Pancaking

Photo 1: a 'regular' Dutch braid

Photo 2: a Dutch braid that has been pancaked

Pancaking

The title of this article might seem as little strange, but pancaking is a word that's being used often in the braiding world. It has nothing to do with pancakes, though, but everything with making a braid bigger.

When you're pancaking, you're pulling on the edges of the braided stitches. That way you kinda pull the braid apart, which makes it look bigger. Compare the two photos: in both photos I've done a single Dutch braid, but in the second photo I've pancaked the braid. This makes the braid look bigger.

Tip: do you want to make a really big braid? Then start pancaking while you braid. Braid a few stitches, pancake, braid another few stitches, pancake, and so on. If you wait until you've finished your entire braid before you start pancaking, you'll find that it's much harder to make the braid a lot bigger.