Your string figure repertoire, in your pocket
Making string figures is one of the most ancient pastimes, and one of the most portable, and learnable. All it takes is a loop of string, and some imagination.
You may have heard these games called "cat's cradles", although that term more properly describes one specific string game. There are many, many others.
The simplest figures are basic geometric shapes, like diamonds. Some of the more complicated forms, though, look like geese, bears, houses, or fish. Some sequences include stories that accompany the construction of the figure, and others are games played by two (or more) people.
Whether you've ever done string figures before or not, you'll be surprised by how quickly you can learn these games, and how much fun they are!
What is Ekawada?
Ekawada is a universal iPhone/iPad application designed to help you learn and remember string figures. Packed with illustrations, the instructions will guide you through the steps to make both very simple and very complicated figures.
For figures that you're familiar with, the "detail" view gives you a simple list of steps to follow.
For those figures that you aren't as easy with, the "zoomed" view shows you individual steps at full screen, including illustrations and clarifications for particularly tricky parts.
How much will this hurt my pocketbook?
None at all! Ekawada is free, and includes eight figures of various difficulties for you to learn.
If you like what you see, additional sets of figures are available for purchase within the application.
What do I get?
Ekawada contains, out of the box, eight figures. These include "Cat's Cradle", "Osage Diamonds" (also known as "Jacob's Ladder"), "Cup and Saucer", and five other games of various difficulties.
You'll also get nine tutorials to introduce you to string figuring, a glossary of string figure terms, and a list of other string figure resources available online.
If you find yourself wanting more, there is a store inside Ekawada where you can purchase additional string figure sets.