Kumihimo

I'm going to start right off and say that I am a big copy cat. Going out to visit Julie is a little bit like getting to go backstage with Carol Duvall. There's always some new crafty thing to talk about or take a look at. Perhaps you saw her post on Kumihimo on her blog not too long ago? I got to see all the parts in person and got a demonstration as well. Kumihimo is a Japanese form of braiding. I was completely intrigued, and could imagine all sorts of uses for it, and decided that I needed to get a similar set up of my own.

So what did I do? I went home and called Janis at BraidersHand. I talked to her Saturday morning and my supplies were here on Monday! I'm beginning to think that there is some special postal route time warp between Chicago and Washington, given how fast things seem to get to me from there! I asked her to give me the same stuff she gave Julie. I told you -- big copy cat.

Kumihimo Supplies: A Plate and a Disc, EZ Bobs, and a Couple of Japanese Instruction Books

What do you need to get started with Kumihimo? Well, you don't need much actually. I got both foam braiding guides. The disc is used for round braids, the plate is used for flat braids. I also got a bunch of EZ Bobs to help keep all the moving threads out of trouble. It strikes me that these would be excellent if I was going to do Intarsia kniitting. (Perhaps that Kaffee Fassett pillow from my Rowan Membership will get done someday, after all.) Although Janis includes English instructions to get you started with some basic braid forms, I also got two books that had good pictures and diagrams. More Kumihimo Designs: Mini Book is for the disk and includes a braid that contains beads. Kumihimo for Disc and Plate contains designs designs for flat or round braids, including a really neat braid with a picot edge. Both books are completely in Japanese, but don't let that bother you if you're interested in this. The diagrams are great, especially when you have Janis' basic English instructions to help get your rolling. The diagrams in the second book are in full color, which is helpful, but not necessary. I'm beginning to see why the crafting community loves Japanese craft books.

New Hobby, New Fiber

Trying out a new craft wouldn't be complete without purchasing some new fiber. I trundled on down to JoAnn's and picked up a nice supply of colorful perle cotton to play with (size 5) and also found some very nifty, very shiny rayon embroidery floss that I thought might be neat to work with as well (it's encased in those plastic sheathes for some reason). I know I could have used regular embroidery floss, but perle cotton is not meant to be separated into strands, and I thought it would hold together better while I was playing with my new toys.

My First Braid

The first thing I tried out was the disc. I started trying to make the most simple braid provided in Janis' instructions. It ended up being quite delicate since I only had size 8 perle cotton (that I had bought for tatting) to work with on Monday night. It's a little uneven in width towards the end because I loosened up a little bit on the floss, but it looks the way it is supposed to, and I'm happy with that. It may look complicated, but that little braid is actually quite easy! Like, braid while you're watching TV easy.

My Second Braid

When I started playing with the plate, I wanted a bigger braid where I could see a lot of progress quickly. So I started with some leftover 2-ply yarn from Mom's shadow knit sweater. The end that's looking a bit crunched and stressed was at the beginning when I was pulling a lot tighter. I didn't like the look of it too much, so I tried experimenting with tension. I found that I like the results better when I just rested the yarn in the grooves with out actually jamming it into the little slots in the grooves. It meant I had to be a bit more careful not to tilt the plate, but I liked the look of the bigger braid much better. I also used a weight to hold the end down, which I didn't do with the round braid. The weight stretches things and also makes for bigger/stretchier braids. This flat braid isn't quite as mindless as the round one, but it still doesn't take too much focus.

This is fun stuff to imagine with. I can imagine big braids being used for the strap for a felted handbag, round braids being used to create a neat toggle for a button or a latch to hold a felted bag closed. I'm thinking it might also be a nice way to create a wrist distaff for spinning or ties for a lace up sweater. Traditionally, Kumihimo is done with silk threads. It might be an interesting use for some of the silk singles that I spun not too long ago.