SQYD.studio

Independent game development that follows the fun.

I Gots to Fidget – How I’ve Become Obsessed with Begleri

Hello Anyone! I’ve got to level with you- between family and work this week wasn’t a very productive one for game development. That, however, is not going to stop me from blogging*. Strap in for another off-topic ramble.

I’ve always had a need to fidget. From my earliest school years: pen dismantling, eraser chewing, skin/nose picking, paper tearing, leg bouncing, hair twirling, sweater unraveling, phone-case damaging, etc. I’ve done it all. I’ve bought many specific fidget toys to keep on my desk, some are better than others**, but never have I ever found a better fidget than the humble Begleri. It’s a tragedy that it took me over thirty years. Consider this post a PSA for my fellow fidgeters.

Blue monkey fist begleri warped around my index finger.

It started around Christmas of last year. I was going to learn to tie knots. I have now learned to tie exactly one knot- the monkey fist. From there it wasn’t a far walk to tying my first monkey’s fist begleri.

Slinging- that’s what the begleri people call the act of playing with a begleri- is an excellent way to fidget. It’s tactile enough to be immediately satisfying, but skillful enough that you can get better at it. I swear, since I started carrying a begleri in my pocket (normally three of four to be honest) I’ve stopped reaching for my phone in idle moments- it’s cut my doom-scrolling habit in half. That alone has got to be worth it.

It’s now been about three months. There is a wisdom that is woe, but sometimes there’s madness that’s “like whoa man***”. I think that sums up my obsession with Begleri this year. It’s fully half my personality for 2025. I dropped about $100 on paracord and ball bearings- and I’ve been tying at least one a day since.

I like that they all come out a little bit different, little longer or shorter, tighter beads, looser string. They all have their own little personality. It’s been my go to way to wind down at the end of the day, and many days it’s also how I wake up- tying off a couple of knots over coffee.

How it started:

The first three begleri I tied. That I was happy with, anyway.

How it’s going:

Bunch of begleri. These ones were made after I learned to soak the cord in boiling water before tying.

And the rejects:

These begleri are 'rejects' I've learned a lot about how to make the beads tight. I think i'm going to cut them up and reclaim their ball-bearings.

That’s all I’ve got this week folks. Hopefully I’ll be more on topic next time. For now, main takeaway is if you like to fidget you really should check out the begleri scene. It’s relatively cheap to DIY, and it’s super satisfying too. Then again, maybe my story is a cautionary tale. I just ordered 300 more ball bearings, and another 300 ft of paracord. I’m going to keep tying them, but I have no idea what I’m going to do with them all…

* Wondering how much this is a sqyd.studio ‘dev blog’ and how much it’s just ‘Conor’s blog’ these days. It’s probably fine either way.
** Fidget spiners are overrated, the switch-pitch ball is great, and BuckyBalls are a sublime fidget- but are incredibly deadly if swallowed and can’t be sold in Canada.
*** Full credit to SMBC for making this joke over a decade ago. If you aren’t familiar, SMBC is the the most impressive web-comic- daily updates. Every. Single. Day. Zack is a mad lad.

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