| Successive layers are done in identical fashionn to the
one just described except that a different number is used in the counting
procedure. The next larger circle would be formed by connecting every 24th
pin, and so on, up to the number of layers.
In the design you wish to make doesn't have 53 divisions like the one above, then you might want to know how to figure out the number of points to count over in forming the different layers. For those willing to accept some abstract symbology, the table below will be of some help in threading a Mandala pattern with N generating points, assuming N is a prime number: ___________________________________________________________ Layer to 1st 2nd 3rd be formed (smallest) ___________________________________________________________ Number of pins (N - 1)/2 (N - 3)/2 (N - 5)/2 ...etc. ___________________________________________________________ Apply this simple procedure to the threading of each layer, taking care to maintain tension in the thread. It is very important that the threads lie in tight, stable, straight lines. DESIGNING An ELLIPTICAL TEMPLATE: In geometry, the circle is known as the simplest of a
series of curves known as "conic sections." Simply stated, a circle is
that set of points which are all the same distance from the center point.
What most people don't know is that a circle is just a special case of
a more general closed curve, the ellipse. The ellipse may be thought of
as the path of a point, the sum of whose distance from two fixed points,
called "focal points," is constant.
Consider what happens as the distance between the focal points diminishes. As the points come together, the ellipse fattens, and if the points become one and the same, we are left with a perfect circle. In this sense, a circle is merely a degenerate ellipse. See fig. 2, following page.
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