Kumihimo Necklace

 I posted this yesterday and accidentally deleted it today! Bill had it in his reader, so was able to copy and paste the text to send me so I could repost. Thanks, Bill 😀

I love simple kumihimo. I've seen some beautiful intricate work with lots of beads and fun patterns, but I'm a textile gal and for me, the point is the yarn/thread I use for the braids. I also like it that doing the basic 8 strand round braid, called kongogumi, is pretty mindless. It's the perfect kind of project to have in progress to be picked up and put down as desired. When I'm tired, I can pick up a disk and do some braiding without counting or having to pay attention. Back in the day when we could get on a bus and go somewhere, it was the perfect portable project, too. I just tucked the disk in my bag and braided away when I felt like it. It's great for scraps, too and I've had a lot of fun trying out different yarns together, seeing how colours, textures and weights work together and seeing what effects result. I like fringe, so I just knot the ends and leave the fringe. In more elaborate work, it's typical to glue or wire findings at the ends, but to be honest, I am not keen on that look, particularly since, for me, it's all about the yarn/thread. 

I've made a lot of colourful braids over these last several months, but recently I decided I wanted a more autumnal braid, so I got out some scraps of dark brown thin mercerized cotton yarn and cut two strands. Then I pulled some brown/white textured chunky cotton/acrylic yarn that I got in a charity shop last year. I'd made a hat with it and had some left. I cut 6 strands of that. I loaded the disk and started braiding. I finished the braid last night and this morning, I dug out my collection of beads, pendants, and other bits from deconstructed charity shop jewellery. I knew I had some wooden beads and I was going to those, deciding on the wooden tube beads to go in between the large round ones. I sewed them into the braid and called the necklace done. I am quite smitten with it.

This is the disk I used to make it:

To make the basic 8-strand braid, I simply cut 8 lengths of cord/yarn/thread and knot at one end, leaving some fringe (this could have beads attached later, in which case I would leave a longer fringe). Then you stick the knot through the hole in the centre and stick the strands in the slots on either side of the lines. I start at the top, to the right of the 1 and move the strand to the slot between 15 and 16. Then the strand between 17 and 18 is moved up to between 31 and 32. The disk is turned 1/4 turn and the process is repeated over and over again until the braid is as long as I want it. Then I pop it off the disk, knot the end, trim, and embellish if desired. Different effects and designs result from using different colours and textures.

This is a great craft/ art form. It can be simple and mindless or complex and intricate. The materials can be very inexpensive. The disks are cheap and the materials used for the braid can be as well--I use scraps of yarn and thread or embroidery floss. The cords can be used for various things. I mostly use mine as necklaces, but I've also made some mask ties with a couple of long braids. I've also made ornament hangers. There are some excellent videos on you tube showing the process. I particularly like the Prumihimo channel. Her video on the 8-cord braid is here

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