Gripfid

The gripfid is an invention of the late knotting expert Stuart Grainger.^[1] It is a small knotter's fid with an added "grip", a hollow shaft that ends near the point with a vee that acts as a jamming cleat.

A Gripfid tool being used to pull a cord in ply-split braiding.

For ply-split braiding the point separates plies, and another cord is tucked into the hollow shaft of the gripfid and pulled back through the split cord. Although a latchhook may be used instead of a gripfid, the latter is much preferred.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

References

1. Stuart Grainger, Knotted Fabrics (ISBN 0-9530398-0-3), pages 71–74
2. Peter Collingwood, "The Techniques of Ply-split Braiding" (ISBN 0-9625586-9-9)
3. "Tools for Ply-split Braiding"http://www.louisefrench.com/tools_for_ply.htm
4. "Making Gripfids" http://www.louisefrench.com/making_gripfids.htm
5. "How to Make a Gripfid for Ply-Splitting" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e9-t9aXa6M
6. "Tools for Tablet Weaving and Ply-Splitting" http://www.lindahendrickson.com/tools.htm