Roy Christie's postless parachute

[herefishy]

Roy, I really liked the looks of this, and decided I could give it a try, and everything went well, except I found it very difficult to wrap the hackle around the one side of the mono loop with tension, and then between steps 13 and 14 your photo looked like the hackle was wrapped around both of the sides of the loop. If I just kept wrapping one side, I could not get enough loops of hackle. Could you maybe clear up some of these steps?

[RoyChristie]

good morning, herefishy,

I am assuming you mean the cranky cripple emerger.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytyin ... 4fotw.html
I have had a look and cannot see what you describe in those shots.
However, I think I understand the problem you describe.

In order to avoid having any open spirals in the finished parachute, you have to take tight turns around the loop.
Saddle hackle with fine stems is ideal for this. Neck hackle may require some persuasion.
Strong, flexible hackle stems and a heavy hackle plier will assist in spiralling neck hackle.
Keep checking that the hackle is tight enough by tamping it down in the loop after every third turn or so.
When you get enough hackle in the loop make sure you have no open spirals in the hackle before locking it in.

As for the hackle spirals - whether they all be wound around one side or some around both!!
...
In order to ensure that the hackle does not spring off if the stem is broken, it should be enclosed within the loop.
In order to ensure a round parachute without a gap where the nylon passes through, a turn around both sides of the loop, after every third one-sided spiral will ensure fullness. It also aids tension.

This was not listed in the stage-by-stage process, as it really does not matter to presentation, to the fish and not to any human judge as this is hardly a showcase fly. It's for fishing.
It was excluded as it is complicated and can lead to hackle breakage. I do use this method when tying at the vise and when I tie for swaps, so the flies are prettier. I do not bother when I'm tying for myself nor when I'm tying one by the stream.

The hackle is fine visually and aerodynamically even if there is a small gap in the circle which is the parachute footprint. The finer grades of monofilament will give a smaller gap. On a #18 I use 3lb test (6X ?) on a #32 I use invisible mending thread.

Oh, by the way the process shown uses overly heavy mono, dyed black for photographic purposes.
Also -
a drop of HardasNails at the base of the loop at stage#8 and another on the mono loop at stage #15 will make this fly last until the trees eat it.

Does that answer your query, herefishy, and explain better the loop process?