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Week Five

Kumihimo Japanese Braiding

Wellbeing and Support Project: Craft

Week 5: KumihimoPost:

Kumihimo Japanese BraidingWhat is Kumihimo?

Kumihimo is the traditional Japanese technique of braiding strands of silk to createintricately coloured cords. The cords, also called kumihimo, are strong but slender, and havea multitude of uses. Samurai once used kumihimo as laces for their armour. The traditionalbelt of the kimono, the obi, was once bound by a cord of kumihimo called an obijime. It is anart both culturally significant and beautiful.

In Japanese, the word kumihimo means to gather or combine cord or thread. As theornately jewel-like ropes suggest, modern kumihimo can involve many strands. At first, theprocess was done entirely by hand without the help of any sort of tool. These earliestkumihimo are generally monochromatic or at least very limited in colour. Later, weaversdeveloped tools that could accomplish more complicated patterns, permitting makers toinclude more colours.

Kumihimo Equipment

To get started, you will need:

A disk, about 10-15 cm (4-6”) in diameter, with at least 8 evenly spaced slots aroundthe edge, about 1 cm deep, and a hole in the middle, about 1cm in diameter. Youcan purchase Kumihimo disks made of foam, with 32 slots, but you can also use ahome-made disk of thick cardboard or any other strong material. There are alsosquare Kumihimo disks, for different patterns.

A home-made Kumihimo disk, madefrom strong cardboard, with 8 slots

A purchased Kumihimo disk, made offoam, with 32 slots

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Week Five Some yarn, cord or thread: 8 ply yarn is an easy one to start with, and you can move

to using finer threads as you get more skilled. You will need strands about 4 times aslong as the finished length of your article; the number of strands depends on yourpattern.

You will also need scissors to cut your threads, a tape measure or ruler, and a smallweight, such as a bulldog clip, to help keep your threads in position.

That’s all! If you want to do more complicated Kumihimo, you may also want to use findingsfor the ends of your bracelets/necklaces, bobbins to keep your threads from tangling, andbeads.

Make a 7 Strand Bracelet

1. Choose some yarn. You can have two colours or up to 7, in any combination you like. Cut7 strands each about 65cm (26”) long.

8 ply acrylic yarn 1mm satin rattail cord

Some yarn, cord or thread: 8 ply yarn is an easy one to start with, and you can moveto using finer threads as you get more skilled. You will need strands about 4 times aslong as the finished length of your article; the number of strands depends on yourpattern.

You will also need scissors to cut your threads, a tape measure or ruler, and a smallweight, such as a bulldog clip, to help keep your threads in position.

That’s all! If you want to do more complicated Kumihimo, you may also want to use findingsfor the ends of your bracelets/necklaces, bobbins to keep your threads from tangling, andbeads.

Make a 7 Strand Bracelet

1. Choose some yarn. You can have two colours or up to 7, in any combination you like. Cut7 strands each about 65cm (26”) long.

8 ply acrylic yarn 1mm satin rattail cord

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2. Thread the ends of all the strands through the hole of your disk. Bring all the ends on thewrong side of the disk (the side with no lines or numbers on it) together and tie them ina knot. Knot again so the knot won’t easily pull through the hole. Fasten a weight, suchas a bulldog clip, to the knot to help keep it in place.

3. On the right side of the disk, take each strand and put it through one of the slots, so it

looks like this:

4. With the empty slot facing you, count to the third slot to the left, and take the strandfrom that slot, and put it in the empty slot.

5. Turn the disk in the direction of the arrows until the empty slot is facing you again.6. Keep repeating steps 4 and 5 until your braid is long enough.

HANDY TIP: A finished Kumihimo braid will stretch out. Before finishing a braid, give thecord a good pull to stretch it out fully. If you don’t, the cord will stretch over time andbecome way too large.

1

2

3

empty slot

Disk ready to begin braiding, with 7strands. The placement of the colours isyour choice, and you will get differentpatterns depending on your choice.

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7. Tie the ends together and pull through the hole to the wrong side. Make a loop orwhatever you need to fasten your bracelet.Trim off any excess yarn.

Make an 8 Strand Bracelet

This is slightly more complicated than a 7 strandbracelet, but still easy.

1. Choose some yarn. You can have two colours orup to 8, in any combination you like. If you wantto use a loop and button closure (see Finishingyour bracelet further down the page) then cut 4 strands each about 130 cm (52”) long,fold in half and make a knot leaving a loop just a bit bigger than your button. Put theloop and knot on the wrong side of the disk, and bring the loose strands through thehole onto the right side of the disk. Fasten a weight, such as a bulldog clip, to the knot tohelp keep it in place.

2. If you are not using a loop, cut 8 strands each about 65cm (26”) long. Thread the endsof all the strands through the hole of your disk. Bring all the ends on the wrong side ofthe disk (the side with no lines or numbers on it) together and tie them in a knot. Knotagain so the knot won’t easily pull through the hole. Fasten a weight, such as a bulldogclip, to the knot to help keep it in place.

3. On the right side of the disk, take each strand and put it through one of the slots, so itlooks like this:

4. With the dot at 32 (North) atthe top of the disk as it facesyou, take the strand from thebottom left slot (South), andput it in the slot to the left ofthe top left strand: this move isknown as “bottom left to top

left”.5. Take the strand from the top right slot, and put it in the bottom right slot: “top right to

bottom right”.6. Turn the disk in the direction of the arrows a one-quarter turn so that the next pair of

threads, those on each side of the 8 dot, are now at the top.7. Repeat bottom left to top left, top right to bottom right, quarter turn.

Disk ready to begin braiding, with 8strands. The placement of the colours isyour choice, and you will get differentpatterns depending on your choice.

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Disks ready to be picked up again tocontinue braiding, with 8 strands. Thenext strand to move is the top right, tobe moved to the slot to the right of thebottom strand: “top right to bottomright”.

8. Keep repeating step 7 until your braid is long enough.

HANDY TIP:When you need to put your work down, stop after doing the “bottom left to topleft” move, so that you have three strands at the top and only one at the bottom. This willenable you to pick your work up later and go on from where you are up to, without creatinga change in your pattern.

If you drop your work, or get interrupted and don’t remember to do this, you can tell whichis the next thread to use in this way: look at the photo below. See how the blue threads arelying underneath the yellow threads? The yellow threads are the “uppers”, the last threadswhich were moved. The blue threads are the “lowers”, and they will be the next ones tomove. If you need to, turn your disk so the lowers are in the North & South positions, facingyou, and you are ready to braid. You always move your lowers. "Lowers" are your friend.

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Finishing your bracelet

When your braid is long enough for the purpose you have in mind, you need a way to finishoff your ends. You could just knot the two ends together. If you have thought ahead, youcan use a loop and button closure. You will need a button with a fairly large shank (the holeyou thread through to fasten the button onto your braid). As you remove each strand fromits slot, tie it in a reef knot with the opposite strand. Then thread half the strands throughthe shank hole in one direction, and half in the other direction:

Then take one thread from each side and tie in a reef knot, so you have four knots in all.Trim the threads to your desired length to make a tassel, and your bracelet is finished!

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Another way to finish your ends is to use end caps. These are available from shops that sellbeads and other jewellery making supplies. Search for “kumihimo end caps”. You will need:

a pair of end caps of your choice, theright diameter for your cord: 8 strandsof satin rattail cord braided together willfit into a 6mm end cap.

strong thread, e.g. quilting cotton, and asharp strong needle.

scissors to trim your threads 5 minute epoxy 2 part glue, e.g. Araldite disposable surface to work on, such as a

piece cut from a plastic milk bottle disposable wooden craft sticks or toothpicks disposable thin rubber gloves eye protection

1. Remove the braid from the disk. Using strong thread, bind the ends of your braid bysewing through the braid several times, wrapping the thread around the braid 6-7 times,then sewing through the braid again several times, so that the thread is secure withoutthe need for knots. Trim thread close to the braid.

2. Make sure that your binding will be just inside your end cap, and that the thread ends ofyour braid are trimmed to fit. It’s better to cut them a little long at first, then trim again,than to trim them too short.

3. To attach them, you will need some glue: the most suitable kind is the two-part epoxyglue with a 5 minute setting time. You can use a piece cut from a plastic milk bottle as asurface on which to mix your glue. Read the manufacturer’s directions, especially thesafety ones: use eye protection and wear gloves. You will only need about two pea-sizedblobs, one of each of the resin and the hardener, for each end, and it is recommendedthat you only do one at a time. Use a craft stick and/or toothpick to mix and spread theglue. Spread the glue all over the ends of the thread, including on the binding andbetween the threads. Also spread glue all around the inside of the end cap. Then gently

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Week Fivepush and twist the end cap into position on the threads, and leave to dry. Do not movefor at least 30 minutes. Do not put any pressure on the bond for at least 16 hours.

Your bracelet is finished!

Some handy internet sites if you want to learn more Kumihimo:

https://www.dreamalittlebigger.com/post/basic-kumihimo-tips-tricks.html

Basic Kumihimo tips and tricks by Allison Murray

https://prumihimo.com

Kumihimo designs and tutorials by Pru McRae.

https://www.interweave.com/article/beading/kumihimo-made-easy-get-started-making-beautiful-braids/?cid=search

Kumihimo Made Easy: Get Started Making Beautiful Braids by Maggie Thomson

Or just search “kumihimo”

Books which you can buy online:

The Knotting & Braiding Bible: The Complete Guide to Creative Knotting Including Kumihimo,Macrame and Plaiting, by Dorothy Wood

The Beginner's Guide to Kumihimo: Techniques, Patterns and Projects to Learn How to Braid,by Dorothy Wood

push and twist the end cap into position on the threads, and leave to dry. Do not movefor at least 30 minutes. Do not put any pressure on the bond for at least 16 hours.

Your bracelet is finished!

Some handy internet sites if you want to learn more Kumihimo:

https://www.dreamalittlebigger.com/post/basic-kumihimo-tips-tricks.html

Basic Kumihimo tips and tricks by Allison Murray

https://prumihimo.com

Kumihimo designs and tutorials by Pru McRae.

https://www.interweave.com/article/beading/kumihimo-made-easy-get-started-making-beautiful-braids/?cid=search

Kumihimo Made Easy: Get Started Making Beautiful Braids by Maggie Thomson

Or just search “kumihimo”

Books which you can buy online:

The Knotting & Braiding Bible: The Complete Guide to Creative Knotting Including Kumihimo,Macrame and Plaiting, by Dorothy Wood

The Beginner's Guide to Kumihimo: Techniques, Patterns and Projects to Learn How to Braid,by Dorothy Wood

A beginner's guide to kumihimo : 12 beautiful braided jewellery projects to get you started,by Donna McKean-Smith, Search Press, 2018.

Beautiful Braiding Made Easy: Using Kumihimo Disks and Plates, by Helen Deighan