Hitching evolves as a person progresses, so here are hitching tips to help you out. Check back occasionally because new tips will be added.

These tips are arranged in categories, with the most recent tip first in each category. A few informational items are before the categories.

Shoni & Stetson (yep, the hat company...):

There's a new show in the western world. Women Who Design the West premieres in Cody, Wyoming, September 2010. It's an exclusive exhibition featuring women who design and create western craft. And Shoni has been invited to the show.

Stetson has endorsed Women Who Design the West and will be inducting each craftswoman into the Stetson Craftsman's Alliance. The mission of the alliance is to recognize and honor excellence across western craft disciplines.

Thea Marx has worked with Stetson for several years on this project. Thea also directs Style West, held at the same time. Both shows open, free to the public, at noon on Thursday and Friday, September 23-24, and at 10 a.m. on Saturday, September 25. The event closes daily at 6 p.m.

Website: www.womenwhodesignthewest.wordpress.com.

Upcoming Classes: We are always open to one-on-one three day workshops, taking up to two students at a time in our studio at Kettle Falls, Washington. Check the "Instruction" page of this website for more information.

Montana Academy of Living History: We will present two sessions on hitched horsehair in Deer Lodge, Montana, September 16-17, 2010.

First session: Find out what hitched horsehair is, a general description of how it is done, and display of finished products. This is an overview discussion. A question and answer period will be at the end of the session. This is September 16, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.; fee of $10.00.

The second session is an accelerated how-to and hands-on for beginners. Students will make a hitched horsehair key fob, having hands on experience with making pulls, the two knots used in hitching, and understanding drop, add, and standing pulls. The six row diamond, the basis for all geometric patterns will be hitched, but not completed due to time constraints. Class is limited to ten students. Please bring small scissors and a ruler. We recommend that people taking the how-to, hands-on session also attend the two hour overview session on Thursday. This session is September 17, 8 a.m. to noon.

For more information and to register: www.academyoflivinghistory.com; or e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Or call the Powell County Museum and Arts Foundation, phone number 406-846-3111.

Our Home Page: You may want to check out our Home Page which is titled "Welcome to Hitched Horsehair". There's good information on it also, as well as photos of hitched horsehair and places we may be at with our hitched horsehair.

KSPS TV Interview: We were interviewed by KSPS PBS TV station in Spokane, Washington, for their Northwest Profiles program in October, 2006. This interview is on their website, www.ksps.org. Click on Local Productions; then Northwest Profiles; then Archives; then the alphabet letters "G-L". Scroll down to "Knotted Up (Horsehair Hitching). This interview is also on YouTube - type in hitched horsehair.

Old Pieces: Appraisals, Buy & Sell: These businesses are experts at providing these services on old pieces. We have met them all and do restoration work for all of them. They're listed in alphabetical order.

1. Antiques of the Old West, Elmer & Jan Diederich, P.O. Box 756, Big Timber, MT 59011; 406-932-7787; website: www.elmerdiederich.com; e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

2. Fighting Bear Antiques, Terry & Claudia Winchell, P.O. Box 3790, Jackson, WY 83001; 307-733-2669; e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Their store is located at 375 South Cache, Jackson, WY.

3. High Noon, Joseph & Linda Sherwood, 9929 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90034; 310-202-9010; website: www.highnoon.com; e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Updated Supplier List
If you do not have the updated supplier list, contact us and we will send one to you via e-mail or ponymail one to you.

7/13/08: Add this contact to your supplier list: Reg Peterson, Free Spirit Hitching, PO Box 346, East Helena, MT 59635; 406-459-5005. She sells books, #9 nylon string, belt ends, pulls and hair, and, most importantly, hitching jigs. Leave a message on her answering machine.

History of Hitched Horsehair - Sailors involved?
4/29/10: Here's a possible theory of how hitched horsehair evolved. Ron thought of this recently. He's a sailor, even built his own wooden sailboat the past two years and is a Navy veteran. Could the sailors on the boats which transported the Spanish soldiers to the New World have a connection with hitched horsehair? After all, sailors use the two knots that are used in hitched horsehair. And there was available horse tail hair on the boat. And plenty of time as they crossed the ocean. Just a thought......

Inch an Hour Myth
7/13/08: So now it's time to clear up the "a good hitcher hitches an inch an hour" myth. That may be true if it's a simple pattern with a small diameter dowel. But for any complex pattern over a larger size dowel, we think that's a myth!

Don't Hitch Over Air
7/13/08: We're finding in our workshops with beginning students that they do what we are calling "hitching over air". They are not rotating the dowel quickly enough and are hitching over string that is not laying on the dowel. This creates problems with snugging down the pulls and sometimes tension problems. Please remember to make sure that the string is laying on the dowel in your current hitching area .

Western Horseman
9/15/06: Kyle Partain, writer and Associate Editor of Western Horseman, won second place in the feature writing category at the annual American Horse Publications awards for the August, 2005, article on hitching. Send him a congratulatory note at the magazine's address - he would appreciate it.

The August, 2005, issue of Western Horseman magazine had an accurate, informative, and entertaining article on hitched horsehair. They interviewed us (including photos), but that's not the reason why it was so great. The article was about hitching, with quotes from hitchers.

Shows & Exhibitions
We're including shows that our hitched products (and maybe us) are traveling to. Check out the bottom of our Home Page.

Cuff Bracelets
1/29/08: Enough of you have been asking about how to make cuff bracelets, so awhile back we tried a few to see what worked best. Here's what we found out.

Hitching over a metal rod and then bending it seemed too bulky for a woman's wrist. We know we've seen these, but it didn't work out too well here. We put the needle knot on both ends to cover up the raw ends (see page 93 of our first book on how to make these knots).

What worked best was hitching over a dowel like usual and then pressing the hitched tube flat. We then inserted a pliable piece of metal into the inside of the hitching. The metal was a bit narrower than the inside of the hitching and the length of the hitching. Then the hitched piece was shaped into a cuff bracelet, using a rubber mallet. If you don't have a rubber mallet, cover a hammer with soft leather, and shape with your hands. Needle knots made of saddle stitching thread were put on both ends. Do not make needle knots with horsehair - they will scratch the wrist.

With a flat pressed piece of hitching, there can be more pattern on the bracelet than in-the-round.
 
If you try to find silver caps, they may be difficult to size. The starting end of the hitching has less bulk than the ending end of the hitching because of the dropped pulls in the last row. Caps also have to cover more hitched raw edges than working with beads or stones.

#9 Nylon String - read this section for substitute string
4/29/10: We should have mentioned Hitching Post Supply in this section for a source for this string. They have been supplying #9 string for years and know exactly what hitchers need. They're in Snohomish, Washington; phone number is 360-668-2349 or 1-800-689-9971; website is www.hitchingpostsupply.com.  Since they're in the book appendixes, we neglected to mention them on the website before now.

8/13/08: Here's another source for the string which a customer found: Ralph's Sewing in Denver, 303-455-6831; product #554 NW - bonded nylon. It is $17.03 for 655 yards.

A recent workshop participant also found this source, though we don't have the product number nor price on it: www.nylonnet.com in Memphis; 1-800-238-7529.

7/13/08: Add this name to your supplier list for the #9 nylon string: Reg Peterson, Free Spirit Hitching, PO Box 346, East Helena, MT 59635; 406-459-5005. She bought out Rustic Granary.

3/30/06: The best #9 nylon string comes with a hard bond finish, which most likely is what our Suppliers sell. The main wholesale supplier went out of business, so sometime you may end up without the hard bond finish. You know this if the string has a limp feeling. Either can be used to hitch over.

2/11/06: This string is hard to obtain, so check out the Supplier List in the books' Appendix for sources. It came to us a few months ago why this string is used. Most likely inmates "lifted" the string from the prison Upholstery Shop, and brought it back to their cells to hitch over. It's become an industry standard.

Any string can be used to hitch over as long as it is nylon and not cotton. Cotton rots over time. The Canadians use mini-blind cord. Or chalkline string from hardware stores can be used. Both mini-blind cord and chalkline string are larger in diameter than #9 string. Experiment with hitching over just one string, as well as hitching over two strings. Adjustments may need to be made with our book directions if string other than #9 is used, especially with amount of pulls per row.

Pattern Layout
12/3/06: This is covered in detail in Chapter 11 of our first book, Hitched Horsehair: The Complete Guide for Self-Learning. It starts on page 79 in the graph paper chapter.
Maybe you don't want to learn graph paper, but you sure do want to learn how to lay out your belt project so the middle of your belt is in the middle of your back. This is where to find the information.

Traditional Knots to Cover Joints; aka Needle Knots
2/11/06: After making the twenty plus horsehair knots on the Griz on Horse Prairie headstall, I realized how covering the knotting area with thin leather first (deerhide, goathide, or any thin leather) makes the knots look more attractive, and it's easier to make the knots. Sew the leather seam with tiny stitches using sewing thread. Or wrap some thread around the leather to secure it, depending on the shape of the area and location.

Dye Proportions for one quart
10/16/06: We like using the Jacquard brand acid dyes as they are brilliant, with colors not attainable with other dyes, i.e. turquoise. The only acid involved is the vinegar that you add. These dyes do not have a shelf life. Once they are mixed with water and used to dye, the mixture is then throw away. We mix only a quart at a time because of this. They can be purchased from many art stores, fabric stores, or Dharma Trading Company (on our Supplier List).

11/16/05: Acid dyes work best on horsehair because hair is a protein. When using concentrated dyes that have a limited shelf life, mix only a quart. Here's the proportion: 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon powdered dye, 3 3/4 cups water.

Use the gallon proportions when working with RIT dyes. RIT dyes have a long shelf life, but other dyes may not.

Holding the dowel while pulls are tied on
9/15/05: If you are having problems holding the dowel at the same time you are tying the pulls on, then use a vise to hold the dowel. This leaves both hands free. See pages 15 and 16 of Hitched Horsehair: The Complete Guide for Self-Learning.

Hitching Jig

7/20/09: You do not need to have a hitching jig in order to learn how to hitch. A jig holds the dowel and provides string tension in an easier manner than sitting on the string for tension. A jig makes life easier, but you can learn how to hitch with just tail hair, a dowel, and string.

7/13/08: Reg Peterson has purchased Rustic Granary and renamed it Free Spirit Hitching. She sells hitching jigs, #9 string, belt ends, pulls and hair, and books. Contact information is PO Box 346, East Helena, MT 59635; 406-459-5005. Leave a message on her answering machine as to what you need. We haven't seen her hitching jigs - she plans on a few improvements to what Rustic Granary sold.

1/26/07: C-clamp your hitching jig to a table. This allows you to snug down your pulls because the jig can't move around, and provides better body posture.

Warm Hands
It's difficult to hitch with cold fingers. So Shoni heats her hands up by putting them in warm water. There are other solutions, but this is the safest way. Warm hands seems trite, but important when it comes to hitching quicker.