Method of making a surgical braid

A method of making a surgical braid, the method comprising:

• moving a plurality of bobbins along an active track, the active track defines an endless path;
• interlacing strands from the plurality of bobbins moving along the active track into the surgical braid;
• and
• selectively and automatically moving a bobbin to a passive track while continuing to move the remaining bobbins along the active track and past the active track, wherein a strand from the bobbin moved to the passive track is not interlaced into a braid.