Skilled braiders operating on small braids on their own can do the "loop walking" on the one hand while the hands are being separated, and the whole process soon becomes a smooth and flowing sequence, with fingers a blur to the casual onlooker! Most people can reach this level after about ten minutes. Honest!
UsesBraiding is fast. During public shows, it's possible to make dozens in a single afternoon. Members of the public latch on to craft skills like this, and it has proved ideal for breaking the ice during living history demonstrations: presumably - while braiding is easily learnt - the process has an intricate appearance to the onlooker, and they get drawn into what you're doing.
The lengths of braids that can be achieved by one person working on their own make them ideal for tying hose, chausses, coifs etc. Girdles can be made by starting with twice the normal length of loops, clamping them in the middle and working in two directions. My pavilion used over thirty 7-loop hand made braids during construction for all those places that needed small, strong, rapidly produced and authentic ties.