Mi^2

Every now and then we see a tangle that is so simple yet apparently complex and open to multiple interpretations and tangleations that we just have to share it. That description applies to this fantastic tangle created by Mimi Lempart, CZT, of Florence, Massachusetts. It's called Mi². You can read about how to do it here on tanglepatterns.com.

Here is one of Mimi's tiles using Mi² as a monotangle:

Maria and I were admiring this tangle that Mimi describes as similar to huggins and W². After breakfast this morning I started exploring:

I love the minimalist opportunities this tangle offers. I also love the natural shading possibilities.

I was reading on tanglepatterns about challenges creating the initial seed shapes. So I tried starting with dots and used the arcs to define the seed shape around the dots. This also gave me a chance to play with a different arrangement of seeds:

I put six dots in a row in both directions. (I put a seventh dot on the top row by "mistake." So I just made it really big and part of the design.)

Here's the sequence I used:

Thank you Mimi for contributing such a fun tangle that is simple, beautiful and open to different interpretations. While the similarities to huggins and W² are noticeable, this tangle is unique in that the strokes (in this case, arcs) only go in one direction, whereas in huggins and W² they go in two directions at right angles to each other.

Click images for larger views.