The previous examples have lost any dye that they may have once held, and all appear a uniform dark brown colour, but an example from a slightly earlier period contains crimson coloured materials. One later braid from a 14th century context was made up of threads of two hues.
Colour and simple patterns would almost certainly have been used in 13th century braids, although the technique does not allow the amount and quality of pattern control that tablet weaving can produce.
The braids that date from outside our period are made of either 5, 7, 10, 14, or 20 loops: this last example has a width of 20mm. Five and seven loop braids are the commonest and can be made by an individual. The larger braids require more than one worker, and longer ones would need another worker to tamp down the braid during construction.
The fourteen loop braids can be split at a point chosen by the braiders and continued on to make connected seven loop braids: the resulting Y shaped braid is ideal for use as hanging & draw strings for the neck of a bag.
The process of braiding naturally produces a looser weave at the "starting" end of the work in progress, with tighter, more accurate braiding at the "finishing" end: this is (not suprisingly) seen in both the Medieval and contemporary re-creations, and really helps to reflect the hand-made nature of the finished items.
Each end of a finished fingerloop braid is normally knotted and plaited, although there are later examples of supplementary coloured tassles added to the ends.