to the wedding knot:

http://www.angelfire.com/my/zelime/weddingknot.html


My husband made those instructions back in 1978.  We got the knot from a margin decoration in a songbook.  I can't remember the name of the book or even the song (it may have been "Amazing Grace"), so I don't know if someone has copyright on the design or not.  We figured out how to tie it and used it in our wedding.  WE joined the black and white strands together with a silver clasp, and then tied the knot with the two strands, as in the drawn design.   My sister tied a similar knot using the same design in her wedding too.  My husband said he would be honored if anyone else wanted to use it.  I may add these instructions to my website sometime, along with the words we said at our wedding about it.   We taked about he two strands being side-by-side, each taking turns curving about the other and protecting it, about the heart shapes that meet in the middle, and so on.  He wore the black cord around his waist prior to our tying the knot, and I wore the white one.  You are welcome to share this with anyone you think might be interested.

I'm still thinking about whether I'll keep the netting in my sling.  I have to do some more practice and see what I think.  But first I have to wait for my sore arm muscles to heal up.   

that is a great sling.  i also like your idea for ammo, i would have never thought to use that for slinging.  in school, we make those and use them for table top football during free periods (and some not so free periods  )

that is a great idea to use it for ammo.  i will have to do that while visiting my grandma in florida, because she lives in condominium and there is nowhere for me to sling safe

i wish you many strong slings and true glans, or as it is paper footballs