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Contents
Introduction
EssentialEquipment
GeneralTechniques
FinishingTechniques
Knotting
KnottingBasics
IndividualKnots
BasicKnots
ChineseKnots
FlowerKnots
RingKnots
KnottedBraids
BasicKnottedBraids
SwitchbackBraids
SlipKnotBraids
BoxBraids
BeadedKnottedBraids
Macramé
MacraméBasics
SquareKnotVariations
MultistrandMacramé
Half-hitchVariations
AddingBeadstoMacramé
FinishingTechniquesforKnotting
Braiding
Plaiting
PlaitingwithBeadsandChain
Kumihimo
EquipmentandMaterials
PreparingtoBraid
BasicMoves
RoundBraids
HelixSpiralBraids
HollowBraids
FlatBraids
WovenFlatBraids
BeadedKumihimoBraids
WorkingwithWire
FinishingTechniquesforBraiding
Projects
Suppliers
Acknowledgments
Copyright
Allfull-sizetemplatescanbefoundat
www.stitchcraftcreate.co.uk/patterns
Introduction
Knottingandbraidingareskillsthathavebeenaroundforcenturies,andinterestinthewaytheycanbeusedincraftapplicationshasgrowninrecentyears.
inthewaytheycanbeusedincraftapplicationshasgrowninrecentyears.Althoughquitedifferent,knotsandbraidsareinterlinkedinmanyways:theyusecordsorthreadsasabase,theyareconstructedwithsimplemovesthatcanbecombinedtocreatequitecomplexstructures,andtheymaybenefitfrombeingembellishedwithbeads.
I’vebeenfascinatedbyknottingandbraidingformanyyears:IrememberwatchingmybrothermakehisowntoggleforhisscoutneckerchiefandlovedlearningtotieknotsmyselfintheGirlGuides,andatartcollegeIusedknottingtechniquessuchasmacraméasamediumforsomeexcitingwallhangings.Inmyfirstbibletitle,TheBeader’sBible,Ibegantoexploremacraméasajewellery-makingtechnique,soIamdelightedtobeabletobuildontheseskills,researchingandlearningnewtechniquesthatIcouldsharewithyouinthisnewbook.I’vechosenaneclecticmixofknotsandbraidsthatareparticularlysuitedtomakingjewellery,accessoriesandhome-styleapplicationsandIhopethatyouwillbecomejustasenthusiasticasIamabouttryingoutdifferenttechniquessuchasplaiting,Kumihimoandmacramé.
Itiseasierthanevertosourcematerialsforknottingandbraiding–gorgeouscordsandthreadsinwonderfulcolours,interestingfindingsandfastenings,andeasy-to-useequipmentsuchasthedisksandplatesforKumihimo.Whetheryoustartatthebeginningordipinandout,you’llfindeachtechniqueclearlyexplainedwithstep-by-stepinstructionsillustratedwithhundredsofphotographsanddiagrams.Thereareadozenfabulousprojectsusingtheknotsandbraidsininnovativeways,describedinstep-by-stepdetailwith‘youwillneed’requirements(seeProjects),andasanaddedbonus,therearelotsofadditionalminiideasincludedthroughoutsothatyoucanlearnatechniqueandmakesomethingstraightaway!
EssentialEquipmentIfyouarealreadyakeenbeaderorcraftperson,muchoftheequipmentandmanyofthematerialslistedarethingsthatyouwillgenerallyhaveinyourworkbox.Youdon’tneedtogeteverythingatonceasyoucanalwaysimprovise,butforbestresultsitisbettertouseasimilarmaterialortheequipmentandtoolslisted.
CordsandThreadsKnottingandbraidingtechniquescanbeworkedinahugevarietyofdifferentthreadsandcords.Thechoicesavailablearereviewedinthissection,andforinformationaboutthemostpopularcordsandthreadsusedforKumihimoseeCordsandThreadsforKumihimo.
CHOOSINGCORDSOnceyouhavelearntatechnique,doexperimentwithdifferentmaterialsasyouwillbesurprisedattheresults.Knotscanlosedefinitionwhenworkedwithasoftcordsuchassatinrattailorembroiderycottons,andtheshapecanbemuchmoredistinctwhenastiffercordsuchasSuperlon™,waxcotton,orroundleatherthongisused.Beforeyoustart,considerhowyouwantthefinisheditemtolookandchooseyourcordorthreadaccordingly.Rememberthateachofthesecordsareavailableinarangeofthicknessesandcanbeworkedsinglyorinmultiplebundles.
Cordguide
Thissampleboardofcordsshowsataglancesomeofthecordsthataresuitableforknottingandbraidingandgivesyouaquickguidetotherangeofthicknessesavailableinthedifferentcords.
Satincord(rattail)Thissilkycordhasahighsheenandisavailableinarangeofthicknesses:bugtailis1mmthick,mousetail1.5mmthick,andrattailis2mmthick,however,inpracticealltendtobecalledrattailnow.Thecordisquitesoftsoitdoesn’t
inpracticealltendtobecalledrattailnow.Thecordisquitesoftsoitdoesn’tsupporttheshapeofknotsverywellanditisn’tveryhard-wearing.
ChineseknottingcordThisnylonbraidedcordholdsitsroundshapewhenitisworked.Currentlyavailablein0.4–3mm,thethickercordsareparticularlysuitableforknottingtechniques.FinercordsarepopularformacraméandShamballa-stylebeadbracelets.Lookonlineforthewidestcolourranges,butyouwillfindthatthechoiceofcolourforthethickercordsisnotasextensive.
WaxcottoncordWaxcottoncordissuitableforarangeoftechniques.Lookoutforthicker3mmcord,whichworksparticularlywellforindividualknotsandknottedbraidsasitholdsitsshapewell.Thinnerwaxcottonisidealformacraméandeasytostringwithbeads.Theyareavailableinnaturalshadesandarangeofcolours,manyofwhichfollowcurrentfashiontrends.
TipIfwaxcottoncordsoftensfromoveruseoryouwanttoreusealength,pullthroughunderamediumhotirontosmoothkinksandrestorethefinish.
Superlon™Superlon™(oftenabbreviatedtoS-lon™)isanindustrialstrengthtwistednyloncordoriginallyusedforupholstery.Itisavailablein0.5mmand0.9mmwidthsandbotharesuitableformicromacraméandotherknottingtechniqueswhereyouwantafinebraidorfinish.Thesecordsareperfectforaddingbeadsintoyourknottingorbraidingandcanbemixedwiththickercordsforachangeoftexture.Bothsizesareavailableinarangeofneutralsandprettycontemporarycolours.
ParacordThischunkycordiscommonlyavailableintwothicknesses:paracord550(4mm)hassevenstrandsdownthecentreandparacord450(2mm)hasfourcentrestrands.Paracordisperfectformakingbraceletsandotheraccessoriesfromsingleknotsandsinglewidthknottedbraid,andasitisquitebulky,itispopularformen’sjewellery.Thecordisavailableinawiderangeofsolidbrightanddarkcoloursaswellasinmanymulticolouredpatterns.LeatherthongRoundleatherthongmakesagooddistinctknotasitisafirmcord.Itisavailableinarangeofthicknessesfromaround0.5mmupto6mm.Thethinnercordsaregoodfortyingknotsandthethickercordsmoresuitableforuseasacoretotietheknotsaround.Leatherthongisavailableinnaturalshadesandawiderangeofcolours.Pearlescentfinishes,usuallyinpalepastels,areparticularlyattractiveasarethedifferentthicknessesofsnakeskineffectcords.
FauxsuedeThisflatmicrofibrecordlookslikerealleathersuede,butismuchmorepliablethantherealthingandgivesacompletelydifferentlooktoknotsorknottedbraids.Itisgenerally3mmwideandavailableinarangeofcolours.
EmbroiderythreadsStrandedcottonandcottonperléarejusttworeadilyavailablethreadsthatcanbeusedforknotting,plaitingandbraiding.Embroiderythreadsaresoftandwon’tholdtheshapeofaknotfirmlybuttheylookgoodwhencombinedwithstiffercords.Thecolourrangeismuchgreaterthanforothercords,soexcitingcolourschemesarepossible.Whileembroiderythreadsareusuallymatte,youcanusemetallicembroiderythreadstoaddatouchofsparkle.
WireWireisnotoftenusedforknottingtechniquesbecauseitisdifficulttotiethewirewithoutitgettingkinked,althoughsomeknotscreatedwithmoreofawrappingtechnique,suchasthepipaknot,canbeworkedinwire.Wire,especiallybundlesoffinerwire,canbeusedsuccessfullyforanyKumihimobraid,anditisalsousedforsomefinishingtechniquesforknottingandbraiding(seeFinishingTechniquesforKnottingandFinishingTechniquesforBraiding).FormoreinformationaboutusingwireforKumihimoseeCordsandThreadsforKumihimo.
CHOOSINGWIREWireusedforknottingandbraidingtechniquesneedstoresistbreakingevenwhenitisbentbackandforwardsseveraltimes.Mostcraftwireshaveacoppercorethatmakesthemsuitablebutyoucanexperimentwithallsortsofwire.Themainjewellerywiresarereviewedherebutrememberthattwoormorethinnerwiresareeasiertomanipulatethanonethickwire.
CopperwiresAsitisaninexpensivematerial,copperwireissuitableforexperimentingwithforbothknottingandbraidingtechniques.Mostcraftwireshaveacoppercorewiththecoloursenamelledandthemetallicfinishesplated.Youdon’toftengetachoiceofhardnesswithcoppercraftwiresbutIhavefoundthatthosesoldspeciallyforcrochetorknittingaresofterandlesspronetosnap.Remember,also,thatthinnerwiresareeasiertomanipulatethanthickerwires.
SilverwireAlthoughexpensive,silverwirewillelevateanyjewelleryprojecttoanotherlevel.Itisavailableinarangeofthicknesses,withsoft,half-hardandhardbeingthemostcommon,aswellasdifferentcrosssectionssuchasround,square,rectangularandD-shaped.Chooseasoftconditionwireasitiseasiertowork–
you’llfindthatevenhalf-hardwireismoredifficulttowork.
CoatedwiresItisworthexperimentingwithcoatedwires,eitherpaper,plasticorwrappedwithfinethread,asthesearelesspronetokinkandyoucangetsurprisingresults.
AluminiumwireAluminiumwirecanbethickerthancoppercorewiresasitismuchsofter,butusenylon-jawplierswiretopreventthewiregettingdamaged.
TipTwistingadoublelengthofthinnerwiretogetherusingapencilorsmallhanddrill(cordwinder)makesthewirelesspronetokinksomakingiteasiertomanipulateintoaknotorbraidthantheequivalentthickerwire.
Wiregauges
Wiresareavailableinarangeofthicknessesorgaugesandsoldbymillimetre,standardwiregauge(swg)orAmericanwiregauge(awg).Severalstrandsofa0.315mm(30swg)wireisgoodforKumihimoanda0.6mm(24swg)idealfor
finishingjewellerywithaplainorwrappedloop(seeGeneralTechniques).You’llnoticethatthethinnerthewire,thehighertheswgorawg.
mm swg awg
0.2 36 32
0.25 33 30
0.315 30 28
0.4 27 26
0.5 25 24
0.6 24 22
0.7 22 21
0.8 21 20
0.9 20 19
1.00 19 18
1.2 18 16
1.5 16 14
BeadsBeadscanbeaddedtoalltheknottingandbraidingtechniquesinavarietyofdifferentways,eitherduringbraidingorknottingorafterwards.FormoreinformationseeBeadedKnottedBraidsandBeadedKumihimoBraids.
CHOOSINGBEADSBeadscomeinallsortsofcolours,finishes,sizesandshapes,butforknottingandbraidingthesizeofholeisparamountsothebeadscanbeeasilystrungontothecord.Itisagoodideatotakeasampleofcordwithyouwhenyougobeadshopping.
SeedbeadsThisisagenerictermusedtodescribethetinyglassbeadsusedprimarilyforbeadstitchingandstringing.Basicseedbeads(rocailles)aredoughnutshaped,andthemostcommonsizesare15to3(1–5.5mm)with15(1mm)beingthesmallest;cylinder-shapedbeads,alsoknownasdelicasormagnificas,havelargerholesandthedoubledelicascanbestrungonto1mmcord.Lookouttooforunusualtextureslikethetriangle,hexorcharlottebeads,orfordifferentshapessuchaspapillon(orpeanut)beadsandmagatamas(dropbeads).
LargebeadsTherearesomanydifferentbeadsthatcanbeusedinbraidingtechniquesfromsimplewoodbeadstoexquisitepearlsandcrystals,andthechoiceisyours.Beadholesizeneednotnecessarilyrestrictyouassomebeadshavesurprisinglylargeholes,suchastheSwarovskiMini-beadrange,whereeventhe6mmbeadsfitonto1mmcord.Pandora-stylebeadshaveverylargeholesandwillfitover6mm
onto1mmcord.Pandora-stylebeadshaveverylargeholesandwillfitover6mmcord.
FocalbeadsTheseextralargebeadsareoftenusedasafocalpointforapieceofjewellery.Youcansuspendpendantbeadsontobraidsusingabail,orattachcordstolargeringbeadstoworkmacraméorotherknottingtechniques.Remembertoothatlargebeadscanbeattachedbetweentwolengthsofbraidthathavebeenfinishedwithendcaps.
FindingsFindingsareallthelittlepieces,generallymadefrommetal,thatareusedtomakeandfinishitemsofjewelleryorotheraccessories.Manyofthefindingsareusedtocovertherawendsofcordsorbraidsanditisimportanttochoosethecorrectsizeandshape.Keepagoodselectionoffindingsinyourworkboxsothatyoucancreateandfinishdifferentpieces.
Finishingends
Thesefindingsareusedtofinishtheendsofbraidsandknottedcords.Therearemoreandmorestylesbeingmanufacturedyearonyearandmostareavailableinarangeofmetallicfinishes.Forbestresults,matchthemeasurementoftheinternaldimensionsofthefinishingendstothecordorbraid.Somefinishingendsincorporateafasteningbutifthisisnotthecase,seeJewelleryfasteningsforyouroptions.
CordendsUsedtofinishsinglecords,somestyleshavelugsthatyousecureoverthecordwithpliers,othersaretubularandareeithersecuredwithglueorwithanintegralcrimpring.
SpringendsOneoftheolderstylesoffinding,thesecanbecylindricalorconeshaped.Tuckthecordorbraidinsidethewirecoil,thenuseplierstosqueezeonlytheendringtosecure.
EndconesTheseconeorbell-shapedfindingscaneitherhaveaholeatthetoporbefinishedwithaloop.Forbestresultsusejewellerygluetosecurethebraidintobothstyles(seeGeneralTechniques).
EndcapsEndcapsarecylindrical,squareorrectangularversionsofendcones,andtheytooeitherhaveaholeatthetoporareready-finishedwitharingorloop.Forbestresultsusejewellerygluetosecurethebraidintobothstyles,andyouwillfindinformationonhowtoaddaplainorwrappedloopinGeneralTechniques.
RibboncrimpsAsthenamesuggests,thesearedesignedtocovertherawendofribbon,buttheycanbeusedtofinishflatbraidsorcord.Topreventitfromgettingdamaged,usenylon-jawplierstoclosetheribboncrimpoverthebraid.
Basicjewelleryfindings
Thesearethebasiccomponentsofmanystylesofjewellery.Allfindingsarenowavailableinarangeofdifferentmetallicfinishesincludingantique,sochoosethemostsuitablecolourtomatchorcontrastwithyourbraid.
JumpringsRoundoroval,theseringscanbeopenedandclosedwithflat-nosepliers,andtheyareusedtoconnectitemsorattachotherfindingsorfastenings.Thesmallerrings,4–6mm,arelesslikelytopullopenthanlargerrings.
rings,4–6mm,arelesslikelytopullopenthanlargerrings.
SplitringsThesearemadefromahardmetalcoil(likeakeyring),sotheyaremoresecurethanajumpring.Usesplit-ringplierstoprisethemopentoattachthemtootherfindings.
HeadpinsThesestraightwirefindingsareusedtomakebeaddangleswithaplainorwrappedloop(seeGeneralTechniques).Theyhaveaplainordecorativeendtostopbeadsfallingoffandcomeindifferentlengths.Softwireheadpinsareeasiertomanipulate.
EyepinsThesearestraightpiecesofwireofdifferentlengthswitharoundloopatoneend.Theyareusedmainlytomakebeadlinksortocreatealoopwithanendcapattachedattheendofbraid.
CrimpsGenerallyusedwithbeadstringingwire,thesetinydoughnutshapesortubesaresecuredwithcrimppliersorcansimplybeflattenedwithflat-nosepliers.Theyareusedonsinglewiretospacebeadsorondoubledwiretosecuretoajumpringorfastening.
CalottesSometimescalledbeadtips,theselittledomedfindingsareusedtoneatlyattachfasteningswhenstringingbeads.Thebasiccalottehasanotchinonedome;forextrasecuritychooseaclamshellcalottethathastheholeinthehinge.
Jewelleryfastenings
Therearelotsofdifferentfindingsusedtofinishpiecesofjewellerysuchasnecklaces,bracelets,earringsandrings.I’vechosenafewstylesoffasteningssuitableforusingwithknottingandbraiding.Someofthefasteningsareendcaps(seeFinishingends)withamagneticfasteningincorporatedinthedesign;otherwise,chooseastylethatmatchestheendcapandcomplementsthebraidincolourandweight.
TogglefasteningThistwo-partfasteninghasaT-barandring;turntheT-baronitssidetoslotinoroutofthering.Chooseamoredecorativestyleasadesignfeature.
oroutofthering.Chooseamoredecorativestyleasadesignfeature.
MagneticfasteningsTheseneatfasteningshaveaverystrongmagnetincorporatedinthedesign.Theyareperfectforfinishingnecklacesandbracelets.Ifyouareworriedabouttheclasppullingapart,addasafetychain.
TriggerclaspThisinexpensivefasteningwithaspringclosureissuitableforfinishingbothbraceletsandnecklaces.Availablestylesincludethelobsterclawandboltring.
Multi-strandclaspsTheseareavailableinarangeofstyles.Theboxshapeissuitablefornecklacesandthesliderfasteningisidealformacraméandothercuff-stylebracelets.Choosethenumberofringsoneachsidetosuittheproject.
PlasticclaspsTheseplasticclaspsarespeciallydesignedforknottingtechniquessuchasmacraméastheyhaveabarendtoattachthecordsto.Theclaspsareavailableinarangeofsizesandavarietyofbrightcolours.
ToolsAsidefromKumihimo,knottingandbraidingtechniquesrequirelittleinthewayofspecialistequipment,indeeditislikelythatmostbeadersorcrafterswillhaveanytoolsneededintheirworkboxalready,soyoushouldbeabletogetgoingstraightaway.RefertoKumihimo:EquipmentandMaterialsforinformationaboutwhatyouneedtogetstartedwithKumihimo.
JewelleryTools
Abasicsetofthreetoolsisneededtoturnbraidsorknottingintojewellery.Itisalwaysworthbuyinggood-quality,finetoolsasthesewillhelpyoutofinishthingsinaneatandprofessionalway,butavoidmini-toolsasthesewillmakeyourhandssoreifusedforlongperiods.
Wirecutters(1)Iusuallyspendalittlemoreonwirecuttersasthesemakelifemucheasier.Choosesidecutters,orpreferablyflushcutters,thatcutastraightendonwireorheadpins.Remembertocutwiththeflatsideofthecutterstowardstheworkorfacingawayfromthetail.
Round-nosepliers(2)Thesepliersareusedtomakeloopswithwireorheadpins.Thejawsarecone-shapedsoyoucanvarythesizeoftheloopsbyworkingnearthetopofthejawsforsmallloopsandnearthebottomforlargerloops.Tomakeloopsthesamesize,alwaysworkthesamedistancedown;Igenerallyworkabout6mm(1⁄4in)fromthetopofthepliers.
Flat-nosepliers(3)Theseareusedformanipulatingwireandheadpins,orforopeningandclosingjumprings.Alwayslookforfairlysmoothsurfacesontheinsideofthejaws–pliersfromthelocalhardwarestoreareunsuitableasapartfrombeingtoobig,theywillprobablyhavedeepserrationsforgrip,whichwilldamagethewire.Blunt-endpliersaretheworkhorsetoolbutsnipe-nose(chain-nose)plierswithtaperedjawsallowyoutogetincloser.
Specialisttools
Althoughnotessential,thiskitwillhelpyoutofinishjewelleryinaprofessionalmanner,soconsidermakingtheinvestmentifyoucan.
Bent-nosepliersTheseareessentiallysnipe-noseplierswitharight-anglebendinthejaws,allowingyoutogetintoawkwardpositionsandtoholdwireorheadpinsatamorecomfortableangleasrequired.
Nylon-jawpliers(4)Thesepliershaveasoftermaterialcoveringthemetaljawstopreventdamagetosofterwiresandfindings.Theyareavailableasround-noseorflat-nosepliers.
softerwiresandfindings.Theyareavailableasround-noseorflat-nosepliers.
CrimppliersAvailableinathreesizes–micro,regularandmacro–thesepliersareusedtoclosecrimpsneatlyaroundbeadstringingwireinparticular.Matchtheplierstothethicknessofwireandcrimpsize.
Split-ringpliersWithaspecially-designedtipforopeningsplit-rings,thesewilldefinitelyhelppreventbrokennails!
Awl(5)Anawlisusefulforpushingandeasingcordsandbraidsintometalfindings.
Warpposts(6)Clampovertheedgeoftheworksurfaceandsetaparticulardistanceapartforwindinglonglengthsofcord.
Otheressentials
Youmightfindtheseitemsinyourtoolboxalready;theywillbeusefulwhenknottingandbraiding.
ScissorsKeeptwoorthreedifferentsizesofscissorsspeciallyforcuttingthreadsandcordanddon’tusethemforcuttingpaperasthiswillbluntthebladesveryquickly.Mediumscissorsareidealforcuttingthreadandcordstolengthandsmallembroideryscissorswithsharppointsareperfectfortrimmingendsneatly.
NeedlesThereareallsortsofneedlesthatcanmakeiteasiertofinishbraidsandknottingorthreadbeads.
Sewingneedles(A)Aselectionofdifferentsizedsewingneedleswillallowyoutosewthroughbraidsorsecureendsafterwrapping.Sharpshaveasmalleyebutarequitesturdyandcanbeusedtostitchsmallseedbeadsintotoughercords.Embroideryneedleshavelongereyestomakethemeasiertothread.Tapestryneedles(B)Thesehavearelativelyblunttipandlargeeyeand
areusefulforstringingbiggerbeadsontocordorformanoeuvringknotsintoposition.Beadingneedles(C)Finebeadingneedlesareusedtoaddseedbeads
andothersmallbeadstobraidsortocoverjoins.Asize10needleisidealforsize11seedbeadsandasize12or13forsize15seedbeads.Keepagoodstockasthefinerneedlesinparticularcanbendandbreak.Twistedwireneedles(D)Youcanmakeyourownneedlesbylooping
finewireoverthejawsofround-nosepliersandtwistingthetailstogether.Alternatively,theycanbeboughtinarangeofsizestostringbeadsontocordorthreadortopullthreadorcordsthroughbraidstoworkorneatenends.
Bigeyeneedles(E)Theselongneedleswithtwopointedendsareusefulforstringingbeadsontomulti-strandsoffinethreads,butavoidusingtopullcordsthroughatightspaceasthetwofinerodsthatmaketheneedlewillsplitapartatthesolderedend.
PinsDressmaker’spinsUsefulformarkingbraidsataparticularlength,forspacingbeadsorembellishments,ortopositionwrappedthreads.
MappinsTheseshortpinswithballendsareperfectforsecuringcordsandthreadswhenworkingmacramé.Pinintoacorkboardorsheetoffoamcore.
AdhesivesTherearearangeofdifferentgluesthatwillcomeinusefulforstickingcordsandthreads,andformakingjewelleryandotheraccessories.Choosethecorrectadhesivetosuitthematerialsyouarestickingandremembertoleavefor24hoursforthegluetosetproperlybeforeusing.
JewelleryglueGluessuchasG-SHypoCementandE6000arespeciallymadeforjewellery.Thegluesetsbutstayspliablesothatitislesspronetocrackandbreakoffovertime.TheG-SHypoCementhasafinenozzleidealforapplyingatinyamountforaneatfinish,otherwiseuseacocktailsticktoapplytheglue.
SuperglueTheseinstantgluescanbeusefulasyoudon’tneedtoholdthematerialinpositionuntilthegluesets.Thegelversionislesslikelytorunandit’seasiertobeaccurateandapplyatinyamount.Takecareasthesecyanoacrylateglueswillbondskin.
EpoxyresinAtwo-partadhesivethatisverygoodforstickingcordsintometalfindings.Wipesurfaceswithnailpolishremovertoremovegreasyfingerprintsbeforeyouapplytheadhesive.A5-minuteepoxyresinshortensthedryingtimeandonethatdriesclearislesslikelytobevisiblewhenused.
GeneralTechniques
Makingthebraidsorknottingisjustthefirststageintheprocesswhenmakingapieceofjewelleryoranaccessoryandyouthenneedtofinishthepieceinanattractive,neatandprofessionalway.Thesegeneraltechniquescanbeusedoradaptedformanyoftheprojectsinthebook.ForspecificfinishingtechniquesforplaitingandKumihimobraidingseeFinishingTechniquesforBraiding.
ADDINGAJUMPRINGJumpringsareoneofthemostusefuljewelleryfindings.Usuallyround,theycanalsobeoval–ashapewithmorestabilityastheelongatedringtendstoremaininoneposition.1Holdthejumpringwithtwopairsofflat-noseplierseithersideofthejoin;tiltonepairtowardsyouandtheotherawayfromyou.Reversetheprocesstoclosetheringagain.
2Totensionthejumpringsothattheendsbutttogether,useplierstopushtheendsslightlysothattheyoverlapononesideandthentheother.Pullbackandtheendswillspringtogether.
3Youcantemper(harden)jumpringsbyopeningandclosingringafewtimes(seestep1).Don’toverdoitortheringwillsnap.
MAKINGAPLAINLOOPUseaheadpinnothinnerthan0.6mm(24swg)wiretomakethisstyleofloopsothatitisstrongenoughtokeepitsroundshapewhenitisinuse.1Pickupthebeadsrequiredontotheheadpinandtrimthetailtoabout7–12mm(3⁄8–1⁄2in)–thelengthdependsonthethicknessofthewireandthesizeofthelooprequired–andbenditoverat90degrees.
2Holdthetipofthewirewithround-nosepliersandrotatetheplierstobendthewirepart-wayaroundthetipofthejaws;thedistancefromthetipofthepliersdeterminesthesizeoftheloop.
3Repositionthepliersbyflippingyourwrist,thencontinuetorotatethewirearounduntilthetiptouchesthewireagainandtheloopisuprightandcentral,likealollipop.
Makingabeadlink
Makingabeadlink
Makeaplainloopononeendofthewire,orstartwithaneyepin.Addthebeads,thenfollowMakingaPlainLooptomakealoopattheotherend.
MAKINGAWRAPPEDLOOPYoucanuseathinnerwireforthisloopasthewirewrappingmakesitmoresecure.Uselongerheadpinsforthistechnique–you’llneedatleast3cm(11⁄8in)ofwireabovethelastbead.1Stringthebeadsontheheadpinandusesnipe-noseplierstobendthewireatarightangleabovethelastbeadleavingasmallgapforthewrapping.
2Holdthewireclosetothebeadwithround-nosepliers,thenwrapthetailallthewayroundtoformaloop.Bringthewirerightroundsothatitisatrightanglestothewirethreadedthroughthebeads.
atrightanglestothewirethreadedthroughthebeads.
3Holdtheloopsecurelyinflat-nosepliersandwindthetailaroundthestemcoveringthegapbetweenthebeadandtheloop.Youcanuseanotherpairofplierstowindthetail,thentrimneatlyusingflushwirecutters.
JOININGAWRAPPEDLOOPTOASOLIDRINGIfyouareattachingthewrappedlooptochain,asolidringoranotherwrappedloop,usethistechnique.1FormtheloopfollowingMakingaWrappedLoop,steps1and2,stoppingbeforeyouwrapthetail.Feedthetailintothechainlinkorsolid
ringsothattheloopissittingwhereitshouldbe.
2Usesnipe-noseplierstoholdtheloopsecurely,thenwindthetailaroundthegapabovethebeadusinganotherpairofplierstogiveyoumorepurchaseifnecessary.
3Trimthetailclosetothewrappedwire.Usetheverytipofthewirecutters,flatsidetowardsthewrapping,togettheneatestresult.
FinishingTechniques
Knottingandbraidingtechniquesallhaveatleastonerawendthatneedstobeneatenedorcoveredinsomewaytomakeapieceofjewellery,accessoryorotheritem.Traditionaltechniquessuchaswhippingorbuttonknotsusetheknottingorbraidingcorditselftocovertherawends,oryoucanuseawiderangeofdifferentfindingsandfasteningsspeciallydesignedforthepurpose.
NEATENINGTHERAWENDSCordsandbraidstendtosplayoutattheend,soitisessentialthattheendbeneatenedinsomewaytoenableyoutofititintoafinding.Therearevarioustechniquesthatyoucanusetoneatenrawendsandwhichoneyouchoosewilldependonthenumberofstrandsandtypeofmaterialbeingused.
Melting
Whenusingnylonknottingcordorparacordneatentheendfirstbyholdingitforasecondortwoinaflame–ahouseholdgaslighterissufficient–tomelttheendandfusetherawends.
Sewing
Braidscanbestitchedtosecurethebundlesofcordsbeforethefindingisattached.Thisisparticularlysuitableforrectangularendcapsandribboncrimps.
Beforeyoutrimthebraid,sewacrossneartheendusingstrongbeadingorsewingthread,workingrunningstitchesinonedirection,thensewingbackacross.Sewintheendswithacoupleoftinybackstitches.
Wrapping
Usestrongbeadingorsewingthread,orfinewire,tofinishbraidsorcordendspriortoattachingafinding.Thistechniqueaddsverylittleextrawidthtothecord.1Workingneartheendofthecord,wrapthethreadorwireneatlyaroundneartheendofthecordsothatthewrappingisevenandthestartingend
neartheendofthecordsothatthewrappingisevenandthestartingendistrappedunderneath.Don’toverwraporitwillbetoobulky.
2Useasewingneedletostitchthetailunderthewrappedthreads.Trimthetail,then,ifnecessary,acrossthetopofthecordtoo.
Whipping
Youcanuseathickercordforadecorativewhippedend.Thistechniquecanalsobeusedonasingleendoroveradoubleropeasshownheretocreatealoop.1Makealoopfromthincordandlayitontopsideattheendofthebraidorloopedbraid.Wraptheworkingendaroundthebraidfromthebottomandoverbothloopcordsseveraltimes.
andoverbothloopcordsseveraltimes.
2Continuetowrapthefinecordtocreateasingledepthofwrapping.Keepingthecordsneatandtidyasyouwrap,inserttheworkingendintotheloop.
3Pullthetailofthethincordloopgentlyandthentugtoburytheloopunderthewhipping.Trimbothtailsneatly.
FINISHINGWITHCORDENDS,ENDCAPSANDCONESTherearemanydifferentshapesandstylesofcordend,endcaporconesuitableforfinishingrawendsandsomeofthevastarrayisexploredinEssentialEquipment.Theshapeofthefindingandthetypeofcordorbraidwilldeterminethetechniquesused.ForspecifictechniquesformacraméandKumihimo,seeFinishingTechniquesforKnottingandFinishingTechniquesforBraiding.
Cordendsandendcaps
Cordendsaresmallmetalfindingsdesignedtocoveroneorseveralfinerawends.Endcapswhichcanbesquare,rectangularorround,arelargerthancordends,andsuitableforathickropeorbraid.Bothsizeseitherhaveasolidringorholesothatafasteningcanbeattached.Itisimportanttomatchtheinternalwidthordimensionsofthefindingtothediameterorsizeofthecordorbraid.
Fittinganendconeorcap
1Wraptheendofthebraid(orbundleofcords)withfinesewingorbeadingthread(seeWrapping),makingsurethewrappingisnottoodeepsothatitwillbehiddeninsidetheendcap;trimneatly.
2Usingacocktailstick,smearalittleglue(E6000orG-SHypoCement)aroundtheinsiderimoftheendcap,alsoaddingadroportwoinsideatthebottom.Avoidgettingglueontheoutsideofthefinding.
insideatthebottom.Avoidgettingglueontheoutsideofthefinding.
3Pushthebraid(orcords)intotheendcap,makingsurethatitisstraightandthatnorawendsareprotruding;youcanuseadressmaker’spintotuckanystrayfibresinside.Repeatattheotherend,thenleavetodryfor24hours.
Addingalooptoanendconeorcap
Somestylesofendconeorcaphaveaholeattheendratherthanaring.Youcanattachapieceofwireoraheadpintothebraidthenmakeaplainorwrappedloop.Choosethestyletosuitthetechnique,sothattherawendsareallcoveredandtheedgeoftheendcaporconefitssnuglyaroundthebraidorcords.1Wraporwhiptheendofthebraidorbundleofcordswiththreadorfinewiremakingsurethattheendcapwillstillfitover.Bendtheheadpinover
about6mm(1⁄4in)fromtheendandinsertitunderthewrappingasshown.
2Bringtheendoftheheadpinoutinthecentreofthebraidend.Usesnipe-noseplierstobendtheendoftheheadpinbackupoverthewrappingtowardsthebraidend.
3Addglueinsidetheendcaporconeandinsertthebraidfeedingtheheadpinthroughthehole.
4Workaplainorwrappedloopontheendoftheheadpin(seeGeneralTechniques).Iftheholeislarge,youcanaddasmallbeadtoplugthegapbeforemakingtheloop.
Knotting
Evenifyouareabeginnertothecraftofknotting,youprobablyknowmorethanyourealize.Doyourememberwhenyoulearnttotieyourshoelaces,orwhen
youlastfastenedaropearoundapole,orsimplytiedaknotattheendofasewingthread?Thechancesareyouwillhaveusedareefknot,ahalf-hitchknotoranoverhandknotwithouteventhinkingaboutit,andyouprobablyknowafewmorebesides.Infactallknotsarebasedontwoverysimpleknots–theoverhandandthehalf-hitch–solearntotietheseandanyofthetechniquesfeaturedinthissectionwillbepossible,andtherearesomefabulousprojectsincludedtogetyoustarted.
Thissectionfeaturesthreemainchaptersexploringthedecorativepossibilitiesofknot-making,whetheryouaremakingindividually-workedknots,knottedbraids,orexploringmacramé,youcanworkthrougheachchapterbuildingupyourskillsasyougo,orsimplydipinandoutasyouchoose.
Eachtechniqueisclearlyexplainedwithfullyillustratedstep-by-stepinstructions,andwhilethetechniquesampleshavebeenworkedwithstandardcordsformaximumclarity,theprojectideasshowhowthebeautyoftheknotscanbeenhancedbychoosingdifferentcordsorthreads,thickerorthinner,dependingonhowyouchoosetousethedesign.You’llalsodiscoverhowtheadditionofbeadscanenhancethetechniquesforevenmorestunningresults.
Butbeforeyoubeginexploringthepossibilities,takethetimetoreadKnottingBasics,whichoutlinesthekeyknottingtermsandbasicknotsyou’llneedtoknowtogetthemostfromtheknottingtechniques.
KnottingBasicsYouwillfindthattheinstructionsformakingdecorativeknotsaremucheasiertofollowifyouknowthetermscommonlyused.Also,itisagoodideatogettogripswiththebasicknotsusedbeforeyoumakeastartonanyparticulartechnique.
Knots,bendsandhitchesDidyouknowthattherearethreedifferenttypesofknotting,althoughwegenerallyuse‘knot’todescribeallthree?A‘bend’isusedtotietwodifferentcordstogether,a‘hitch’totieacordaroundanotherobject,anda‘knot’totieoneorbothendsofacordarounditself,oftenatitsend,toformastopper.
KNOTTINGTERMSTakeamomentortwotofamiliarizeyourselfwiththeknottingtermsfrequentlyusedinstepinstructions,mostofwhichareillustratedbelow.
Workingend(1)Theendofthecordthatyouareusingtotietheknot.Startingend(2)Theoppositeendtotheworkingend–ifyoubeginin
themiddleofacordbothendsareworkingends.Crosspoint(3)Whereonecordcrossesovertheother.Anoverhand
crosspointiswhentheworkingendisontop,andwhentheworkingendisunderneathitisanunderhandcrosspoint.Clockwiseloop(4)Sometimesreferredtoasanoverhandloop,thisis
wheretheworkingendgoesaroundclockwiseandoveritselfagain.Anticlockwise(counter-clockwise)loop(5)Sometimesreferredtoasan
underhandloop,thisiswheretheworkingendgoesaroundanticlockwiseandoveritselfagain.U-shapedbend(6)Alsoknownasabight,thisisoftenmadeasawayto
weavecordthroughtheknot.Circled(7)Thecordpassesaroundoneormorestrandsintheknot.Coiled(8)Thecordwrapsaroundoneormorestrandsseveraltimes.Weave(9)Togooverandundersuccessivecordsinaknotwitha
workingendorU-shapedbend.FirmupTightentheknotuntilthecordsaresecure,butnotsotightthat
theknotisdistorted.CorecordThisisastationarycordinsideotherthreadsandcords.In
macraméthecorecordscanbecomeworkingcordsandviceversa;inKumihimoahollowbraidcanbeworkedaroundacorecord.BasecordThiscordoftenformsthebasicshapeofanecklaceorcanbe
substitutedforafinding,suchasasolidring,fasteningorbar.Theworkingcordsareusuallyattachedtothebasecordwithlark’sheadknots(seeNestingLark’sHeadKnot).
BASICKNOTSLearntotiethesebasicknotsoffbyheartastheyareusedtimeandtimeagain
fortheprojectsaswellascreatingmorecomplexknotsthroughoutthischapter.
Reef(square)knot
Thisisusedtojointwocordendsofeventhicknessanditcanbeloosenedifrequiredbytuggingoneendbackovertheknot.Itisthebasisforthesquareknotinmacramé.
Passtheleftcordovertherightandtuckunder,thenpasstherightcordovertheleftandunder,tobringthecordupthroughtheloopontheleft.
Overhandknot
Thissimpleknotcanbetiedattheendofacordasastopperorforareminderofthestartingend,oritcanbeusedtotieabundleofcordstogetherinpreparationforplaitingorbraiding.
Workingoverthethumb,makeaclockwiseloopandbringtheworkingthreadupthroughtheloop.
Slipknot
Thebaseofmanyknottedbraids,theslipknotistiedsothattheworkingendisadjustable.
Makeananticlockwiseloopandholdthecordatthecrosspoint(atthebottom)inyourlefthand.BringtheworkingcordbehindtheloopandpullaU-shapedbendthrough.Pulltheshortstartingendtofirmuptheknotandtheworkingendtoadjustthesizeofloop.
Lark’shead
Thisknotisusedtoattachonecordtoanother,ortoattachacordtoabarortoaringasshownhere,anditisthemostcommonlyusedknotforstartingmacraméprojects.
Foldonecordinhalfandpasstheloopyouhavemadethroughtheringfromfronttoback.Passthetailsthroughtheloopandpulluptotighten.Tomakeareverselark’sheadknot,passtheloopthroughtheringfromthereversesideandcompletetheknotbypassingthetailsthroughtheloopagain.
Half-hitch
Oneofthebasicmacraméknots,workedoveranothercordasshownhere,oroveraringorbar.Itisoftenusedinpairstosecurefinercordsorthreads.
Takeonecordandpasstheworkingendundertheothercordandbehindthestartingendtomakeonehalf-hitch.Makeasecondloopinthesameway
thestartingendtomakeonehalf-hitch.Makeasecondloopinthesamewaypassingtheworkingendthroughtheloopbetweenthetwohalf-hitchesforextrasecurity.
Carrickbend
Thisknotcanbeworkedwithtwocordsasdescribed,orusingjustonethread,anditisthebaseofmanydecorativeknots.
Makeaclockwiseloopinonecordwiththetailsontheleft.Laythesecondcordbehindtheloopwiththestartingendatthebottomright.Passtheworkingendoverthenunderthetailsofthefirstcordandthenweaveitoverandundercordstocomeoutatthetopoftherightloopagain.
IndividualKnots
Individualknotsareslightlymoreadvanced,usingsomeoftheelementsofthebasicknotstocreatedifferentdecorativeknots.Sometimestheseindividualknotsaretiedsinglybuttheycanoftenbetiedoneaftertheothertocreateabraid.Trytyingtheknotswithavarietyofmaterialsoraddbeadsfordifferenteffects.
BasicKnotsThesimplestofknotscanmakethemostattractivejewellery.Overhandknotscanbetiedtoseparateorattachbeadsandreefknotsmakeaquickandeasybracelet,andtherearemanymoreideasinthissectionforgettingthemostfrombasicknots.
REEFKNOTWhenworkingareefknot,cordtoothickfortyingintricateknotscanbetransformedintoasimpleandeffectivedesign,idealformakingaprettybracelet.1Cuttwo25cm(10in)lengthsof6mmcordandtieareefknot(seeKnottingBasics).Adjusttheknotsothatalltheendsarethesamelength,thenpullgentlytofirmup.
2Checkthelengthofthebraceletallowingforthefastening,trimthecordends,thenattachbothcordsateachendintothefasteningusingstrongjewelleryglue.
CARRICKBENDThissailor’sknotistraditionallyusedtotiethickropestogether,butwhentiedwithstrandsofdoublecordandallowedtolieflatitmakesaprettydecorativeknot.1Cuttwolengthsof6mmparacordmeasuring60cm(24in)intwodifferentcolours;foldeachinhalf.Takeoneofthedoublecords(pink)andmakeaclockwiseloop.Laytheseconddoublecord(grey)behindthefirst(pink)loopandbringtheworking(folded)endoverandunderthetailsofthefirst(pink)cordasshown.
2Weavebackoverthefirst(pink)looppassingthesecond(grey)cordunderitselfbeforeitcomesbackupandovertheendofthefirst(pink)loop.Adjusttheknotsothatalltheendsareaboutthesamelengthandtheknotisfirm.
3Checkthelengthofthebraceletallowingforthefasteningandtrimthecords.Applyjewellerygluebetweenthecordsatbothendsandleavetodry.Attacharibboncrimpendandajewelleryfasteningateachend(seeFinishingTechniques).
TipIfyourcordissilkyorslipperytheknotmaynotstayfirm–usealittleglueorafewtinystitchessewnonthereversesidetosecureit.
OVERHANDKNOTSTheoverhandknotlooksfabuloustiedintoarusticleathercord;itcanbeusedtoseparatebeadsandattachcharms,andevenforasimpleslidingfastening.
•Useoverhandknotstoanchorabeadonalengthofcordortospacebeadsalongthelengthoftheleather.Choosecordtosuitthesizeofthebeadhole.
•Whendesigningwithtwoormorestrandsofcord,oneofthestrandscouldbethinnertopassthroughsmall-holebeadsbeforetyingallthestrandstogetherwithanoverhandknot.
•Useanoverhandknottoattachajumpringcharmorchainalongthelengthofthecord.Tietheknotthroughlinksonthesamesideofthechaintopreventittwisting.
•Looptwolengthsofcordinoppositedirectionsthroughawasher-stylebeadorbutton,thentiewithanoverhandknotateachsidetosecure.
•Createasimplebeadedtasselbytyingabundleofcordstogetherwithanoverhandknot;addabeadoneachstrandandtieanoverhandknotaboveandbelowtheknottosecureit.
•Foraslidingfasteninglaytwocordendsinoppositedirectionsand,ateachend,tieanoverhandknotovertheothercordandfirmupeach.Pullthetailstoopenandthemaincordtoclose.
Thickercords,suchasparacordandeconappaleather,lookfabulouswhentiedinbasicknotslikethereefknotandCarrickbendtocreatesimplebracelets.ThesamedesignswouldalsolookgreattiedinyourownKumihimobraid(seeKumihimo):anyoftheroundorhollowbraidswouldbesuitablesolongasyouchoosebraidingthreadscarefullytoachievethecorrectthicknessfor
thefinishedbraid.
LARK’SHEADKNOTOftenoverlooked,thisisoneofthemostusefulknotsformakingjewelleryandaccessories–singleormultiplelark’sheadknotscanbeusedtomakeattractivejewellerydesigns.
•Tielark’sheadknotsthroughtheringsinaslidefasteningreadytoworkawidepanelofmacramétomakeacuffbracelet.
•Usethelark’sheadknottoattachacordtoasolidringtomakeapendantthatcanbefurtherembellishedwithjumpringsandbeadcharms.
•Securearing,orothershape,withalark’sheadknotoneitherside,thensecuretheendsinafasteningforasimplebracelet.
NESTINGLARK’SHEADKNOTThenestinglark’sheadknotisusefulifusingtwocoloursofcordwhenknottingorworkingmacramé.
•Tiealark’sheadknotwiththefirstcord(lightpink),thenlaythesecondcord(darkpink)horizontallybelowthefirstknot,takingtheendsaroundthebackofthebasecordandtuckintotheloopcreated.
Whenthemultiplelark’sheadknotbraceletisthelengthyourequire,youcanusethethinnercordstoattachafastening,suchasabutton,oralternatively,gluethecordendsintoatogglefasteningasshownhere.FeedtheU-bendintothemetalslider.Checktheloopislargeenough
forthetoggleandglueinplace.
MULTIPLELARK’SHEADKNOTSWorkingtheknotsoneaftertheotherusesaslightlydifferenttechnique,asyouhavetoweaveonetailaroundthecorecordsothatitfollowsthecorrectpathto
havetoweaveonetailaroundthecorecordsothatitfollowsthecorrectpathtomakealark’sheadknot.
TipThesetechniquesworkwellwitha1mmcordtiedtoa3–4mmcorecord,asusedforthesamplesshown.
Singlecoretechnique
1Usealark’sheadknottoattachathincordtooneendofathickercorecord;tieonasecondlengthofthincordwithalark’sheadknotfacingintheotherdirection.
2Withthefirstworkingend,workahalf-hitch(seeBasicKnots)overthecorecord.Passtheworkingendunderthecorecordagainandbackupthroughthelooptocompleteathirdlark’sheadknot.
3Continueworkingfromsidetosideworkingonelark’sheadknotatatimewithalternatecords.Youcanaddbeadsonthelargeloopsdowneachside.
Doublecoretechnique
1Forabraceletlength:tiealark’sheadknotnearthemiddleofa40cm(16in)lengthofthickleathercord.Bendthiscorecordinhalfandtakethetopworkingcordofthelark’sheadknotacrossandovertheotherhalfofthecorecord.
2Makeasecondlark’sheadknotontheright-handsideoftheloopasSingleCoreTechnique,step2,thenpasstheright-handworkingcorddiagonallyacrossandovertheleft-handcorecord.Tiealark’sheadknot.Taketheleft-handworkingcordacrossandovertheright-handcorecord.Tieanotherlark’sheadknot.
3Continuewiththecriss-crosspatternoflark’sheadknotsallthewaydownthecorecords.Youcanadjustthesizeofthetoplooptoaccommodateabuttonortoggle.
TipDecidewhethertokeepthesamediagonalcordontopbetweentheknotsortoalternatethemtocreateaslightlydifferentcentrepattern.
ChineseKnotsManydifferentculturestieknotsbutitistheChinesewhoarethebestknownfortheirdecorativeknots.Theknotsfeaturedinthissectionarefairlysimplebutmanyofthesecanbecombinedtocreatemorecomplexstructures.Chineseknotswereoftentiedasgoodluckcharmsortowardoffevilspirits.
BUTTONKNOTButtonknotsareverydecorativeandcanbeusedinplaceofaroundbead,orasanendstopper.Tyingwithoneendofasinglecordisshown,buttwocordsoradoubledcordcanalsobeused.1Makeananticlockwiseloopwiththeworkingendontheright.Makeasecondanticlockwiseloopoverthefirst,thenholdfirmlyatthecrosspointatthebottomoftheloops.
2Weavetheworkingend(right-handtail)throughthetwoloopsfromrighttoleft,goingover,under,over,under,tocomeouttheotherside.
3Bringtheworkingendbackroundoverthestartingend,passdownthroughtheloopandunderthecrosspoint,thenbringtheworkingendupinthemiddleoftheknot.
4Atthispointholdthebottomloopsbetweenfingerandthumbandturnthesidesdowntocreatearingshapeortogglearoundthetipofyourfinger.Pullthetailstofirmupslightly.
5Pullthetailstotightentheknotuntilaloopofcordpopsupfromthesideofthetoggle.Workaroundtheknot,pushingoneendoftheloopdownandpullthrough.
6Keeppushingtheknotbackdown,workingaroundthebuttonknotinthesamedirectionuntilitreachesoneoftheends.Takeyourfingeroutandrepeatthelooppullingprocessuntiltheknotisfirm.
TipWorkingaroundyourfingerpreventstheknotfromcollapsingandbecomingtangled,especiallywhenworkingwithasoftcordlikerattail.
Movingabuttonknot
Whenworkingbuttonknotssidebysideornexttoabead,itcanbedifficulttopositionthemexactly,sothistechniqueenablesyoutomoveoneknottoanother.1Tiethefirstbuttonknotinthecorrectposition,thentieasecondbuttonknotsothatitendsupfairlyclosetothefirst,butdon’tpullittootight.
2Turntheknotarounduntilyoufindtheloopthatemergesasthecorethreadontheleft-handside,andpulltheloopthroughuntilthesecond
threadontheleft-handside,andpulltheloopthroughuntilthesecondbuttonknotismovedacrosstobuttupagainstthefirst.
3Workaroundtheknotpullingadjacentloopsthroughuntilyoureachtheworkingcordattheotherend,repeatingifnecessarytofirmuptheknottomakeitthesamesizeasthefirstknot.Tiemorebuttonknots,movingthemalongthecord.
Slidingbuttonknotfastening
Usebuttonknotsforadecorativeslidingfasteningforanecklaceorbracelet.Twocoloursofcordareshownforclaritybutforanecklaceorbraceletthecordswillbethesamecolour.1Neartheendofthecord,tieabuttonknottothetogglestage(seeButtonKnot,step4).Passtheotherendofthecord(shownhereina
contrastcolour)throughthemiddleofthetoggleintheoppositedirectiontotheshorttail,thencontinuetopullloopsthroughthebuttonknot(seeButtonKnot,steps5and6)tomakeasmallfirmknot.
2Arrangethefirstbuttonknotontheleft-handsidewithalongendoftheothercordouttotheright.Beginbyformingthefirsttwoanticlockwiseloopsaroundtheothercord(shownhereinacontrastcolour).
3Continuetofinishthebuttonknotandthenworktheloopsthroughtofirmupthesecondbuttonknotaroundtheothercord.Pulltheknotstoclosethefasteningandthemaincordstoopenit.
4Applyalittleglueinsidethesecondbuttonknotwherethetailemergesandtrimwhendry,thensecurethefirstknotinthesameway.Domakesurethebuttonknotswillslideasthegluedries.
DOUBLECOINKNOTThedoublecoinknotisavariationoftheCarrickbend(seeKnottingBasics),anditsshapemimicsaclassicChinesedesignmotifoftwooverlappingantiquecoins.1Makeaclockwiseloopatleast20cm(8in)fromthestartingendofthecordsothatthecrosspointisontheleft.
2Holdingthecrosspointinyourlefthand,bringtheworkingendaroundsothatitformsaU-shapedbendtofinishrunningdownacrosstheloop.
3Changetoholdtheloopsandworkingendcordinyourrighthand.Passtheworkingendunderthestartingendasshown.
4Weavethetailoftheworkingendover,under,overandunderthecordstoemergeoutoftherightloop.
5Pulltheworkingendthroughtillallthreeloopsarethesamesize,beforeyoubegintoshapetheknot.
6Adjustbypullingtheendsandworkingthecordthroughtocreateafairlylooseknotthatisfirmenoughtobestable.
TipIfyouareusingasoftcordorslightlyfrayedend,createaU-shapedbendwiththeworkingendbeforeweavingitthroughtheloopsinstep4.
Doublecoinknotscanbetiedwithotherknotssuchastheprosperityknottocreateinterestingbraids.
DOUBLECOINKNOTWITHCARRICKBENDSBeginwithadoublecoinknot,thenworkaseriesofCarrickbends(seeKnottingBasics)tocreateawideknottedband,adjustingthespacinginbetweenasyouwish.1Begininthecentreofalongcordandtieadoublecoinknot(seeDoubleCoinKnot).Makeananticlockwiseloopwiththerightcord,laytheleftcorddownacrosstheloopandholdwherethecordscross.
2TocompletethefirstCarrickbend,bringtheleftcordundertherightcordandthendownthroughthespaceunderthedoublecoinknot.Weaveunder,overandunderacrosstheloops.
3Firmup,adjustingthelengthofthe‘legs’betweentheknots.BegintotiethenextCarrickbendwithaclockwiseloopontheleftcordandlaytherightcordoverthetop.Alternatethestartdirectionofeachknotuntilyouhavetherequiredlength.
TipIfyouworktheknotsbeginningwithaclockwiseloopontheleftcordeachtimetheseriesofknotswillnotlieasflat.
WhenworkingthedoublecoinknotwithCarrickbendsyoucanadjustthespacingbetweentheknotstocreatelargegapsinbetween,idealforabelt,orbuttthemclosetogetherforacuff-style
bracelet.Seethestep-by-stepinstructionsformakingtheDoubleCoinKnotCuffinProjects.
TOGGLEThetoggleisaversionofaTurk’sheadknotworkedfromadoublecoinknotbase,anditssizecanbevariedaccordingtothethicknessofcordandnumberoftimesthecordiswoventhrough.1Tieadoublecoinknot(seeDoubleCoinKnot)sothattheleft-handstartingendisshortandtheright-handworkingendlonger.Bringtheworkingendaroundandpassitdownthroughthefirstloopwherethestartingendemerges.
2Followingthesamepathasthestartingend,weavetheworkingendunder,overandunderagaintoemergeattheothersideoftheloops,andpullitoutovertheedgeoftheright-handloop.
3Bringtheworkingcordaroundandcontinuetofollowthepathofthestartingendasinstep2,keepingthecordtotheinsideasyougoaround.Continueuntilyouhavedoubledupallthecords.
4Atthispointinsertyourfingerinthemiddleoftheknotandholdbetweenfingerandthumb,sothatitformsaringratherthanaflatknot.Pulltheloopbetweenthetwoendstobegintotightenthetoggle.
5Workaroundthetogglepullingthecordthroughoneloopatatimeuntilthetoggleisthesizerequired.Tucktheendsintothecentreofthetoggle,trimandglueontheinside.
Forabeadednapkinring,transferstringsofsize6seedbeadsontoa1.5m(12⁄3yd)lengthof1mmaluminiumwire.Makealoopinthewireateachendtosecurethebeads,thentiethetoggle(seeToggle).Carryonweavingtheworkingendthroughthetoggletomakethreerowsofbeadedwire.Removeanyexcessbeadsandtwistthetwowireendstogether,trimmingneatlyonthe
inside.
BUTTONBALLAlsoknownasamonkey’sfist,thisroundball-shapedknotisoftenworkedflat,butusingthetoggleasabasemakesiteasiertofirmuptheknotforagoodroundshape.1FollowToggle,steps1–4tocreateadouble-rowtoggle.Passthe
1FollowToggle,steps1–4tocreateadouble-rowtoggle.Passthestartingendundertwocordsasshowntoemergeinthemiddleofthering.Tieanoverhandknotontheendandtrimthetail.
2Pullcordsthroughuntiltheoverhandknotisflushontheinside.Pulltheloopnexttotheworkingendandworkaroundpullinguptheslackasyougo.
3Tucktheworkingendundertwoloopstoemergeinthemiddleofthetoggle-shapedknot.Continuepullingtheloopsgently–asthetoggletightensitwillformintoaballshapearoundtheoverhandknot–untiltheknotisfirm.
TipTakeyourtimepullingtheloopsandtakinguptheslacktogettheroundestballshape.
Workedasathree-rowtoggle,buttonballknotsmakegreatgiftbox‘handles’.Makeorbuylittlegiftboxesandcoverwithprettypaper.Pierceaholeinthelidordrawerandthreadthetailofthe
buttonballthrough.Tieanoverhandknotontheinsidetosecure.
PROSPERITYKNOTAsthisknotresemblesseveraldoublecoinknotsworkedtogether,itissaidtobringwealthandprosperitytoanyonewhotiesorincorporatesitontotheirgarments.
1Beginbytyingadoublecoinknotinthecentreofalengthofcord(seeDoubleCoinKnot).Pullthesideloopsoutoneatatimetoabout3cm(11⁄4in)oneachside(thiswillvarydependingonthethicknessofyourcord).
2Bringtheloopsdownbelowtheworkingendsateithersideandadjusttheweavingatthetopoftheknotsothatitisfirm.
3Holdingtheworkingendsoutofthewaytwisttheleftsideovertherightoneachofthelongloops.
4Tucktheloopontheleftupthroughthebackoftheloopontheright.Bringtherightworkingenddownandunderthetoploopsothatitislyingbetweenthetwotwistedloops.
5Tuckthetoptwistedloopdownthroughthebottomtwistedlooptotraptheworkingend.Re-adjusttheknotcordstomaketheknotmoreeven.
6Bringtheleftworkingenddownandupthroughtheremainingloopinthemiddleoftheleftside.Weaveover,under,overandundertocomeoutattheright-handside.Adjusttheknotuntilitisfirm.
Thefinishedprosperityknotlooksbeautifulonitsownworkedinasoftsilkyrattailasshown,withjustapendantbeadattached,orseveralcanbetiedoneaftertheothertomakeastraporband.
Theprosperityknothasaslightlypointedendalittleliketheendofabelt,sothiswastheinspirationforworkingafirmrectangularbeltpanelfromleathercord,adaptabletothesizeofyour
waist.Seethestep-by-stepinstructionsformakingtheProsperityKnotBeltinProjects.
FLATBUTTONKNOTDependingonthecordusedtotietheflatbuttonknot,itcanbeusedasaprettybutton,brooch,earringorcufflinks.1MakeaclockwiseloopinaP-shapeandbringtheworkingenddownthroughthelooptomakeanotherloopthesamesizeasthefirst.Holdinyourlefthandontheleftcrosspoint.
2Looptheworkingend(right-handcord)aroundtotherightandweaveitunder,over,underandoverthroughtheloopstocomeoutattheleft-handside.
3Bringtheworkingendaroundagainoverthestartingendandweaveacrosstherightoftheknot,goingunder,overandthenunderthelasttwocords.
4Firmupbypullingonthetwoends,theneachoftheloopsinturn,pullinguptheslackasyouworkthroughtheknot.
5Thefinishedflatbuttonknot.
Two-toneflatbuttonknot
Tomakeatwo-toneknot,tieaflatbuttonknotwithtwocordsatonce,orfeedasecondcordthroughasingleknotbeforeyoustarttofirmitup.
TipSoftcordslikerattailmakeaflatterknotthanfirmerroundcords.
PIPAKNOTThistraditionalChineseknotwasusedtomakedecorativetogglefasteningsforOrientalclothing,withapipaknotlooponesideandabuttonknotontheother.1Makeaclockwiseloopsothattheworkingendisontheleft.Makeanotherloopbeneathtocreateafigureofeightwiththeworkingendontopasshown.(Thebottomloopshouldbethefinishedsizeatthisstage.)
2Holdingthebottomloopsothatitstaysthesamesize,loopthe
2Holdingthebottomloopsothatitstaysthesamesize,looptheworkingendaroundthesmallloopatthetopandthenbackacrossitselfagain.
3Looptheworkingendbackaroundtothetopsothatthecordissittinginsidethebottomloop.Repeatstep2takingthecordbehindthesmallloopandinsidethelargeloopagain.
4Continuetowraptheworkingendinafigureofeightuntilonlyasmallholeisleftinthemiddleofthebottomloops.Passtheworkingenddownthroughtheholeandfirmup.
TipBasedonafigureofeight,thesimplestructureofthepipaknotmakesitidealforworkinginwire.
Open-looppipaknot
Youcanmakethebottomloopsmuchlargersothatyoufinishwithatightlypackedtopsectionandalargerholeinthemiddle.Tofinishthisstyleofknot,taketheworkingenddownthroughtheholeinthemiddle;turntheknotoverandfeedthetailupthroughthesmallloopsatthebackoftheknot.Youcanpullthetoploopthroughtoo,tomakeapendant.
Thelongerloopsoftheopen-looppipaknotareperfectforattachingbeads.Embellishtheearringswithtinypearlsattachedwithheadpinstothebottomloop.Thepipaknotcanbeworked
incordorleatherthongorasoftaluminiumwireasshownhere.
FlowerKnotsFlowerknotscanbetiedwithavaryingnumberofloopsfromtwouptoeightormore.Theactualmovesarethesamebuttherepetitionisn’tclearuntilyouaremakingmorethanfourpetalsandsotherearestep-by-stepinstructionsfortwo,threeandfourpetalknotsaswellastheflowerbrocadeknot.
TWO-FLOWERPETALKNOTWithtwoloops(orpetals),theknotlookslikeabow.Itiseasiertotiewithamattcord,whichislessslipperythanthesatincordshownhere.1Inyourleft-hand,makeaU-shapedbendwiththeworkingendatthebottom.MakeasecondU-shapedbendandpassitthroughthefirst.HoldthefirstU-shapedbendtauttocreatethefirstpetal.
2Changehandssothatyouareholdingthecrosspointwiththerighthand.PasstheworkingenddownthroughtheloopformedbythesecondU-shapedbend.
3Passthecordoverthestartingendanddownthroughthebottomloop.
4TakethecordunderandbackupthroughthesecondU-shapedbendagain.
5Pullthetailsgentlytofirmupandadjustuntilthetwoloopsaretherightsizeforthebow.
Tieatwo-petalflowerknotusingarusticleathercordandattachachainwithjumprings(seeGeneralTechniques)tomakeadelicate,prettynecklace.
THREE-PETALFLOWERKNOTIftiedinthemiddleofalongcord,thethreepetalsmakeanattractivetrefoilshape.Hungupsidedownitmakesasimpleandattractivependantnecklace.1WorkthefirstpetalfollowingTwo-petalFlowerKnot,step1,thenmakeanotherU-shapedbendwiththeworkingendandpassitthroughthefirstU-shapedbend.Pullthepetaljustformedtofirmuptheknotsofar.
2Changehandstoholdthecrosspointinyourrighthand.Passthe
2Changehandstoholdthecrosspointinyourrighthand.PasstheworkingenddownthroughthethirdU-shapedbend(petal),overthestartingendanddownthroughthebottomrightloop.
3PasstheworkingendbehindthepetalsandbackupthroughthethirdU-shapedbend(petal)ontheleftagain.Pulltheloopjustformedtofirmtheknotbeforelettinggo.Firmuptheknot.
4Thefinishedthree-petalflowerknot;itcanbeusedasaprettystopperforbeads,orturnitupsidedownandhangbeadcharmsfromoneormoreoftheloopsforapendant.
TipBypullinginthepreviousU-shapedbendeachtime,youhavemorecontrolovertheloopsize.
CROSSKNOTThecrossknotissimilartothethree-petalflowerknotbutwithoutthepetals.It’saverystableknotthatcanbeusedasadecorativelinktotietwostrandstogether.1Taketwocordsandmakeacrossshape.MakeaU-shapedbendwiththehorizontalcordontheleftsideandtuckundertheverticalcordtocreateanS-shape.
2Holdinyourlefthand,andpassthebottomworkingendoftheverticalcordbehindthehorizontalcords,passingitdownthroughtheU-shapedbendatbottomrightandoutoveritselfagain.
3Pullallfourcordendsgentlytoremovetheslackandthenworktheloopsthroughifnecessarytofirmuptheknot.
TipWorktheknotwithtwocordsasshown,orfoldacordinhalfandworktheknotwithbothends.
Crossknotwithbeads
Beadscanbeaddedononeorbothofthestrandsbetweentheknotstomakeabraceletornecklace.Stringbeadsontooneorbothtailsbelowthecrossknot.Tiethenextknotunderneathadjustingthespacingasrequiredbeforefirminguptheknot.
FOUR-LEAFCLOVERThefour-leafcloverisessentiallyafour-petalflowerknot.ThesecrettothesuccessformakingthisknotinyourhandistoensureeachU-shapedbendispulledtauttoholdthenextonesecurely.1MakeaU-shapedbendwiththeworkingendontheright.MakeasecondU-shapedbendwiththeworkingendandpassitthroughthefirst.AdjustthefirstU-shapedbendtoholdthesecondonetaut.
2Repeattheprocess:makeaU-shapedbendwiththeworkingendandpassthroughthepreviousU-shapedbend.Pulltheleftsideoftheloopjustformedtofirmuptheknotsofarandcreatethesecondleaf.
3Adjusttheknotinyourhandsothatyouareholdingthefirmedupcentreatthelast-madeloop.Repeatstep2,pullingtheleftsideoftheloopjustformedtofirmuptheknot.
4Changehands.PasstheworkingenddownthroughthelastU-shapedbend,overthestartingendanddownthroughthenextleaf.Bringtheworkingendunderthestartingendandbackupthroughtheleafontheleft.
5ThelastloopformedisnotaleafbutaU-shapedbendthatgetspulledtaut.Pulltheworkingendandthelastlooptofirmuptheknot,thenadjusttheotherloopsforleavesofthesamesize.
Theringformationoftheflowerbrocadeknot,workedinRussianbraid,makesanattractivebezelforacabochonstone.Tomakeabrooch,stickthecabochonstoneontoacircleofstiffinterfacing,
stitchtheknotinplaceandbackwithfauxsuede;sewabroochpinabovethecentreline.
FLOWERBROCADEKNOTTheflowerbrocadeknotistiedinexactlythesamewayastheotherflowerknots,butoncemorethanfiveorsixpetalsaretiedittransformsintoaring.1MakeaU-shapedbendandpassasecondU-shapedbendthroughthefirst.Pullthestartingendtofirmuptheknot,thenstickanarrowpieceoftapearoundthestartingendandtheleftsideofthefirstloopasshown.
TipAddingthepieceoftapestabilizesthestartoftheknotandenablesyoutoworktherestoftheknotinyourhandwhilekeepingthetensionandsizeofthepetalseven.
2Adjusttheloopunderthecrosspointtothesizeofpetalrequired.*MakeaU-shapedbendwiththeworkingendandpassthroughtheU-shapedbendatthetop.
3Pulltheleftsideoftheloopyou’vejustformedtofirmuptheknotsofar,thenpulltheleftsideoftheU-shapedbendtore-sizethepetal.
4PulltheworkingendtoreducethelastU-shapedbendandrepeatfrom*instep2.AsyouaddmorepetalsholdtheknotatthefinalU-shapedbendsothepreviouspetalsareheldsecurely.
5Repeatfrom*instep2,adjustingthesizeofthenewpetaleachtimeuntilyouhaveformedaring,thenpasstheworkingendthroughthelastU-shapedbend.
6Carefullyremovethetapefromthestartend.Passtheworkingendunderthetwocordstocomeoutofthefirst-workedloop,takingitbackthroughthelastU-shapedbend.Pullbothendstofirmuptheknotandformthering.
RingKnotsThebrocadeknotandtheAshokachakraknotareattractivering-shapedknotsbasedontheslipknot,whichcanbeusedasapendantorfocalpointforabracelet.Dependingonthetypeandthicknessofcordusedtotietheknotswith,youcouldembellishtheringsbyaddingabeadontheworkingendbeforeformingeachU-shapedbend.
BROCADEKNOTThebrocadeknotisaversionoftheflowerbrocadeknotworkedwithoutloops,andistiedinamuchsimplerwayusingaslipknottechnique.1Startingwithaslipknot,makealengthofchainfollowingthestepsforcaterpillarknot(seeSlipKnotBraids:CaterpillarKnot)butpulltheU-shapedbendthrougheachtimesothatthereisnoloop.Continueuntilthecordistherequiredlengthtomakearing.
2Passtheworkingendthroughtheendloop,shownhereontheright.Removethestartingendfromthestartloop.Passtheworkingendover
Removethestartingendfromthestartloop.Passtheworkingendoverthestartingendanddownthroughthestartloop.
3Taketheworkingendunderthestartingendandbackupthroughtheendloopontheright.Pullupbothendstofirmuptheknotandformtheringshape.
TipThebrocadeknotbuildsonthetechniqueusedforthecaterpillarknot,sopractisethatfirst(SlipKnotBraids:CaterpillarKnot).
YoucanmaketheAshokachakraknotasabeadedpendant.Onceyouhavemadethelongloopslipknotandarereadytobegin,stringmetalbeadsontotheworkingend.Droponebeaddowntotheworkbeforeyoumakethenextslipknotandcontinueaddingbeadsbeforeeveryslipknot
thereafter.
ASHOKACHAKRAKNOTTheAshokachakraknotissocalledasithasbeencreatedtoresemblethedharmachakraorwheeloflife.Theknotisformedoveranelongatedslipknot,whichformsthecore.1Takea76cm(30in)lengthofcordand,leavinga40cm(16in)workingendontheright,makeaclockwiseloop.FormaU-shapedbendwiththestartingendandpassitthroughthelooptomakeaslipknot.
2Firmuptheslipknotandturnitoversothattheadjustablestartingendisontheleft.Pulltheslipknotloopthroughleavingabouta5cm(2in)tail.Thelengthofthelongloopcanbeadjustedlater.
3Makeananticlockwiseloopontherightcordend,thenmakeaU-shapedbendwiththesameendandpassitthroughthelooptomakeanotherslipknot.
4Adjustsothatthenewslipknotispositionednexttothepreviousslipknot,theninsertthelongloopintothesmallerslip-knotloopandpullthecordstaut.
5Repeatfromstep3untilthe‘wheel’isthesizerequired.Makesureyouadjustthepositionofeachslipknottobuttupagainstthelast.Pushtheknotsdownthelongloopasyouworktocreatethecurvedshape.
6Passtheworkingendthroughtheendloop.Passthestartingendthroughtheendloopintheoppositedirection.Pullthestartingendfirmlyuntiltheslackfromtheloopistakenup.
Tip
Thetightertheknotsarebuttedtogether,thesharperthecurvewillbe.
KnottedBraids
Knottedbraidsarejustaseriesofindividualknotsworkedoneaftertheother,soalthoughtheymaylookintricate,mostarequiteeasytomake.Althoughthereareonlyafewbasicknots,therearehundredsofknottedbraidsworkedusingavarietyoftechniques:thebraidsaregroupedtogethersothatyoucanlearnonetechnique,thentrythevariations.
BasicKnottedBraidsIliketoworkknotsinthehand,butyoumayfindthatsometimesitiseasiertolaytheknottedbraidsonyourworksurfaceortopinthemtofoamcard.Startwitha2m(2yd)lengthofcordforanytechnique.
SNAKEWEAVESometimesknotsarenotsomuchtiedaswovenorplaited,andthesnakeweaveisagoodexampleofthis.Startingwithaboxknot,itbecomesawovenbraidresemblingCelticdesignsbasedonintertwiningsnakes.1Beginwithaboxknot:makealoopinthemiddleofthecordsothattheright-handcordisonthetop.Bringtheright-handcordupbehindtheloop.
2Weavetheleft-handcordover,underandovertheloopedcordtocomeoutattheright-handside.Rotatesothatthecordtailsarefacingdown.
3Holdingtheknotatthecrosspointatthetop,pullthebottomloopdowntotherequiredlengthofthesnakeweavepanel.Pullthecordendsouttothesidetofirmuptheknotatthetop.
4Twistthebottomloopsothattheleftsideisovertheright.Taketheright-handcordoverthefrontoftheloop.
5Weavetheleftcordunder,overandunderthelonglooptocomeoutattheright-handside.
attheright-handside.
6Repeatfromstep4untilyouareclosetothebottomoftheloop.Adjusttheknottofirmuptheweavethentwistthelooponelasttime.
7Asshowninstep6,bringtheleft-handcordacrossundertheloopagainandweavetheright-handcordover,underandovertomakeafirmwovenpanel.
Tip
Ifthetailsarelongenoughyoucanweavebackdownthroughthebraidsothatthecordsarealldoubledup.Whenweavingbackthrough,youcanuseadifferentcolouredcordforatwo-toneeffect.
CELTICBARThisvariationofsnakeweaveismorelikefour-strandplaitingthanknotting,anditcreatesamostattractivebraidpatternthatcanbeembellishedwithbeads.1Foldthecordendsoverinoppositedirectionswiththeright-handcordcrossedoverthelefttoformalongloopwiththetwotailsoutateithersideatleast5cm(2in)longerthantheloop.BringtheendsoftheloopdowntomakeaninvertedV-shape.
2Bringthetoprightcordenddownovertheright-handlongloopandlayoutparalleltotheleftloop.Bringthetopleftcordbehindtheleft-hand
layoutparalleltotheleftloop.Bringthetopleftcordbehindtheleft-handlongloopandthencrosstheleftcordovertherightasshown.
3Bringthelongloopsdown,right-handinfrontandleft-handbehindthesinglecordsandcrosstheleft-handlongloopovertheright.
4Repeatwiththesinglecord,right-handontopofdoubledcordsandleft-handbehind,thencrosstheleft-handsinglecordovertheright-handsinglecord.Repeatfromstep3untilthereareonlyshortloopsatthebottom.
5Crosstheloopsleftoverrightthentucktheright-handcordintothefrontoftherightloopandtheleft-handcordintothebackoftheleftlooptofinish.
TipForanattractivebeadedbraid,replacethetwosinglecordswithafineSuperlon™orChineseknottingcordandthenstringsize8seedbeadsoneachend.WeavethecordstogetherasaCelticbarbraid,positioningabeadinthecentreastheleft-handsinglecordcrossesovertheright.
SNAKEKNOTThistechniquecreatesanattractivesnake-likerope,whichifworkedinasoftsatincordwillbequitepliable,butifworkedinastiffercord,suchasanelastic,willhaveamuchsturdierfinish.1Tomakea15cm(6in)length,cutonepieceofcord20cm(8in)longandtwopiecesofcord1m(11⁄8yd)long.Tapeortiethecordstogethersothattheshorterpieceisinthemiddle.
TipThesnakeknotbraidcanbeworkedwithorwithoutacentrecorecord.
2Makeaclockwiseloopwiththeright-handcord,loopingitunderthe
2Makeaclockwiseloopwiththeright-handcord,loopingitundertheothertwocordsandbackacrossitselfagain.
3Makeananticlockwiseloopwiththeleft-handcordsothatitpassesunderthecentrecoretocomeoutthroughtheclockwiseloopagain.
4Pullthecordsupcarefullytoformalooseknot.Donotpulltootightasyouneedtogetthecordthroughtheloopinthenextstep.
5Taketheright-handcordundertheothertwocordsandloopitaround.Tuckitintotheright-handloopoftheknotunderthecordthatis
around.Tuckitintotheright-handloopoftheknotunderthecordthatisalreadythereandpullitthrough.
6Turnthecordsover.Looptheright-handcordaroundandundertheothertwocordsanddownthroughthebottomoftwoloopsontheright-handside.Pullthecordsthroughtomakealooseknot.
7Turnthecordsoverandrepeatstep5withthenextright-handcordasshowninthephotograph.Turnoverandrepeatagain,loopingthenewright-handcordaroundanddownthroughthebottomloopontheright.
8Continueturningandloopingtheright-handcordaroundanddownthroughthenewbottomright-handloopuntilthebraceletisthelengthrequired.
TipWhenworkingwithasinglecolourofcordmarkonesidewithalittlepieceoftapetoremindyouwhentoturnover.
Workseveralsnakeknotropesusingarangeofcoloursandtexturesofcord.Sewbeadsacrossthemainrope(seeBeadedKnottedBraids)andontosomeoftheothersforanattractivesparkly
look.Seethestep-by-stepinstructionsformakingtheSnakeKnotTieBacksinProjects.
SwitchbackBraidsSwitchbackisoneoftheeasiestoftheknottingtechniquesproducingbraidswithattractiveinterlockingridges.Thenamereferstothewaythecordswitchesdirectionfromsidetoside.Itcanbeworkedwithonepieceofcord,twocoloursortwodifferentcordstocreatearangeofeffectsandtextures.
SINGLECORDSWITCHBACKBRAIDThistechniquehasaningeniousstartsequenceandabraidismadewithasinglecordateachend–perfectforfinishingasasimplebracelet.1Makeasmallclockwiseloopinthecordabout25cm(10in)fromthestartingend.Passthestartingendthroughthesmallloopsothatthelengthofthelargeloopisthelengthofthebraiding,approximately15cm(6in).Thiscanbeadjustedlater.
TipThemeasurementsgivenareperfectformakingabraceletwithaslidingknotfastening.
2Turntheworksothatthestartingendisatthetop.*Bringtheworkingendaroundandundertheleftloopcord,thenovertherightloopcord.
3Switchbacktobringtheworkingendaroundtheloopontherightsideandovertheloopontheleftside.Holdbothloopcordsandpulltheworkingendtofirmuptheknot.
4Repeatfrom*instep2,stackingtheswitchbackloopsfirmlyagainstoneanother.Makesurethattheswitchbackloopsoneachsidearethesamesizeforanevenbraid.
5Continueuntileitheryoureachtheendofthelooporthebraidedsectionisthelengthrequired.Pullonthestartingendtotakeupanyslackontheloopandtofirmupthebraid.
TipTomakeasimplebracelet,workabout10cm(4in)ofbraiding,thenmakeaslidingknotfasteningwiththe15cm(6in)tails(seeFinishingTechniquesforKnotting).
TWO-COLOURSWITCHBACKBRAIDAcleverstartsequenceleavesapairofcordsateachendtomakeasimplebracelet.Takecareasyouweavethefirstfewcordsasitisnotaseasyasit
bracelet.Takecareasyouweavethefirstfewcordsasitisnotaseasyasitseems.1Setupthetwocordswithaclockwiseloopasforthesinglecordswitchbackbraid.*Weavethefirstcolourofcordtotheleftandthenswitchbacktotherightandbringoutundertherightsideoftheloop.
2Weavethesecondcolourtotheleftandthenswitchbacktotherightinthesameway.Pullbothcordendstofirmuptheknot.Repeatfrom*instep1untilthebraidisthelengthrequired.
3Tofinishthebraid,threadbothendsbetweenthetwoloopsandthenpullonbothpairsofcordstofirmupthebraid.
TWO-CORDSWITCHBACKBRAIDAlthoughthislookslikethestandardswitchbackbraiditisworkedwithtwoendsratherthanone.Chooseasoft1–2mmcordtowraparoundthefirmer3–4mmcord.1FoldthethickcorecordinhalftoformanupsidedownU-shapedbend,andlayitinthemiddleofalongerthincord.*Taketheleft-handthincordandpassitovertheleft-handthickcordandundertheright.
2Taketheright-handthincordandpassitovertheright-handthickcordandundertheleft.Pullthecordendstofirmuptheknot.
3Repeatfrom*instep1,pushingtheknotsupagainstoneanotherto
3Repeatfrom*instep1,pushingtheknotsupagainstoneanothertocreatetheswitchbackbraid.Youcanslidetheknotsuptoreducethesizeoftheloopbeforecontinuing.
4Tofinish,tieabuttononwiththethincordtofasten,orgluealltheendsintoametalendcaporfastening.
STITCHEDSWITCHBACKSTRAPThisvariationlookslikethestandardswitchbackbraidonthereversebuthasaninterestingstitcheffectrunningdownitslengthonthefrontside,whichshowsupparticularlywellworkedinflatfauxsuede.1Makealargeanticlockwiseloopwiththecordsothatthestartingend(shownhereatthetop)is15cm(6in)andtheloopitselfisthelengthrequiredforthefinishedbraid.Bringtheworkingendupthroughthelargeloop.
2Taketheworkingendbackacrossthelargeloopandthenbringitoutthroughthesmallloopatthetop.Pullthroughtofirmup.
TipCheckthattheshorterstartingendistheonethataltersthesizeoftheloopsothatyoucanfirmupthebraidwhenitiscomplete.
3Bringtheworkingenddownandthroughbetweenthetwocordsofthelargeloop.Keepthesuedeflatanduntwisted,thentakeitouttotheright-handside.
4Taketheworkingcordbackacrossthefrontofthelargeloop,undertheleft-handcordofthelargeloop,andbringitoutaboveitself.Pulltofirmuptheknot.
5Repeatsteps3and4,makingsurethatthesuedeliesflatasitgoesaroundthelargeloopandontheverticalstitch.
6Continueuntilthebraidisthelengthrequired,finishingonstep4,thenpullonthestartingendtofirmup.Thisbraidhasasinglecordateachend,soitcanbefastenedwithaneasyslidingknotfastening(seeFinishingTechniquesforKnotting).
TipThestitchingonthistechniquecancreategapsonthemainloopthatmakeitidealforaddingbeads(seeBeadedKnottedBraids).
Theswitchbacktechniqueandvariationsworkwellalongsideotherknottingtechniquessuchasmacramétomakealongwrapbraceletthatissecuredwithabuttonintotheloopattheend.See
thestep-by-stepinstructionsformakingtheSwitchbackBraceletinProjects.
SlipKnotBraidsTheknotsandbraidsonthefollowingpagesareallbasedontheslipknot(seeBasicKnots),aknotthatisusedwhenstartingapieceofknittingorcrochet,soyoumayalreadyknowit.Thefirstknotisusuallytiedwithashortfixedstartingendandlongeradjustableworkingend,butthisisnotalwaysthecaseandsometimesbothendsarethesamelength,sodoreadtheinstructionscarefully.
CATERPILLARKNOTAlthoughoneofthesimplestknottedbraids,oftenmadeaschildren’sfingerknitting,thecaterpillar,orchainknot,looksquiteelegantworkedinabeautifulsilkorrouleaucord.1Makeananticlockwiseloopsothatthestartingendisovertheworkingcord.FormaU-shapedbendwiththeworkingcordandtuckitintothelooptomakeaslipknot.
2MakeaU-shapedbendwiththeworkingcordandtuckitintotheloopasshown.Pulltheleftsideofthetoplooptofirmuptheknotandthenadjustthesizebypullingtheworkingend.
adjustthesizebypullingtheworkingend.
3Repeatstep2,adjustingthesizeofthepreviousloopeachtime,untilthebraidisthelengthrequired.
ROUNDBROCADEKNOTWorkedinacirclethecaterpillarknotbecomestheroundbrocadeknot–theresultingringcanbeusedasacomponentinjewelleryorasapendant.RefertoCaterpillarKnotforthetechnique,buttaketimetopullthepreviouslooptightaroundtheU-shapedbend,andthenadjusttheU-shapedbendtofirmuptheknot.Thisprocesschangestheconfigurationoftheknotsothatitcurvesaround.Passthetailsthroughthelastloopinoppositedirectionstoformthering(seeRingKnots).
Usethickshoelacestomakeacaterpillarknotbraid,addingsteelwashersfromthehardwarestoretoembellish.
ZIPPERKNOT
ZIPPERKNOTThezipperknottechniqueissimilartothecaterpillarknot,butslipknotsalternatefromleftandrighttomakeawider,flatbraid.Thereversesideisdifferent,slightlydomedandhasamoredistinctcrisscrosspattern.1Makeaclockwiseloopinthemiddleofthecord.FormaU-shapedbendwiththeright-handcordandtuckitintothelooptomakeaslipknot.
2FormaU-shapedbendwiththeleft-handcordandtuckitintotheloop.Pullontheright-handendtofirmuptheknot.
3FormaU-shapedbendwiththeright-handcordandtuckitintotheloop.Pullontheleft-handendtofirmuptheknot.
4Repeatsteps2and3untilthebraidisthelengthrequired.Passbothendsthroughthelastlooptofinish.
TWO-COLOURZIPPERKNOTThisvariationcanbeworkedintwocontrastingcoloursasshownintheexamplebelow,orintwodifferentshadesofthesamecolourforamoresubtleshadedeffect.1Makeaslipknot(seeZipperKnot,step1)neartheendofthefirstcord,thentuckthestartingendofthesecondcorddownthroughthesmallloopandtightentheslipknot.
2FollowandrepeatZipperKnot,steps2and3,swappingfromsidetosidetouseeachcolouralternatelytomakeatwo-tonebraid.FinishasZipperKnot,step4.
ETERNALKNOTAlsoknownasthemysticorendlessknot,theeternalknotisaCelticknotthatcansymbolizenever-endinglove,faith,loyaltyorfriendship.1Tomakethestartingslipknot,makeaclockwiseloopwiththestarting
1Tomakethestartingslipknot,makeaclockwiseloopwiththestartingendontheleft.MakeaU-shapedbendwiththeright-handworkingcordandinsertintotheloop.Pullthestartingendtotighten.
2Tucktheworkingendintotheloopoftheslipknotandpartiallypullthroughtoleavealargeloop.Pulltheleftsideofthelargelooptotightentheslipknot.
3Twisttheworkingendsideofthelargeloopforwardstocreateafigureofeight.
4Feedtheworkingendfrombacktofrontintotheendloopofthefigureofeight.Carefullyfirmuptheknot.
5Thefinishedeternalknot:.itlooksveryattractiveworkedasaseriesofknotsonasinglecordtocreateabraceletornecklace.
Tiedwithathickercord,theeternalknotmakesafabulousfocalpointforasimplebracelet,oritcanbefinishedwithendcapsorlargeholebeadstomakeapairofprettyearrings.
SPINALKNOTThespinalknothasalookoftheeternalandcaterpillarknotscombined,tocreateatexturedbraidthatresemblesthespinalcolumn.Thetyingsequencediffersslightlyasitistheloopthatispulledthroughratherthantheendofthecord.1Tomakeaslipknottostart,makeaclockwiseloopwiththestartingendontheleft.MakeaU-shapedbendwiththeright-handworkingcordandinsertintotheloop.Pulltheendstotighten.
2Tucktheworkingendintotheloopoftheslipknotleavingalargerlooptotherightsideandtightentheslipknot.
3Twisttheworkingendsideofthelargerloopforwardstocreateafigureofeight.
4PullaU-shapedbendintheworkingcordthroughtheendlooponthefigureofeight.Firmuptheknotsofar.
5Repeatsteps2–4untilthebraidisthelengthrequired,pullingthelastloopallthewaythroughthefigureofeightloop.
Beadscanbeaddedsothattheysitonthefrontofthetwistedloop,orbeforeyouthreadtheworkingendintothepreviousloop.Formorebeadingideas,seeBeadedKnottedBraids.
BUGLEKNOTAstrongdecorativeknot,thebugleknotistraditionallyusedtomakestrapsformusicalinstrumentsandtodecoratemilitarygarments.1FoldthecordtomakeaU-shapedbendsothatthereisa20cm(8in)startingendatthebottom.Coilthestartingendaroundtheworkingcordtwicetoleavealoopontheleft.
2Tuckthestartingendbackthroughthefrontofthecoiledloopsandthenfirmupslightly.
TipThetyingofthebugleknotissimilartothecaterpillarknotbutyougothroughtwoloopsratherthanone,forastronger,closely-wovenbraid.
3Turntheknotoversothattheworking(longer)endisonthebottom.*MakeaU-shapedbendwiththeworkingendand,missingthefirstcoiledloop,tuckitunderthesecondloop.
loop,tuckitunderthesecondloop.
4ThenpasstheU-shapedbendthroughthelastloopontheleft-handside.Pullthelastloopontheoppositesidetotheworkingendtofirmuptheknot.
5Repeatfrom*instep3tomakethebraidthelengthrequired.Pulltheworkingendoutafterweavingunderthetwocoiledloopstosecuretheknot.Keeptheworkingendatthebottomwhenmakingtheloopssothatthetopcordslieatthesameanglealongthebraid.
TipBeadscanbestitchedintothebraidoraddedasyouknot–seeBeadedKnottedBraids.
Thereversesideofthebuglecordisquitedifferentfromthefrontandlookslikeaplaitedbraid.
RINGBOLTHITCHVICEROYTheringbolthitchviceroyisavariationoftheringbolthitch,whichisaknotusuallyworkedaroundapole.Bothsharethesameattractiveinterwovenpatterndownthefrontbutthisversionisworkedasabraid.1Tomakeaslipknottostart,makeananticlockwiseloopwiththeworkingendontheleft.Thestartingendhastobetwicethelengthofthebraidplusapproximately15cm(6in).MakeaU-shapedbendwiththestartingendandinsertintotheloop.Pulltheendstotighten.
2Pulltheloopoftheslipknotouttothelengthofthefinishedbraid.Thisshortensthestartingendtoleavea15cm(6in)tail.
3Taketheworkingendouttotherightandunderthelongloopcord.Thenbringitroundandbackdownunderitself.Pulltheworkingendthroughandfirmuptheknot.
4Taketheworkingendouttotheleftandunderthelongloopcord,bringingitaroundandbackdownunderitself.Pulltheworkingendthroughandfirmuptheknot.
5Repeatsteps3and4untilyouarenearingtheendofthelongloopandstillhaveabout15cm(6in)ofworkingendcordremaining.
6Tucktheworkingendthroughtheloopatthetop.Pullfirmlyonthestartingendtofirmuptheknotandfinishthebraid.
TipTheringbolthitchviceroycaneasilybeembellishedwithbeads–seeBeadedKnottedBraids.
BoxBraidsBoxbraidisoneofthefewtrulysquarebraidswhenitisworkedwithaflatcord,suchasfauxsuedeorleather.Narrowvelvetribbonisalsoanalternativeforasoftereffect.Trytheeasyknotstartofthebasicboxbraid,forjewelleryoraccessoryprojectsrequiringlongtails,ortheflatendboxbraidforaflatsquareend.
BASICBOXBRAIDAlthoughyoucanmakethebraidwithasinglecolour,itiseasiertolearnthetechniqueifyouworkwithtwocoloursasshownhere.1Foldtwostrandsoffauxsuedeinhalfandtieanoverhandknotleavinglongenoughloopstofinishthedesign.Splayoutthefourstrandssothatthesamecoloursareoppositeoneanother.
2Liftoneofthestrandsacrossthemiddleoftheknotandtheotherstrandofthesamecolouracrossthemiddleintheoppositedirection.
3Holdthesetwostrandswithslightloopsabovetheoverhandknot.Passoneoftheothercolourstrandsoverthefirstloopandunderthesecond.
4Repeatintheoppositedirectionwiththeotherstrandinthesamecolour,overthefirstandunderthesecondloop.
5Pulltheendstocreateaneatsetoffoursquaresonthetopofthebraid.Repeatsteps3and4,startingeachtimewithloopsinthecolourofcordthatyou’vejustwoventhrough.
6WhenthebraidisthelengthrequiredyoucouldtietheendtailswithanoverhandknottomatchthestartorglueasFlatEndBoxBraid,step4.
TipWorkwithfourseparatepieces,eachinadifferentcolour,forinterestingcolourcombinations.
FLATENDBOXBRAIDThismethodofstartingmakesaveryneatflatendtotheboxbraidthatrequiresnofurtherfinishing,perfectformakingakeyringfob.1Startbycrossingtwodifferentcolouredcordssothatthetailsareallthesamelength.Inthisexamplethepinkisontopofthegreen.Thenasshown,foldbothtailsofthebottomcolour(green)acrosstheother(pink)cordleavingitfairlyloose.
2Takethetop(pink)cordandfolditdownsothatitgoesover,thentucksundertheothercolour(green)cords.
3Taketherighthand(pink)cordandpassitover,thenundertheother(green)colourcordsintheoppositedirection.FollowandrepeatBasicBoxBraid,steps3–5,tomakethebraid.
4Tofinish,applyalittlejewellerygluewithacocktailstickundertheloopsbeforeyoupullthemtaut.Leavetodry,thentrimneatly.
Utilitarianwashersornutsfromthehardwarestorelookfantasticaddedintooneedgeoftheboxbraid.Finishwithchainandfasteningstomakeaneclecticnecklace.Forotherbeadingideassee
BeadedKnottedBraidsbelow.
BeadedKnottedBraidsAlthoughknottedbraidslookfantasticontheirown,therearetimeswhenbeadscanbeusedtoenhanceadesign,especiallyformakingjewelleryoraccessories.Therearelotsofdifferentwaysthatyoucanaddbeadsasexploredhere,fromsimplystringingbeadsontothecordinbetweenknots,toaddingbeadsasyouknot.Alternativelybeadscanbeaddedafterknotting,bysewingorattachingwithfindings.
ADDINGBEADSWHENTYINGKNOTSAllsortsofbeadscanbeaddedinwiththecordsasyouknot,anditistheholesizenotthebeadsizethatiskey,sotakecordsampleswithyouwhenbeadshopping.Inmanycasesitisbettertoaddthebeadsontothecordbeforeyoustartknotting,ratherthanaddingoneatatimeasyougo.
•Individualknotslikethelark’sheadknotcanbetiedoneaftertheotheraroundathickercordwithbeadsaddedtotheloopsinbetween.
•Thecaterpillarknothasacentralbarinsidealoopwhichisperfectforholdingabead.Here,asize3(5.5mm)ponybeadhasbeenusedonarustic2mmleathercord.
•Beadscanbeaddedtothelongbaselooponthestitchedswitchbackstrapbeforeyoustart,thentheknotistiedbetweenpairsofbeadstospacethemevenly.
•Whentyingwithmultiplestrands,youcanuseamuchfinercordforoneormorestrandstocarrythebeadsandchangethetextureandlookofthebraidorknot.WiththeCelticbar,thereisarepeatingcrosspointinthemiddlethatisperfectforasize6(3.5mm)seedbead.
SEWINGININDIVIDUALBEADSKnottedbraidsoftenhaveinterestingtexturesandthelittlenooksandcranniescanbeembellishedrandomlyorinamoreregularpattern,withseedbeadsorothersmallbeads.
othersmallbeads.
•TheAshokachakrahasavarietyoftextureswithintheknot.Smallseedbeadscanbestitchedintogapsordipsinthestructure,andmagatamas,whichhavealargehole,canbeaddedaroundtheedgeasyouknottocreateaspikydesign.
•Thezipperknotcanbeembellishedinaseveraldifferentwaysasthecordscriss-crossandthereareprettyloopsalongtheedgeforholdingbeads.Here,seedbeadsarebeingstitchedintothegapstoaddtextureandalittlesparkle.
SEWINGINGROUPSOFBEADSAsyoustarttoworkwithdifferentthicknessesandstylesofcordsthefinishedresultmaylookquitedifferent,andyoumaybeinspiredtoembellishtheknotsandknottedbraidswithsmallgroupsofbeads.
•Thesnakeknothasaninterestinginterlockingpatternthatlooksevenbetterwithbeadsaddedatanangle.Addthebeadsbetweentheloopsfromtoprighttobottomleftsothattheylieneatlyacrossthepointwherethetwocordsgoundereachother.
•Braidscanbeembellishedwithseedbeadstoaccentuateparticularpartsoftheknotting.Theringbolthitchviceroy,forexample,hasaplaitedeffectdownthemiddlewhichlooksprettywithloopsofseedbeadsstitchedalongtheedges.
ADDINGBEADSWITHFINDINGSJumpringsandheadpinscanbeusedtoattachbeadsandcharmstoalmostanyknotorknottedbraid,todanglefromonesideoraroundtheedge,ortobeaddedintotheknotitself.
•Theloopedcordsofthepipaknotareperfectforaddingheadpindanglestocreateapieceofsimplejewellery.Addsinglebeadsontoheadpins,makeaplainloopandattachtothebottomcord.
•Slipknotbraids,suchasthespinalknotorthecaterpillarknotpictured,havelooseloopsmakingiteasytoattachjumpringsorheadpindangles.Addtobothedgesforabraceletorononesideonlyforanecklace.
Macramé
Macraméissaidtohaveevolvedasawaytotieorcreatedecorativefringingonrugsorwovenblankets.Itisoneofthemostversatileknottingtechniquesbecausealthoughthereareonlythreebasicknots,thesecanbeusedsinglyorinunisontocreateawiderangeofbraids,flatpanelsortubularstructures.
MacraméBasicsUnlikeotherknottedbraidsthatareusuallyworkedinthehand,macraméisoftensecuredtotheworksurfacewithpinsoraspringclip.Thesquareandhalf-knotworkedwiththreeorfourcordsareeasytolearn,thenyoucanmoveontomultistrandtechniquesanddifferentwaystousethehalf-hitch(seeMultistrandMacramé).
EstimatingcordlengthsItcanbedifficulttoworkoutthelengthofcordforworkingmacraméifyouareswappingthecoreandworkingcordsaround,butasageneralrulethecorecordsarethelengthofthefinishedpieceplus15cm(6in)ateachendforfinishing.Allowthreetofourtimesthefinishedlengthfortheworkingcords.
MACRAMÉKNOTSTherearethreesimpleknotsusedinmacramé,thehalfknot,thesquareknotandthehalf-hitch,andthesecanbeworkedindifferentcombinationstocreateavarietyofeffectsanddesigns.Inthissectionhowtotiethetwoflatknots–thehalf-knotandsquareknotisshown;forthehalf-hitch,whichusesadifferenttechnique,seeMultistrandMacramé.
Halfknot
Thisishalfareef(square)knot(seeKnottingBasics)repeatedinthesamedirectionsothatthecordsnaturallytwist.Shownhereworkedovertwocorecords,itcanalsobeworkedoverone,threeormorecorecords.
1Cutcordsasdescribedinestimatingcordlengthsandlaysidebysidesothatthetwoshorter(core)cordsareinthemiddle.*Passtheright-handcordunderthecorecordsandovertheleft-handcord.
2Taketheleft-handcordoverthecorecordsandpassitdownthroughtheloopontheright.Pullthecordstofirmuptheknot.Repeatfrom*instep1untilthespiralisthelengthrequired.
TipChangethedirectionthatyoutietheknottoreversethespiral.
Squareknot
Thisflatknotisessentiallyareef(square)knotgenerallyworkedovertwocorecords,andthebasictechniquecanbeeasilyusedtocreatewiderpanels(seeMultistrandMacramé:AlternatingSquareKnots).
1Arrangethecordssidebysidesothatthetwoshorter(core)cordsareinthemiddle.*Workahalfknotpassingtheright-handcordunderthecorecordsandovertheleft-handcord.Taketheleft-handcordoverthecorecordsandpassitdownthroughtheloopontheright.
2Reversetheprocess,passingtheleft-handcordunderthecorecordsandovertheright-handcord.Thentaketheright-handcordandpassitdownthroughtheloopontheleft.Repeatfrom*instep1.
TipOnasinglesquareknotbraidasinglecorecordissufficientbutnotasstableastwo.
WORKINGMACRAMÉItisbesttoworkonacorkpinboardorasheetoffoamcore,sothatyoucanuseshortmappinstosecurethecords.
Beginningwithaloop
1Foldalengthofcordinhalfandloopoveramappin.Securetheendsofthiscordwithaspringclipatthebottomoftheboard.Tuckasecondlengthofcordunderthecorecordsandtieanoverhandknot(seeKnottingBasics)inthemiddleoftheworkingcord.
2Foraneaterfinishonthefrontside,rotatetheoverhandknottothe
2Foraneaterfinishonthefrontside,rotatetheoverhandknottothereverse,andstarttotiethefirstmacraméknot.
Beginningonaring
Usealark’sheadknot(seeKnottingBasics)toattachcordstoaring,toapendantortoafasteningreadytobeginthemacramé.Youcanaddasecondpairofcords,eithersidebysideornesting(seeNestingLark’sHeadKnot).Alternativelyuseanoverhandknottoattachasecondpairofcords(seeBeginningwithaLoop,step2).
TipForverysimplebraids,thecordscanbetapedontoahardworksurface.
SquareKnotVariationsThesquareknotisoneofthemostpopularknotsformakingmacramébraceletsandotheraccessoriesfromparacordandtheresultingflatknotbraidisknownasaSolomonbar.Youcanexperimentwithdifferentwaysofmanipulatingthebasicsquareknottomakemanyattractivevariations.Whileparacordisusedforthesamplesshown,youcanexperimentwiththickerorthinnercordstocreateyourdesigns.
CROSSEDCORDSAddacontrastcordcolourtothebasicsquareknotcordstocreateacrossstitcheffect,witharunningstitchpatternonthereverseside.1Startwithanoverhandknotandworkonesquareknot(seeMacraméBasics);beforeyoufirmuptheknot,feedtheendsofacontrastcordcolourthroughthesquareknotunderthecorecords.
2Crosstheright-handcontrastcordovertheleftanddropthetailseithersideofthecorecords.
eithersideofthecorecords.
3Workthefirsthalfofthenextsquareknot:left-handcordunderthecorecordsandovertheright-handcord,right-handcordoverthecorecordsanddownthroughtheloopontheleft.
4Liftthecontrastcordsupabovetheknots.Workthesecondhalfofthesquareknot,takingtheright-handcordunderthecontrastcordsbutoverthecorecordsandtheleft-handcord.Taketheleft-handcordunderthecontrastcordsbutoverthecorecordsanddownthroughtherightloop.
5Repeatsteps2–4continuingthepatternofcrosses.Youcancrosstherightcordoverthelefteachtime,oralternateforadifferenteffect.
Front:crossstitchpattern.
Reverse:runningstitchpattern.
TipTocreatearunningstitchpatternonbothsidesofthebraid,keepthecontrastcordsrunningdowneachsideofthebraidratherthancreatingacrossatstep2.
WOVENSQUAREKNOTWorkedoverthebasicfourstrands,thisproducesawoveneffectdownthemiddleofthebraid.Followthestepinstructionscarefullyasthecordsarenottiedasabasicsquareknoteverytime.1Tieanoverhandknotandrotateit(seeBeginningwithaloop,step2).*Taketheleft-handcordovertheleftcorecord,undertherightcorecord,andovertheright-handcord.Passtheright-handcordunderallcordsandupthroughtheleftloopasshown.Pullendstofirmup.
2Taketheright-handcordundertherightcorecord,overtheleftcore
2Taketheright-handcordundertherightcorecord,overtheleftcorecordandundertheleft-handcord.Thentaketheleft-handcordunderallcordsandupthroughtherightloop.
3Continuerepeatingfrom*instep1untilthebraidisthelengthrequired.Workaregularsquareknottofinish.
Wovensquareknotwhichhasanattractivepicotedgeandastitchedeffectwhenworkedin
Wovensquareknotwhichhasanattractivepicotedgeandastitchedeffectwhenworkedincontrastcolours.
Attachtwolengthsofparacordtoakeyringusingthelark’sheadknotandworkonesquareknot.Addacontrastcolourthroughtheknottoworkthecrossedcordspattern.Tofinishworka
Chinesebuttonknottoggleatthebottomusingthecontrastcords(seeFinishingTechniquesforKnotting).Trimandsealtheendsinsidethetoggle.
MultistrandMacraméYoucanworkmacraméwithmanymorecordsthanthebasicfour,tocreatewiderbandsforfringing,abeltoracuffbracelet.Multistrandmacramécanevenbeworkedintheroundtomakeitemssuchasbagsorplantholders.Withmorethanfourcords,however,youdoneedtoplanahead,workingoutthedesign,thenumberofcordsrequired,andhowtosecurethemtostart.
ALTERNATINGSQUAREKNOTSAlthoughyoucanworkasquareknotoverasinglecord(threecordsintotal),foralternatingsquareknotsitisbettertoworkwithmultiplesoffourbasecords.1Setupthemacramécords–herethedoubled-overcordshavebeenpinnedtoaboard.Tieasecondcordusinganoverhandknotoneachpairofcordsandrotateforaneaterfinish(seeMacraméBasics:Beginningwithaloop).
2Tieasquareknot(seeMacraméBasics)withthefirstfourcords,thentieasquareknotwiththenextfourcords.Workacrossthecordstyingasquareknotoneachgroupoffourcordsuntilyoureachtheendoftherow.Pulltheknotstautsothattheydon’tcomeloose.
3Onthenextrow,theworkingcordsfromthepreviousrowwillbecomethecorecordsandviceversa.Separatethefirsttwocordsandtaketheseouttotheright-handside.Separatethenextfourcordsandworkasquareknot.
TipTakecarethatyoupickupthenextfourcordsinorderasonesometimesgetstuckedbehind.
4Workacrossthecordstyingasquareknotoneachgroupoffourcordsuntilyoureachthelasttwocordsattheleft-handside.
5Thetwosparecordsarecarrieddowntothenextrow.Workthenextrowfromrighttoleftasthefirstrow,tyingasquareknotonthefirstfourcords,andoneveryfourcordsacrosstherow.
6Continuetorepeatthetwo-rowtyingpatterntocreatethemacramépanel.Foranevenpanel,trytotieknotstothesamespacingeachtime,usingpinstostabilizethepanelasyouworkdown.
SettinguptoworkmultiplecordsSetupyourcordsforworkingbybeginningwithloopsorbyattachingthecordstoafastening,beltbuckleorotherfitment(seeMacraméBasics).Theadvantageofworkingonapinorfoamcoreboardisthatthepinscanbeusedtospacetheknotsasyouwork,andtosecurecordsatanangletomakeamoreprecisepieceofknotting.
STRAIGHTHALF-HITCHRIBGenerallyworkedinpairsasadoublehalf-hitch,thehalf-hitchesareusuallyworkedoveroneofthesidecordstoformathickhorizontalribasshown.
1Arrangeoneoftheoutercordsacrosstheothercordshorizontally.
1Arrangeoneoftheoutercordsacrosstheothercordshorizontally.Bringthenewouterverticalcordoverthehorizontalcordandbackunderitagaintotheright-handside.
2Takethesamecordoverthehorizontalcordandthistimebringitouttotheright-handsidethroughtheloop.Repeatthetwoknotsusingeachoftheverticalcordsinturntocreateathickrib.Whenyoureachtheend,bringtheinnercordbackacrosstheverticalcordsandrepeattheprocessintheoppositedirection.
TipToworktheribdiagonally,seeHalf-hitchVariations:DiagonalHalf-hitchKnots.
ANGLED-EDGEHALF-HITCHRIBHalf-hitchesareoftenusedtomakepanelswithshapedsides.Toworkstraighthalf-hitch,onesidecordistakenbackandforwards,butifyouusesuccessive
half-hitch,onesidecordistakenbackandforwards,butifyouusesuccessivecordsonaparticularsidetheedgewillbeangledinstead.1Pintheright-handcordacrosstheotherverticalcords.Workonerowofhalf-hitchribacrossthiscorecord,tyingdoublehalf-hitcheswitheachverticalcord.Pinthenextright-handcordacrossundertherib.Workarowofhalf-hitchriboverthenewcorecordfinishingwithadoublehalf-hitchoverthepreviouscorecordontheleft-handside.
2Pinthenextright-handcordacrossundertheribandworkanotherrowofhalf-hitches–alreadythepanelhasbeguntoshapediagonally.Doremembertoworkhalf-hitchesoverthepreviouscorecordattheendofeachrow.
3Tochangethedirectiontocreateapieceofmacraméthatzigzags,
3Tochangethedirectiontocreateapieceofmacraméthatzigzags,takethecurrentcorecordandpinitbackacrosstheverticalcordstowardstheright-handside.Repeatsteps1and2,butnowtakingthenextleft-handcordacrosstoworkeachrow.
Half-hitchVariationsHalf-hitchribscanbeworkedatanangleforadiagonalpattern,andtheycanevenbeusedtocreateshapessuchasleavesandpetals.Whilemostmacramétechniquesusethedoublehalf-hitch,itispossibletocreateknotteddesignsusingsinglehalf-hitchestoo(seeEndlessFalls).
DIAGONALHALF-HITCHWhenmakingahorizontalribthecorecordispinnedstraightacross,butifthecorecordispinnedatanangle,adiagonalribwillbecreated.1Workonerowofhalf-hitchribacrossthecords.Insertapinattheendoftherib.Wraptheside(core)cordaroundthepinandacrosstheverticalcordattheangleyouwanttocreate.Insertapintosecurethecorecord.
2Tietwohalf-hitcheswitheachverticalcordinturnmakingsureyoukeepthediagonallineoftheribasyoufirmuptheknots.Makesuretheverticalcordsabovethediagonalribarenottoolooseortight,andare
verticalcordsabovethediagonalribarenottoolooseortight,andarelyingflat.
3Tocreateazigzagsimplypinthecorecorddiagonallyintheoppositedirectionandworkhalf-hitcheswithalltheverticalcordsagain.Attheendoftherowgobackintheoppositedirectiononcemore,usingthesamecorecord.
PETALSHAPESWithalittleforwardplanning,itispossibletocreateallsortsofsimpleshapeswithhalf-hitchribs.Heretheangleoftheribandthespacinghascreatedapetalshape–usethetechniquetotryoutotherpatterns.1Pintheright-handcorecord,thentakeitacrosstheverticalcordsandpinsothatthereisaslightupwardscurveonthecorecord.Workhalf-hitchesalongthecordadjustingeachknottomaintainthecurve.
2Bendthecorecordontheleftaroundapinandacrosstheverticalcordsinadownwardscurvetomakethepetalshape.Tiehalf-hitchesoverthecorecordtocompletethepetalshape.
Half-hitchesareverysculptural,sothetechniquelendsitselftoquitestructuredjewellerypieces.Sectionsofthisexquisitepieceofmacraméwithaddedbeadscouldbeworkedasapendantoranecklace,butworkedinthiswayoverametalroditmakesastunningbroochorhairclasp.See
thestep-by-stepinstructionsformakingtheMacraméBroochinProjects.
ENDLESSFALLSThefirstofthesinglehalf-hitchvariationsissonamedbecauseithastheappearanceofawaterfall,andtheverticalcordsseemtoflowoverandtumbledownbehindhorizontalcrossedcords.1Foldonecordinhalfaroundapin,withtheU-shapedbendatthetop.Laythesecondcordbehind,andworkingfromitsmid-point,crosstheendsover,leftfirst,thenright,sothattheyoverlap.
2Bringthevertical(blue)cordsuponeatatimetotieahalf-hitchknotbehindthecrossed-over(beige)cordssothatthetailsfinishfacingdowninbetweentheknots.
3Repeatthecrossingofcordsandtyingofhalf-hitchesuntilthebraidisthelengthrequired.Pullthecrossedcordsgentlytofirmupthehalf-hitches.
TipTomakeaquickandeasybracelet,adjusttheloopatthetopofthemacramésothatitistherightsizeforatoggleorbuttonfasteningloop.
SIDE-BY-SIDEENDLESSFALLSForthisvariationofendlessfalls,thetwocordcoloursaretiedtogetherinaslightlydifferentwaytocreateaboldstripealongthelength.1Makealoopinthemiddleofone(blue)cordsothattheright-handendisovertheleft.Laythesecond(beige)cordacrosstheloopabovethecrosspoint.
2Wraptheright-handendoftheloop(blue)cordaroundtheloopandthenbringoutthroughthenewformedloopontheright,trappingthesecond(beige)cord.Pullthefirst(blue)cordtofirmuptheslipknotandarrangethecordcoloursalternately.
3WorkasforEndlessFallssothattheverticalcoloursaredifferentoneachsideofthebraid.Thecrossingcordswillswapfromsidetoside.
CHAIN-LINKENDLESSFALLS
CHAIN-LINKENDLESSFALLSAdifferenttextureandpatterncanbecreatedwiththeendlessfallstechniquewhenfourormoreverticalcordsareused–alwaysworkwithanevennumberofcords.1Startbyworkingsteps1and2ofEndlessFalls.Feedathird(brown)cordoverthetwohalf-hitchesanddownthrougheachsideofthecrossedoverhorizontal(beige)cords.Pullthecrossedcordstofirmuptheknot.
2Crossthehorizontal(beige)cordsagain,rightoverleft.Workhalf-hitcheswithallfourverticalcords,takingeachcorddownontheright-handsideofthehalf-hitch.Pullthehorizontalsidecordstofirmuptheknot.
3Repeatstep2,butthistimetaketheverticalcordsdownontheleft-handsideofeachhalf-hitch.Continuerepeatingthesetworowsuntilthebraidisthelengthrequired,reducingbacktotwohalf-hitchesattheend.
Endlessfalls,frontside(top),whichlookslikeawaterfall,andthereverseside,whichhasanattractivechevronpatterndownthelength.
Chain-linkendlessfalls,frontside(top)withitsribbedeffect,andthereverseside,whichlookslikeachain-linkedwatchstrap.
Astheendlessfallstechniqueistiedwithsimpleknots,itcanbeworkedinchunkyparacordtomakeamoremasculinebraceletorwithfinercordsforadaintydesign.Toembellishwithbeads,addabeadateithersidebeforeyoucrossthecords.Formoreembellishingideas,seeAdding
BeadstoMacramébelow.
AddingBeadstoMacraméWhilemacraméisanattractiveknottingtechniqueunadorned,itcanbeembellishedeasilywithbeadsandgemstocreatedifferentstyles.Shamballa-stylebraceletswithsparklybeadsaddedintoasinglerowofsquareknotsisoneofthemostpopulartechniquesforembellishedmacramé.
SelectingbeadsandcordsBeadsofallshapesandsizescanbeaddedtomacraméasyouworkjustsolongasthecordcanfitthroughthebeadhole.Thesizeofbeadandcordyouchoosewilldependonwhetheryouwanttocreateachunkydesignorapieceofmicromacramé,butwhichevereffectyouaregoingfor,thetechniquesyouusewillbethesame.
ADDINGBEADSTOCORECORDSItiseasiertostringallthebeadsontothecorecordsatonceratherthanaddingthebeadsoneatatimeasyouneedthem.1Dependingonthesizeofthebeadhole,workthefirstsectionofmacraméoversingleordoublecorecords.Addthebead,thensecurethecordatthebottomoftheboardwithaspringclip.
2Pushthefirstbeaduptothelastknot.Bringtheworkingcordsdowneithersideofthebeadandworkasquareknotbeneath.Youcanworkoneormoresquareknotsbetweenthebeads.
3Ifworkinghalf-hitches,continueworkingtheknotsuntilthemacramétwistsaroundtobringtheworkingcordsbackoutatthesidesbeforeaddingabead.
ADDINGBEADSTOWORKINGCORDSWhenaddingbeadstotheworkingcords,thebeadscanbesmallerasthereisonlyasinglestrandofcordtopassthemthrough.1Beadsareaddedasyouwork,soaddingonlythebeadsyourequiretoeachworkingcord,pushthemuptothepreviousknot.
2Workthenextmacraméknotaroundthecorecordsasbefore.Continueaddingbeadsontheouterworkingcordsaftereveryknot.
TipOnawiderbandofmacramé,theouterworkingcordsarecarrieddowntothenextrowofknots.Youcanaddabeadontoeachofthesecordstocreateanattractiveedging.
ADDINGRHINESTONESRhinestoneordiamantécupchain,asnake-likestripofsmallcrystalsinsettingslinkedwithshortbars,isgenerallyusedtomakeexoticcostumejewelleryasitimitatesmoreexpensivediamonds.1Using1mmcord,securetwoshorterstrandsforthecorecordsandtwolongerstrandsfortheworkingcords.Workasectionofmacraméwith
squareknots(seeMacraméKnots:Squareknot).Laytherhinestonecupchainontopofthecorecords.
2Workthefirsthalfofthesquareknot,left-handcordunderthecorecordsandthechain,thenovertheright-handcord.Pullthecordsupsothattheknotliesbetweenthefirsttworhinestones.
3Workthesecondhalfofthesquareknot,right-handcordunderthecorecordsandthechain,thenovertheleft-handcord,andpullupsothatthisknotalsoliesbetweenthefirsttworhinestones.
4Repeatsteps2and3toworkasquareknotbetweeneachoftherhinestonesuntilyouhavecompletedthelengthofthechain.Workasectionofunembellishedsquareknotmacramétofinish.
TipUsewirecutterstocuttherhinestonecupchain,stretchingthechainandtrimmingitsothatthemetallugiscutflushwiththenextsetting.
Incorporatebeadsorrhinestonecupchainintoasimplesquareknotbraidtomakethesedelightful,brightlycolouredbracelets.Thecleverdesignstartswithacordloop,thenthetailsareusedtotieaprettyChinesebuttonknotforatoggle.Seethestep-by-stepinstructionsformaking
theRhinestoneBraceletsinProjects.
FinishingTechniquesforKnottingThestartingofmacraméandotherknottingtechniquesisoftensecuredwithalooporontoafastening,sothattherearenorawends.Theworkingend,however,alwayshasendstofinish.Youcansimplyleaveafringeifthedesignallows,oruseoneofseveralfinishingtechniques.
GLUINGTHEENDSSomegluesdryoutandbecomebrittlebutjewellerygluesuchasE6000orG-SHypoCement,willstaypliableoncedryforamoresecureandlastingjoin.1Useacocktailstickoragluetubewithafinenozzletoapplyalittleglueundertheendcordswheretheyemergefromthelastknot.Leavefor24hourstodry.
TipDonotuseinstantsuperglueorgel(cyanoacrylate)asthesemaygohardandcrackovertime.
2Checkthatthecordendsaresecure.Forwaxcottoncordstrimclosetotheknot.
3Ifusinganyloncord,suchasChineseknottingcord,trimalittlefurtherawayandthencarefullymelttheendwithasmallflame.
TYINGKNOTSSometimesasimpleoverhandknotisenoughtoneatencordends,oryoucouldtrythelargerandmoredecorativedoubleversion.
Overhandknot
1Tyinganoverhandknot(seeKnottingBasics)ontheendofacordwillpreventitfromfurtherfrayingandneatentheend.Addingabeadbeforeworkingtheknotcreatesamoredecorativefinish.
Doubleoverhandknot
1Beginbytyinganoverhandknot,thentaketheworkingendthroughtheloopasecondtime.
2Pullbothendstofirmuptheknot,repositioningasyoutightenifnecessary.Addadropofglue(seeGluingtheEnds)andtrim.
CORDFASTENINGSAfasteningcanbemadeusingthemacraméorknottingcords,fromasimpleslidingfasteningwithoverhandknotstothemoreornateChinesebuttonknotslidingfasteningwithitstoggle-and-loop.
Slidingknotfastening
1Tomakeasimpleslidefastening,laythecordofthebraceletparallel,butinoppositedirections.Tieanoverhandknotwithoneendovertheothercord.
2Repeattotieanoverhandknotattheotherend.Pulltheknotsfairly
tautbutnotsotightthatthecordscan’tmove.Pullthetailstoopenandthemaincordstoclose.
TipForwaystousefindingstoattachmetalfastenings,seeFinishingTechniquesforBraiding.
Chinesebuttonknottogglefastening
1Worktothelengthofbraidrequiredallowingforthetoggle-and-loopfastening.Tiebothcorecordstogetherinanoverhandknotclosetotheknotting,addatouchofglueandtrimtheends.
2Usingoneofthesidecordsbegintotieabuttonknotaroundthecorecordstomakeatoggle(seeIndividualKnots:Slidingbuttonknotfastening).
3Weavetheothersidecordaroundthetoggleshapetocreateadoublestrandknot.Bringbothsidecordsupoutatthetopoftheknotbeforefirmingup.
4Pulltheloopsoneatatimeandworkaroundtofirmuptheknotsothatitfinishesuparoundtheoverhandknot,nexttotheendoftheknotting.Applyatinyamountofgluewherethecordsemerge,theneither
knotting.Applyatinyamountofgluewherethecordsemerge,theneithertrimormelttofinish,shapingtheballsothattheendsarehidden.
Braiding
Braidingistheinterweavingofstrandsofcordorthread,manipulatingallthecordsatonceinaparticularsequenceofmovements.Makingbraidscanbeaseasyasasimplethree-strandplait,tomorechallengingintricatedesignsmadefromcombiningeight,16,orevenmorethreadswithKumihimo,aJapanesebraidingtechnique.
PlaitingandKumihimoarethetwobraidingtechniquesexploredinthissection.Asnospecialequipmentisrequired,youcanbeginplaitingstraightaway,butthereadyavailabilityofinexpensivedisksandplatesmakesKumihimoveryaccessibletoo.TheKumihimochapterbeginsbyintroducingyoutoalltheequipmentyouarelikelytoneedforthisrewardingcraft.
EachoftheplaitingandKumihimotechniquesfeaturedisclearlyexplainedwithfullyillustratedstep-by-stepinstruction,andwhilethetechniquesamplesusemainlystandardcords,suchassatincord,waxcottonorleatherthong,sothebraidingcanbeclearlyseen,youcanexperimentwithallsortsoftextileslikeribbons,texturedyarnsandevenwire.Thereisawidevarietyofdifferentthreads,cordsandribbonsreadilyavailablemakingitpossibletocreateanamazingarrayofbraidsforallsortsofjewellery,accessoriesandhome-styleprojects,ascanbeseenfromthemanyideasincluded.
Whenexperimentingwithyourselectedstrands,don’tbeafraidtotrydifferentthicknessestooasthechangeinsize–goingsmalleraswellaslarger–canbringunexpectedresults.Therearealsobead-embellishingideasincludedforplaitingandKumihimo,aswellasoptionsforfinishingyourbraidsfortheneatestresults.
Plaiting
Plaitingisabraidingtechniquethatyouhaveprobablydonebefore,eithertoplaithairortomakeasimplecordforacraftproject.ThereareinnumerablewaystoplaitandIhavechosenaselectionofeasytechniquesusingthreeormorestrands.Plaitingcanbeusedtomakejewelleryandembellishaccessoriesorhome-styleprojects.
THREE-STRANDPLAITINGThesimplestformofplaitingcanbeworkedwithasinglecordforeachstrandorwithbundlesofdifferentcords,chainandribbon.
1Securethreecordstotheworksurfaceusingtapeoraspringclip.Taketheright-handcordoverthemiddlecordsothatitisnowthenewmiddlecord.
2Taketheleft-handcordoverthemiddlecordsothatitisthenewmiddlecord.Continuetoworkfromsidetosidetakingtheoutsidecordsintothemiddlealternately.
intothemiddlealternately.
3Keepthetensiononthecordssothattheplaitisclosewovenandeven.Continueuntilthestrandisthelengthrequired.
WHEATPLAITINGThistechniqueissimilartothree-strandplaitingandcanbeworkedwithfive,seven,ormore,alwaysusinganoddnumber.
1Layfivecordstogetherandsecuretotheworksurfaceusingtapeoraspringclip.Taketheright-handcordoverthenexttwocordssothattherearethreecordsontheleftandtwoontheright.
2Taketheleft-handcordoverthenexttwocordssothattherearethreecordsontherightandtwoontheleft.
3Continuetoworkfromsidetosidetakingtheoutsidecordsintothemiddleovertwostrandseachtime.
TipToworkwithsevencords,taketheoutsidecordoverthreestrandseachtime;toworkwithninecords,taketheoutsidecordoverfourstrands,andsoon.
Basicthree-strandplaitingisusedtotransformaneclecticmixofchain,beadsandfabricintoastunningplaitednecklace.Seethestep-by-stepinstructionsformakingthePlaitedSilkandPearl
NecklaceinProjects.
FLATBRAIDPLAITINGTECHNIQUE1Thisistheeasiestwaytomakeawidebandofplaitingasthetechniqueworksforanynumberofstrands.Thestartisasymmetrical.
1Securefiveormorestrandsontheworksurfaceusingtapeoraspringclip.Taketheright-handcordandweaveitoverandunderalternatelyacrossalltheothercords.
TipUsethistechniquetolooselyplaitstrandsofcrochetedwirewithbeadstomakeacuffbraceletornecklace.
2Takethenewright-handcordandweaveitoverandunderallthe
othercordsincludingthepreviouscord.
3Continuetoworkinthisway,alwaystakingthenextright-handcordandweavingitacrosstheothercords,untiltheplaitisthelengthrequired.
FLATBRAIDPLAITINGTECHNIQUE2
Thistechniquecreatesawideevenplaitfromthestart,asyouworkwithright-andleft-handstrands.Itcanbeworkedwithbothoddandevennumbersofstrands.1Secureanevennumberofstrands,inthisinstancesix,ontotheworksurfaceusingtapeoraspringclip.Separatethestrandsintotwosetsofthree.*Taketheright-handcordoverthenextcord,thenunderthenextcord,toleavetwocordsontherightandfourontheleft.
2Taketheleft-handcordunderthenextcord,overthenextcord,thenunderthenextcord,toleavethreecordsoneithersideagain.
3Repeatfrom*instep1untiltheplaitisthelengthyourequire.
TipTomakewiderplaitsusinganevennumberstrands,justremembertoalwaysstartwithanoverontherightandanunderontheleft.
WorkingwithoddnumberofcordsForsevenstrands,forexample,separatethecordssothattherearethreeontheleftandfourontheright.Beginningwiththeright-handcord,takeitover,underandovertogiveyoufourcordsontheleft.Thentaketheleft-handcordover,underandovertogiveyoufourstrandsontheright.Thesamesequenceisrepeatedateitherside,andcontinuedtomaketheplaitthelengthrequired.
FIVE-STRANDPLAITINGAvariationofflatbraidplaiting,thishasbeenworkedusingaflattercontrastcordforthecore(middle)cord.Cuttheplaitingstrandsabout11⁄2timesthelengthofthecorecord.1Tapethecordstotheworksurfacewiththeflat(core)cordinthemiddle.Taketheleft-handcordunderthecorecord.Passtheright-handcordunderthecorecordandoverthenewleft-handcord,toformacrossbehindtheflatcore.
2Takethenewleft-handcordovertheotherleft-handcordandoverthecorecord.Passthenewright-handcordovertheothertwocordsontherightandoverthecoretoformacrossbehindtheflatcore.
3Takethenewleft-handcordovertheleft-handcordandunderthecorecord.Passthenewright-handcordovertheothertwocordsonthe
corecord.Passthenewright-handcordovertheothertwocordsontherightandunderthecorecordasshown.
4Repeatsteps2and3untilthebraidisthelengthyourequire.
TipTapetheotherendoftheflatcordbeforeyoubegintomakeiteasiertokeepagoodtensionwiththeplaiting.
Five-strandplaitingvariation
Tocreateamoredistinctivecrosspattern,atstep2takethenewleft-handcordundertheotherleft-handcordandoverthecorecord,thentakethenewright-handcordundertheothertwocordsontherightandoverthecore.
Tomakeachunkybraceletsuitableforateenageboy,choosesixcordsingreyandtwocordsinblue.Laythebluecordsinbetweenpairsofgreyreadytoplaitusingthevariationtechniquefor
five-strandplaiting,thenaddendconesandafasteningtofinish(seeFinishingTechniquesforBraiding).
SECRETPLAITINGWiththistechniqueyoucanmakeaplaitedbeltorbraceletfromasinglepieceofleather.1Cutapieceofsuedeorleathermeasuring23x1.5cm(9x5⁄8in),thencutthecentresectionintothreeequalstripsleaving12mm(1⁄2in)uncutatbothends.
2Tomakethethree-strandplait(seeThree-strandPlaiting),pulltheright-handcordtoonesidethenbringtheleft-handcordintothegapandlayitbesidetherightcord.
3Taketheright-handcordintothegapandlayitbesidetheleft-handcord.Thentaketheleft-handcordintothegapandlayitbesidetheright-handcord.
4Bringthebottomendupandtuckitthroughthegapbesidetheleft-handcord,thenstraightenout.
5Thereisnowagapatthebottombetweentheright-handcordandtwotwistedleft-handcords.Takethebottomendandtuckitthroughthisgaptoo.Continueplaitingright,left,righttounravelthetwistedplaitsatthebottom.
6Startagainfromstep2takingtheleft-handcordintothegapandthenleft,right,leftandthroughthegapbesidetheleft-handcord(toendstep4),andrepeatstep5.Continueuntilthesuedestrandisevenlyplaitedtotheend,finishingwiththeright,left,righttounravel.
TipYoucanalsousesecretplaitingtoplaitbeadorchainstrandsoncetheendbarshavebeenattached.
Secretplaitingmakesaquick-and-easybracelet.Startwithastripofleather2.5cm(1in)longerthanthefinishedlength;cutthecentresectionintothreeorsixpiecesusingarotarycutterand
plait.Insertsnapfastenersateachendtomakeasimpleclosure.
PlaitingwithBeadsandChainAswithotherknottingandbraidingtechniques,itisalwaysexcitingtofindwaystoincorporatebeadsintoyourplaiting.Thedifficultyliesinfindingbeadswithlargeenoughholestosuitthecordorplaitingmaterialbeingused.Trytheseideas,thenexperimentbyusingathinnercordforoneormoreofthestrandssothatsmallerbeadscanbeincorporated.Therearealsoideasforincorporatingchainintoyourplaiting.
PLAITINGWITHBEADSTRINGSSeedbeadssoldinpre-strunghanksareperfectforplaiting.You’llfinditeasiesttoattachthefindingswhilethebeadsarestraight,sothesecretplaitingtechniqueisbest.1Chooseaselectionofbeadstringsandcutthemalltothesamelength.Securebothendsintoasuitablefindingsuchasendcaps,endbarsorasliderfastening.Separatethestrandsintothreeequalbundles.
2Usethesecretplaitingtechniquetoplaitthestrands,easingtheclasporendcapthroughthegapscarefully.
TipThestringsareboughttoastandardlength,oryoucantransferthebeadsontootherbeadingcordorwireifyouprefer.Allowfor5–10%shrinkagetoensureyourbraceletornecklaceisfinishedtothecorrectlength.
PLAITINGWITHBIGBEADSManylargerbeadshaveholesthatareabout1mminsize,whichareidealforstringingontoleatherorwaxcottoncord.1Cutsevenstrandsofcordallthesamelengthandtapetotheworksurface.Separatetwobundlesofthreecordsontheleftleavingasinglestrandontheright.Workthree-strandplaiting:righttothemiddle,lefttothemiddle,righttothemiddle.
2Pickupabeadonthesinglecordandcontinuetheplaitingsequence:lefttothemiddle,righttothemiddle,lefttothemiddle.
3Continuetopickupabeadonthesinglestrandeachtimeandrepeatathree-movesequenceofplaitingalternatingsides,untiltheplaitisthelengthrequired.
TipWhenworkingasimplethree-strandplait,increasingthenumberofstrandsofcordusedfortheunbeadedstrandswillbalancetheweightofthebeads.
TWO-STRANDPLAITINGWITHCHAINThisisessentiallyathree-strandplaitasthechainisthethirdstrand,even
Thisisessentiallyathree-strandplaitasthechainisthethirdstrand,eventhoughitdoesn’tmovefromitspositionontheright.1Cuttwobundlesofthread–Iused16lengthsofstrandedcotton(floss)intotal–andtietogetheratoneendwithanoverhandknot(seeKnottingBasics),takingcaretokeepthethreadbundlesseparate.Feedtheright-handlengththroughthetopchainlink.
2Plaittheleft-handbundleovertheright,thenbringitupthroughthebackofthesamechainlink.
3Continuetotaketheleft-handbundleovertherightandintothebackofeachchainlink,plaitingtwiceintoeachchainlink.(Orplaitonceonlyifyourthreadbundlesarethicker.)
4Tiethethreadbundleswithanoverhandknotattheendtosecure.
TipChooseachainwithlargeenoughlinkstofeedthecords/threadsthrough,anduseatwistedwireneedle,asimpleloopofcordorevenanopenedpapercliptoassistyou.
ADDINGBEADSINTOCHAINPLAITTomakeamicrobracelet,plait1mmcordthroughchainandaddsize3(5.5mm)beadsasyougo.Usetwostrandsofcordfoldedinhalftocreatethetoggleloop.1Cuttwocordsabout60cm(24in)long,foldinhalfandtieanoverhandknotnearthetoptomakeatoggleloop.Taketheleft-handcordup
knotnearthetoptomakeatoggleloop.Taketheleft-handcordupthroughthefirstchainlinkandthenextcordupthroughthesecondlink.
2Puttheright-handcordoutoftheway.Plaittheleft-handcordoverthemiddlecordandtheright-handcordintothemiddle(seeThree-strandPlaiting).
3Addabeadtothemiddlecordandtakeitupthroughthenextchainlink.Plaitagain,leftintothemiddle,rightintothemiddle.
4Repeatfromstep3totheendofthechainpullingthecordstautsothatthebeadsaresittingontheloopsattheoutside.
thatthebeadsaresittingontheloopsattheoutside.
5Eithertrimthesparecordofforfeedthesparecorddownthroughthebeadstostabilizethebeadedplait.Workabuttonknotattheend(seeFinishingTechniquesforKnotting).
Embroiderythreadisperfectforplaitingintochainasyoucanselecttheexactnumberorstrandssuitableforthesizeofthechainlinks.Thisnecklaceusescottonperléwithorganzaribbonto
softentheeffectofthechain,forpleasingcontrastingtextures.Seethestep-by-stepinstructionsformakingtheChainPlaitNecklaceinProjects.
Kumihimo
KumihimoisabraidingtechniqueoriginatingfromJapan–thenamemeans‘gatheredthreads’inJapanese–anditistraditionallyworkedonwoodenstool-shapedstructurescalledMarudai,whicharebeautifulbutexpensive.Kumihimodisksandplatesmadefromalightweightdensefoamaremoreaffordableforbeginnersandoccasionalusers,andcanbeusedtomakeawidevarietyofdifferent-shapedbraidsusingoneormoreofsixbasicmovesthateitherpassthecordsoverthecentreholeoraroundtheedgeofthediskorplate.
EquipmentandMaterialsTraditionallyKumihimobraidsweremadeonaMarudaiandworkedwithbundlesoffinesilkthreadstomakeanobi-jime,thebeltwornaroundakimono.ContemporarybraiderscanchooseinsteadtoworkKumihimousingtheversatileandveryportablediskorplate,usingavarietyofreadilyavailablecords,threadsorevenwire.
KUMIHIMOTOOLSItisessentialtohaveadiskorMarudaitoworkKumihimo,soreviewtheoptionsanddecidewhetheryouwanttogodownthetraditionalrouteortostartsimplywithadiskorplate.
DiskandplateThesesimpletoolsaremadefromdensefoamwithnumberedslotsforthecordsorthread(seeSettingUptheDiskorPlate).Thediskshaveslotsallroundwithnumbersfrom1to32(thenumberreferstotheslotontheleftasyoumoveclockwise).Thesquareplateshavenumbersalongthetopandbottomedges,distinguishedeitherwithacircleonthebottomroworadifferentsetofnumbers.Therearelettersdowneachsideeitherwithlowercaseandcapitalsoracircleononeset.Therounddiskcanbeusedforbothroundandflatbraidsbutyoumayfinditeasiertousethesquareplateforflatbraidsasithasarectangularholeinthemiddle.
MarudaiUnliketheKumihimodiskorplate,theMarudai(roundstand)hasnonumberstoguideyouorslotstosecurethecordsorthreads.Itisstillthesamebasic
techniquebutyoudoneedmoreequipmenttogetstarted.Itisessentialtocreateabalancebetweenthecordsandbraidusingweightedbobbinsandcounterweights(seeSettingUptheMarudai).YouarenotrestrictedtoaparticularnumberofslotswithaMarudaiand,asitisfree-standing,thebraidisworkedwithtwohands,makingitaveryrelaxingandrhythmicwaytoworkKumihimo.
TipTraditionallyflatwovenbraidsareworkedonaTakadai,whichistheflatbraidversionofaMarudaibutwithamuchlargermorecumbersomeframe.
BobbinsItisfairlyeasytoworkKumihimobraidswithcordsuptoabout75cm(30in),butwhenworkingwithlongercords,youwillfinditmucheasiertowindthecordontolittlebobbins.Youcanusecottonreelsorevenapieceoffoldedcard,butthesespeciallydesignedbobbinsareinexpensivewithastoppingmechanisminbuilttosecurethecords.Marudaibobbinsareavailableinarangeofdifferentweights.
WeightsWeightsaretraditionallyusedwiththeMarudaitocounterbalancetheweightofthebobbins(seeSettingUptheMarudai);thecentre-weight,whichcanbeabagfilledwithcoins,shouldbeequaltohalfthecombinedweightofthebobbins.TheKumihimodiskandplatehaveslotsandsoitisnotnecessarytouseaweightastheslotskeepthecordsorthreadsinplace,butIhavefoundthatroundbraidsinparticulararesmootherandmoreevenwhenacentre-weightofabout70–100g(21⁄2–31⁄2oz)isused(thickercordswillneedaslightlyheavierweightthanthinnercords).
EquipmentforgettingstartedwithKumihimoisrelativelyinexpensive.Adiskorplate,somebobbinsandaweightareallyouneed.
WIREFORKUMIHIMOWirecanbeusedforanyKumihimobraidprovidedthatitissoftenoughorthinenoughtobemanipulatedsuccessfully.Ithastowithstandbeingbentbackandforwardswithoutbreakingorbecomingharder.Formoreinformation,seeEssentialEquipment:Wire.
Whatwire?
WireisavailableinarangeofcrosssectionsbutroundisgenerallythemostsuccessfulforKumihimo;0.315mm(30swg)cutintobundlesoffourstrandsisagoodwaytostart.Youcanincorporatewireintobundlesofthreadtomakeabraidthatwillholditsshapewhenbentoraddbeadstothickerwiretomake
braidthatwillholditsshapewhenbentoraddbeadstothickerwiretomakebeadedbangles.
Copperorcopper-corewiresCraftjewellerywireisidealforKumihimobraiding.AluminiumwiresAstheseareverysoft,youcoulduseathickerdiameter,buttakecareastheycanbebrittleifoverworked.SilverwireThatsoldassoftconditionissuitableforbraiding.
CORDSANDTHREADSFORKUMIHIMOKumihimocanbeworkedusinganymaterialthatcanbebentandmanipulatedintoabraid.Traditionallyfinesilkcordsareusedbuttherearemanymoreoptions.Formoreinformation,seeEssentialEquipment:CordsandThreads.
Thickorthin?
JapanesebraidersusebundlesoffinesilkthreadtoworkKumihimo.Typicallyeachbundlehas40threadsandso,althoughthethreadisfinelikeasewingthread,thebundlesthemselvesarequitethick.Toworktraditionally,silkorimitationsilkthreadssuchasShinonorBironcanbeboughtpre-cutinlengthsapproximately3m(3yd)long.Buttherearemanymoreoptionsavailabletoyou,fromafineembroiderythreadtoathickrattailorleathercord.Youcanalsocombinedifferentthicknessesofcordorthreadinthesamebraidtocreatedifferenttexturesortoaddbeads(seeBeadedKumihimoBraids).Thereisnoparticularrestrictiononthread/cordsizewhenusingaMarudai,butwiththediskorplatetheyhavetobethinenoughtofitintotheslots.
SilkthreadGroupinbundlesforstrongbraidsthathaveafabuloussheen;silkembroiderythreadisalsosuitable.SatincordAbeautifulcordwithahighsheenidealforKumihimoand
availableinarangeofthicknesses.ChineseknottingcordSuitableformakingtexturedbraids,thisround
cordhasacentrecoresostaysroundwhenbraided.Superlon™ThistwistednyloncordmakesstiffKumihimobraids,andis
perfectforaddingbeadsorworkingaroundacore.Youcanmakeafine
braidusingSuperlon™cordonlyormixitwithothercordssuchasrattailtocreatedifferenttextures.EmbroiderythreadsThesubtlesheenofstrandedcotton(floss)and
cottonperléforexample,produceamattefinishonbraids;metallicembroiderythreadsaddatouchofsparkle.RibbonsandflatbraidsIdealtobringachangeoftexturetoyour
Kumihimobraids;lookoutfortubularmeshribbons,eithersyntheticormetal.
TipRibbonworksparticularlywellfortechniqueswheresomecordsarenotbraidedeverytime,togiveyoulongerstrandsontheoutsideofthebraid(seeHoneycombBraid).
PreparingtoBraidKumihimobraidscanbeworkedonatraditionalMarudaiortherounddisk.Asquareplateisalsoavailabletomakeiteasiertoworkflatbraids(seeFlatBraids).Beforebeginningbraidingthereareafewthingstofamiliarizeyourselfwith,fromcuttingyourcordlengthstosettingupthreadsonyourdiskorplate,aswellashowtointerprettheQuickGuideinformationwhichaccompaniesthefeaturedtechniques.
SETTINGUPTHEDISKORPLATEBeforeyoucanstartbraiding,youneedtosetupthediskorplatewiththethreadsrequired.Thelayoutofcordsisdescribedasbeinginaparticularslotorasbeingatthetop,bottom,leftsideorrightside.
MakeyourowndiskorplateYoucanbuyadiskorplate(seeSuppliers)ortogetstartedstraightaway,copythediskandplatetemplates(seeTemplates)ontoastiffcardsuchasgreyboard.Carefullycutout,snipintotheslots,thencutouttheholeinthemiddle.
1Preparethecordswithalark’sheadknotoroverhandknotdependingonwhetheryouareworkingwithanevenoroddnumberofthreads(seePreparingthebraidingthreads)andtuckdownthroughthecentreholeinthedisk/plate.Keepingtheknotinthemiddleofthecentrehole,arrangethecordsasshownonthequickguidephotoordiagramforyourchosen
technique(seeWorkingfromtheQuickGuides),tuckingthemintotheappropriateslots.
2Forafirstprojectitiseasiertohavetwocoloursarrangedingroupsratherthanthesamecolourforallstrands.Makesurethecordsaretautbutthattheknotinthemiddleisbelowthetopsurfaceofthedisk/plate.
3Ifthecordsaremorethan75cm(30in)long,windtheexcessyarnontobobbins.Lightweightbobbinsareperfectforworkingonthediskorplate.
plate.
4Ifyoupreferto,youcanaddacentre-weighttotheknotonthecords.ItisnotessentialbutIfindusingaweight70–100g(21⁄2–31⁄2oz)withthediskinparticularmakesroundbraidssmootherandmoreeven.
SETTINGUPTHEMARUDAIThetopsurfaceoftheMarudaiisknownasthemirrorbecauseit‘reflectswhatisdownbelow’,inotherwordsthebeautyofthebraidedcord.TheMarudaiitselfcanbemadefromwood,plasticorclearacrylic.
TherearenoslotsornumbersontheMarudai,insteadthecords/threadsaredrapedoverthetopsurfaceanddownthroughtheholeinthecentre.Asitisfree-standingyoucanusebothhandstomovetwocordsatthesametime.Traditionallythecords/threadsaretiedatoneendwithanoverhandknot,heldtemporarilyinplaceunderthemirror,bythreadingachopstickthroughthemiddleofthebundle.Youcanthenseparatethecords/threadsintotheright
middleofthebundle.Youcanthenseparatethecords/threadsintotherightnumberofbundlesandwindtheendsontoweightedbobbins.Thesearecounter-balancedbyattachingacentre-weightequivalenttohalfthecombinedweightofthebobbins.Aheaviercentre-weightwillmakealooserbraid.
Usealark’sheadlooptohangtheweightbag.Asyouworkthebraidslidethelark’sheaduptoanewpositionnearthetopsurface.
Preparingthebraidingthreads
Whenworkingoutthelengthofthestrands,muchwilldependonthethickness,butasageneralrulethecordsorthreadsusedforKumihimoshouldbetwicethelengthofthefinishedbraidplus15cm(6in)toallowforthewidthofthediskorplate.
TipItisalmostimpossibletojoininotherlengthsofcordduringbraidingsoalwaysmakesureyouhaveplentytostart.Dependingonthecoloursequenceinthebraidingyoucancutthestrandsasdoublelengthorsinglelength.
ForanevennumberofstrandsIfthereisanevennumberofstrandsorbundlesofeachcolour,cutdoublethelengthrequiredandusealark’sheadknot(seeKnottingBasics)tosecurethe
mid-point.
ForanoddnumberofstrandsForanoddnumberofdifferentcolourstrands,tiethecordstogetherbeforeyoustartwithanoverhandknot(seeKnottingBasics).
WORKINGFROMTHEQUICKGUIDESThesecontainalltheinformationneededtocreateaparticularbraid,fromthestartingpositionsofthreadstofinishedsample.
1FinishedsampleEachtechniquehasafinishedsampletoshowwhatthatparticulararrangementofcoloursandthicknessofcordslookslikewhenbraided.Tocreatethesamepatternyouneedtochooseeitherexactlythesamecoloursoranewselectionofcolourswithsimilarhuessothatyourbraidhasasimilarbalance.
2,3StartingpositionItisessentialtogetthecorrectcoloursofcordsintherightpositiontostart.Oneoftwovisualsisprovidedforthestartingposition,eitheraphotograph(2)toshowtheslotnumbersandcoloursofthestartingpositiononthedisk(orplate)or(3)adiagramwithoutnumberswhichshowsthecordpositionsontheMarudai.Thedotsonthestartingdiagram(whichrepresentthethreads/cordsused)willvaryincolourandsizesothatwhenyouareaddingtextureorbeadsyou’llbeablesoseeataglancewherethedifferentthicknessofcordsareplacedtostart.
TipManyofthebraidshaveapatternsuchasaspiralorstripethatonlyworksifcoloursareinaparticularposition.
4WorkingthemovesdiagramsStepdiagramsareprovidedforthesequenceofthreadmoves,shownbythearrowedlinesindicatingwherethreadsstartandwheretheyaremovedto.WhenworkingontheMarudai,themovesdiagramsareenoughtoguideyouthroughthethreadmoves,butwhenworkingonthedisk,youshouldalsorefertothemovesabbreviatedlist(see5).Inthediagramcaption,Irefertothecordpositionsastop,bottom,leftandright.Notethatsometimesthediskrotatesasyouworkthebraidsotopisnotalwaysat32⁄1butreferstothepositionofthecordsatthatparticulartimeandpositioninthesequence.
5WorkingthemovesabbreviatedlistThisisprovidedtobeusedalongsidethemovesdiagramsasawrittenrecordoftheorderofthethreadmoves.Ifindthatwhenusingadisk,itisbettertofollowthewrittenmovesbuttolookattheMarudaidiagramasyougotoseewhichdirectiontomovein.Thisgivesyoutheconfidencethatyouareplacingthecordsintherightslots,butallowsyoutoseeataglancethepatternofmovessoyougetintoarhythmveryquickly.
6PointofbraidingAcloseupphotographshowsthebraidattheendofthesequenceofmovesoutlinedin4and5,sothatyoucancheckthatthemoveshavebeenexecutedcorrectlybeforestartingthemovessequenceagain.Ifyouhavemadeamistake,gobackandrearrangethecordsinthecorrectpositionbeforecontinuing.
Repositioningthreads
Whenworkingsomeofthebraidsonadiskorplateyouwillneedtomovecordsbacktothestartpositionaftercompletingpartorallofthesequenceofmoves.
Thisiscalledrepositioningandisnecessarybecausethereisalimitednumberofslots.
Itispossiblewhenworkingonadisktoswapthecordswithoutneedingtoreposition–holdthefirstcordafteronemovebesidethecorrectslotwithyourthumbandthenpullitintothevacant
slotonceyoutaketheothercordovertotheoppositeside.
Finishingthebraids
OncethebraidiscompleteitcanberemovedfromtheMarudai,diskorplate.Topreventthebraidunravelling,tiealooseoverhandknot(seeKnottingBasics)orwrapashortlengthofwirearoundthecordstosecure.Youcanthenselectoneofthefinishingtechniques(seeFinishingTechniquesforBraiding).
BasicMovesAllKumihimobraidsarecreatedwithaseriesofmoves,andhowthecordsarepositionedandmovedmakesaspecificbraid.Therearehundredsofpossiblebraiddesigns,buttheyareallmadeusingoneormoreofjustsixbasicmoves.EssentiallyyoueithermovethecordsacrossthecentreofthediskorMarudai,oraroundtheedge,oryoucrossthecordsover.Apartfromthewovenflatbraid,allthebraidsinthisbookusethesemoves,althoughtheflatbraidsarebestworkedonthesquareplate.Tryoutthemovestobecomefamiliarwiththetechniquesandthediagrams.
Cordsgoingacrossthecentre
WhenmovesaremadeacrossthecentreoftheMarudaiordisk/plate,asolidbraidwillbeproduced.
Basicmove1Thecordsgraduallymovearoundthediskandsoitisbettertodisregardthenumbersandconcentrateonthemoves.Onecordmovesdownandanothermovesuppassingacrossthecentreofthedisk:toprighttobottomright,bottomlefttotopleft.Afterthemovetherearethesamenumberofcordsineachsectionasbefore.
1 15then17 31Inthephotograph,thefirstmove,toprighttobottomright,hasbeen
completedleavingonlyonecordatthetopandthreeatthebottom.Nowmovethecordatbottomleftuptotopleftsothattherearetwocordstopandbottomagain.
Basicmove2Fourcordschangeplacesacrossthecentreofthedisk.Whenworkingonadiskorplatethecordsneedtobespacedatthetopasshowntoallowthecordstomoveintothegap:twobottomcordsup,twotopcordsdown.Afterthemovetherearethesamenumberofcordsineachsectionasbefore.
1,2
16 1then17 322 16then31 17Inthephotograph,thefirstpairofmoves,twobottomcordstotop,has
beencompleted,leavingnocordsatthebottom,andnowthetwooutertopcordsaretobemovedtotheslotsatthebottom.
Cordsgoingaroundtheouteredge
Ifallmovesaremadearoundtheedge,thebraidmadewillbehollow.SeealsoCordscrossingover.
Basicmove3Twocordsmovearoundtheouteredge,fromonepartofthedisktoanother.Thecordsdon’tcrossoverthecentreoranyothercords:toptotheright,bottomtotheleft.Afterthemovethereisonlyonecordtopandbottomandthreecordson
theleft.Afterthemovethereisonlyonecordtopandbottomandthreecordsoneachside.
1 7then17 23Inthephotograph,thefirstmove,toprighttosideright,hasbeen
completedleavingonlyonecordatthetopandthreeattherightside.Nowmovethecordatbottomleftuptosideleftsothattherearethreecordsoneachsideandonecordtopandbottom.
Cordscrossingover
Thesemovesaremadearoundtheedge,butalsocrossoveroneormorestationarycords.
Basicmove4Twocordsmovearoundtheouteredge,fromonepartofthedisktoanother.Eachcordgoesinadifferentdirectioncrossingoveronestationarycordasit
Eachcordgoesinadifferentdirectioncrossingoveronestationarycordasitmoves.Thecordsdonotpassoverthecentre:lefttopoveronecordandaroundtotheright,bottomrightoveronecordandaroundtotheleft.Afterthemovethereisonlyonecordtopandbottomandthreecordsoneachside.
32 7then16 23Inthephotograph,thefirstmove,toplefttosideright,hasbeen
completedleavingonlyonecordatthetopandthreeatthebottom.Nowmovethecordatbottomrightuptosideleftsothatthereisonlyonecordtopandbottomandthreecordsoneachside.
TipAllworkingthemovesdiagramscanbeusedfordisks/platesandtheMarudaibecausethemovesareessentiallythesame.However,whenusingaMarudaiyouarehands-free,enablingyoutomovetwocordsatonce,butasyouhavetoholdthediskandplateinone
enablingyoutomovetwocordsatonce,butasyouhavetoholdthediskandplateinoneofyourhands,youcanonlymoveonethreadatatime.
Basicmove5Cordsmovearoundtheouteredgecrossingovertwostationarycords.Thecordsdonotpassoverthecentrebutthereneedstobeagapbetweenthesidecordssothatthemovingcordhasavacantslot:toplefttomiddleright,bottomrighttomiddleleft.Afterthemovethereisonlyonecordtopandbottomandthreecordsoneachside.
32 8then16 25Inthephotograph,thefirstmove,toplefttothemiddleslotsideright,
hasbeencompletedleavingonlyonecordatthetopandthreeattherightside.Nowmovethecordatbottomrightuptomiddleslotsideleftso
thatthereisonlyonecordtopandbottomandthreecordsoneachside.
Basicmove6Twocordsfromonesidecrossoverastheymovearoundtheouteredge.Eachcordalsogoesovertwostationarycords.Thecordsdonotpassoverthecentre.Usuallytherightcordismovedfirstsothattheleftcordfinishesontopoftheright:bottomrighttoleftsidetop,bottomlefttorightsidetop.Afterthemovetherearenocordsonthebottom,threecordsoneachsideandtwoatthetop.
17 7then16 26Inthephotograph,thefirstmove,bottomlefttotopsideright,hasbeen
completedleavingonlyonecordatthebottomandthreeattherightside.Nowmovethecordatbottomrightuptotopsideleftsothattherearenocordsatthebottomandthreecordsoneachside.
cordsatthebottomandthreecordsoneachside.
DetailfromtheSquareBraidNecklace(inProjects):thesquarebraidisjustoneofthebraidsmadeusingBasicMove6incombinationwithBasicMove3.Dependingonthecordcoloursused
andtheirstartposition,avarietyofpatternscanbecreated.
RoundBraidsThesearethemostpopularoftheKumihimobraids,andperhapsmostpopularofallisthebasicroundbraid1,butasyouwillfindoutthereisawidevarietyofroundbraidsandit’sgreatfuntryingoutthedifferentstyles.YoucanworkalltheroundbraidsoneitheradiskoraMarudaiandbecauseKumihimoissuchaversatiletechnique,enjoyexperimentingwithdifferentcoloursandtexturesofthread,ribbonsorcordstomakeyourownuniquebraids.
ROUNDBRAID1Thiseasyeight-strandroundbraidisworkedbyrepeatingonemove–BasicMove1–overandover.
QuickGuide:Roundbraid1
Setupcordsinthestartingpositionthenworkthesequenceasshowninthediagrams.Onadiskthisbraidisusuallyworkedbyrotatingthediskaquarterturntotheleftaftereachpairofmovessothatthenextsetofcordstobemovedaretopandbottomofthedisk,essentiallyrepeatingdiagram1eachtime.Thecordswillprogressaroundthedisk,soafterthefirstfourpairsofmovesitisbettertoignorethenumbersandrepeatworkingthemovediagram1fromthenon.
Startingposition
TipTomakeasample20cm(8in)braid,cutfour1m(1yd)lengthsof2mmrattailindifferentcoloursandsetupasinthestartingposition.
WorkingthemovesRotatedisktotheleft(anticlockwise)aftereachpairofmoves.Aftertwopairsofmovesthecoloursarebackinpairs,aftereightpairsofmovestheyarebackattheoriginalstartposition.
1
2
1 15then17 319 23then25 716 30then32 1424 6then8 22
PointofbraidingAftermakingthefourpairsofmovesthecordsarestillinaright-anglecrossshapebuttheyhavebeenmovedaroundtothenextpairofslotsineachquarter.
Roundbraid1variation
StartingpositionForamottledpattern.startwithtwodifferentcoloursineachquarterofthedisk.
ZandSSPIRALSThisvariationofroundbraid1producesadistinctivespiraldownthelengthofthebraidandyoucancreateaspiralthatcoilsroundtotheleftlikeanSoronethatcoilstotherightlikeaZ.
QuickGuide:Spiralbraid
Setupcordsinthestartingpositionthenworkthesequenceasshown.Ifyourotatethediskaquarterturntotheleft(anticlockwise)aftereachpairofmovesyouwillgetaZspiralorturnthediskaquarterturntotheright(clockwise)aftereachpairofmovesfortheSspiral.Thecordswillprogressaroundthedisk,soafterthefirstfourpairsofmovesitisbettertoignorethenumbersandrepeatthesequenceofmovesasshown.
Tomakeasamplebraid,usetwo1m(1yd)lengthsofrattailintwocontrastingcoloursandsetupasshown.Thestartingpositionisthesameforbothspiralsandsoyoucanmakea10cm(4in)sampleofeach,reversingthespiral(seeReversingtheSpiral).
Startingposition
WorkingthemovesforZspiralTurnthediskaquarterturntotheleftaftereachpairofmoves.Asthecordsmovearoundtheslotsjustrepeat:toprighttobottomright,bottomlefttotopleft,thenrotatethediskaquarterturntotheleft.
1 15then17 319 23then25 716 30then32 1424 6then8 22
WorkingthemovesforSspiralTurnthediskaquarterturntotherightaftereachpairofmoves.Asthecordsmovearoundtheslotsjustrepeat:toplefttobottomleft,bottomrighttotopright,thenrotatethediskaquarterturntotheright.
32 18then16 224 10then8 26
17 3then1 1925 10then9 27
REVERSINGTHESPIRALYoucancombinetheSandZspiralstocreateabraidwithazigzagpatterndownthelength.
QuickGuide:Reversingthespiral
SetupcordsinthestartingpositionshownfortheZandSspirals.Ifyoustartwiththecordseithersideofthedotsonthediskyouwillknowwhentoreversethespiral.WorkthesequenceasshowninworkingthemovesforZspiral.Attheendof16pairsofmoves,whenthepairsofcordsarelyingeithersideofthedotsonceagain,youneedtotwisteachofthepairsofcordsasshowninthedetailphotographandthenstarttoworktheSspiralsequencefromthepairofcordstotherightofthelastworkingpair.After16pairsofmoves,twistthecordsagain
andstarttheZspiralfromthepairofcordstotherightofthelastworkingpairandsoon.
TipForlongergapsbetweenzigzags,changedirectionafter32pairsofmoves,socordsmovehalfwayaroundthedisktothenextdots.
Whenyouarereadytoreversethespiraltakeapairofcordsoutoftheirslots,twistthetopcordoverthebottomcordandreplaceintotheslotseithersideofthedot.Turnthediskaquarterturnandrepeatonthesecondpairofcordsasshown;continuetoturnandtwistuntilallfourpairsof
cordshavebeentwisted.
ROUNDBRAID2
ROUNDBRAID2ThisbraidisworkedbyrepeatingBasicMove1,movingoppositepairsofcordsinsequencevertically,horizontallyandonceoneachdiagonal.
QuickGuide:Roundbraid2
SetupcordswithjustonecordineachofeightslotsspacedequallyaroundthediskorMarudaiasshowninthestartingposition,thenworkthesequenceasshowninthediagrams.Whenworkingonadisk,moveeitherthetopcordfirstortheoneontheright.Thecordswillprogressaroundthedisk,soafterthefirstfourpairsofmovesitisbettertoignorethenumbersandjustrepeatthemovesasshownonthediagrams.
Startingposition
TipTomakeasamplebraid,cuttwo1m(1yd)lengthsofrattailoftwodifferentcoloursandsetupasshownwithcoloursalternatingaroundthedisk.
Workingthemoves
1
2
3
4
1 16then17 329 24then25 85 19then21 429 12then13 28
PointofbraidingAftermakingthefourpairsofmovesthecordsarestillinstraightlinesinaneight-pointstarshape,butthey’vemovedaroundanticlockwisetothenextpairofslotstotheleft.
Roundbraid2variation
StartingpositionTocreateboldstripesdownthelengthofthebraid,arrangeyourtwocoloursofcordaroundthedisksothattherearetwoadjacentcordsinonecolourthentwointhealternatecolour.
Roundbraid2textured
AlthoughKumihimobraidsaregenerallyworkedwithasmooththreadorcordmostofthebraids,includingroundbraid2,lookveryeffectivewhenbraidedwithdifferentthicknessesandtexturesofcord.
withdifferentthicknessesandtexturesofcord.
Variation1Addafluffytexturedyarnwithsmoothsatinrattailtocreateaninterestingcontrasttothestripevariationforroundbraid2.
Startingposition
Variation2Thebasicarrangementofalternatecoloursworkswellwhenalternatingcontrastingtexturestoo.Youcanintroduceasoftribbonlikeorganzaorasilkymeshthatwillpuffout,oraddametallicyarnforabitofsparkle.
Startingposition
ThesedelightfulearringsaremadefromafineSuperlon™cordforafirmbraidthatholdsitsshapewell.Inserttherawendsintoadecorativeendcapandembellishwithbeads.Seethestep-
by-stepinstructionsformakingtheRoundBraidEarringsinProjects.
HONEYCOMBBRAIDThisvariationofroundbraid2producesanunusualbraidwithlongstrandsforahoneycombeffect.
honeycombeffect.
QuickGuide:Honeycombbraid
HoneycombbraidisoneofthemostelegantbraidsandperhapseasiertoworkonaMarudaithanonadiskbecauseoftheneedtorepositionthecordsoften;however,youcanlearntoswapthecordswithoutneedingtoreposition(seeWorkingfromtheQuickGuides:Repositioningthreads),whichspeedsupthebraidingprocess.Itisavariationofroundbraid2,wherethefirsttwopairsofmoves(verticalandhorizontal)arerepeatedbeforecompletingthesequencewiththediagonalmoves.Useathickerorstiffercordfortheverticalandhorizontalcordstosupportandenhanceanydecorativestrandsinthediagonalslots.
Startingposition
TipRemember,itisthediagonalcordsthatcreatethelongerdecorativestrandsonthisbraid.
WorkingthemovesRepeatthemovesondiagrams1and2twiceandrepositioncordstothestartingposition,thenworkthemovesondiagrams3and4andrepositionagain.
1
2
3
4
1 16then17 329 24then25 832 15then16 18 23then24 9Repositionthestraightcords:15to17,23to25.5 22then21 529 12then13 29Repositionthediagonalcords:12to13,22to21readytostartagain.
PointofbraidingToremindyourselfhowthesequencegoesrememberthatthefirstfourpairsof
movesarestraight,andthenexttwopairsofmovesonthediagonal.
Honeycombbraidfancycordvariations
Thehoneycombbraidisidealforshowingtheeffectsthatcanbeachievedbyexperimentingwithtexturalalternatives,asthefollowingtwoexamplesshow.Thelongstrandslookstunningwhenworkedinaflatcordorribbon.Forotheralternativecords,ribbonsandthreadsthatcanbeusedinhoneycombbraidseeCordsandThreadsforKumihimo.
Variation1Inthisexamplestrandedmetallicembroiderythreadisinthediagonalpositionand7mm(3⁄8in)silkribbonintheotherslots,producingalovelysoftsparklybraid.
Startingposition
Variation2Silkymeshribbonworkswellinthediagonalpositionsofhoneycombbraidastheribbonbunchesoutslightlyaddingextratexture.Rattailisusedintheotherslots.
Startingposition
Useasoftmeshororganzaribbonforthediagonalcordsofthehoneycombbraidtomakealuxuriouscordpull.
SQUAREBRAIDEventhoughthiseight-strandbraidhasasquarecross-sectionitisworkedonarounddiskorMarudai.
QuickGuide:Squarebraid
Topreservethesquarecross-sectionofthisbraidworkwiththreadsorcordsallofthesamethickness.Themovesaresimple–repeatthemantra:slideroundthencrossover.Tomakeasamplebraid,cuttwo1m(1yd)lengthsof2mmrattailintwodifferentcoloursandsetupasshown,alternatingthecoloursaroundthedisk.
Startingposition
TipBasicMoves3and6areusedandasbothgoaroundtheedgeofthedisk,essentiallythebraidishollowalthoughitlookssolid.
WorkingthemovesToremindyourselfhowthesequencegoes,rememberthatthefirsttwopairsofmovesareclockwiseandthenexttwoanticlockwise.
1
2
3
4
1 7then17 23
24 1then8 1732 26then16 109 32then25 16Repositionthesidecordsbacktothestartingslots(seethestarting
positionphotograph):7to8,10to9,26to25and23to24.
PointofbraidingAfterworkingthefourpairsofmoves,thetopandbottomcordswillbecrossedover.Youalwaysmovetheunderneathcordnext.
Squarebraidvariation
CreateabolderV-shapepatternbychangingthepositionofthecolours.Startallfourstrandsinthetophalfofthediskinonecolourandanothercolourofcordsinthebottomhalf.
Squarebraidisasimpletechniquethatworkswellinstiffercordssuchasleatherthongtocreatetheframeworkforastunningnecklace.Seethestep-by-stepinstructionsformakingtheSquare
BraidNecklaceinProjects.
16-STRANDROUNDBRAIDSOnceyouhavelearnttomakeaneight-strandroundbraid,addmorestrandstomakeavarietyof16-strandbraids.
QuickGuide:16-strandroundbraidfour-colourspiral
Setupcordsinthestartingpositionthenworkthesequenceasshowninthediagrams.ThetechniqueusedisBasicMove1(seeBasicMoves)andthisisrepeatedalthoughonlythefirstfourpairsofmovesareshown.Afterthatitisbettertoignorethenumbersandjustrepeatthemovesasfollows:toprightcordtobottomright,bottomleftcordtotopleft,thenrotateone-eighthturntotheleft.
Tomakeasamplebraid,cutfour1m(1yd)lengthsofcottonperléinfourdifferentcoloursandsetupasshownwithpairsofthesamecolourthreadsoppositeeachotheraroundthedisk.
Startingposition
TipAftereachpairofmovesrotatethediskone-eighthturntotheleftsothatthenextcolourisatthetopandbottom.
Workingthemoves
1
2
3
4
1 15then17 315 19then21 39 23then25 713 27then29 11
TipWhenlearningtobraidwith16strandsusefourcolourssothatyoucanfollowthepatternmoreeasily.ForthisexampleIhaveusedtwostrandsofsize5DMCcottonperléforeachbundle:palepeach(948),mossgreen(3052),paleyellow(745)andairforceblue(598).
PointofbraidingAftermakingfourpairsofmovesthecolourshavemovedhalfwayround;aftereightpairsofmovesthecordswillbebackinthestartposition.
16-strandroundbraidvariations
Usingthesecolourschemesasaguide,swapthecoloursmatchingtheintensityofthehuestogetasimilarresultoralterthecolourbalanceandseewhathappens.Bysimplyarrangingcoloursinparticularpositionsonthediskyoucanproducedifferentpatterns.Eachofthefollowingbraidshasadifferentarrangementusingtwostrandseachoftwoorthreecoloursofsize5DMCcottonperléthreadsfromthecolourpaletteusedtomakethefour-colourspiral,butyoucouldexperimentwithfourormorecolours.Thediagramsshowthe
butyoucouldexperimentwithfourormorecolours.Thediagramsshowthestartingpositionforeachpattern.Onceyouhavesetup,thetechniqueisexactlythesameasforthefour-colourspiral:toprightcordtobottomright,bottomleftcordtotopleft,thenrotateone-eighthturntotheleft.
TipWithKumihimoyoucancreateavarietyofdifferentlypatternedbraidsfromthesametechniquesimplybychangingthepositionsandnumberofcoloursused.
Two-coloursinglespiral:Thisworkswellwithtwostronglycontrastingcoloursgivingabraidthatlookslikeatightlytwistedrope.
Two-colourdoublespiral:Thisresemblesanold-fashionedbarber’spoleanditisidealformakingaboldstatement.
Two-colourspot:Dependingonwhichisthemoreprominentcolour,thiseitherresemblesalatticefenceorhasanall-overspeckledappearance.
Two-colourdiamond:Workwithtwocolourslikethissampleforasubtleeffect,orchoosetwocontrastingcoloursandthepatternwillbebolder.
Three-colourdiamond:Whenathirdcolourisintroducedtothediamondpattern,itcreatesabandspirallingdownthebraidwiththediamondsshownoffbestinstronglycontrastingcolours.
Three-coloursinglespiral:Theadditionofathirdcolourcreatesapatternofspotsanddiagonalstripesdownthebraid.Takecarechoosingthecolourstocreatethebesteffect.
HelixSpiralBraidsThesetwospiralbraids,workedwithBasicMove1(seeBasicMoves),aremoretexturedthanthestandardeight-strandroundbraidspiralvariations.Theyaredoublehelixspirals,andthismeansthattherearetwodifferenttexturestwistingaroundthebraidlikeacorkscrew.Thetexturesarecreatedwithshortandlongstrands,anditistheselongerstrandsthatgivethebraidsasilkyluxuriouslook.
HELIXSPIRAL1Similartoroundbraid1,thisbraidhasthreespirallinghelixes,twowithshortstrandsandonewithlongerstrands.
QuickGuide:Helixspiral1
Thisattractivecordworkswellwithsatincordsinthesidepositionstocreatelonglustrousstrands.Tomakeasamplebraid,cutone1m(1yd)lengthofrattailintanandivoryandtwolengthsindarkbrown,andsetupasshownmakingsurethattheivoryandtancoloursarediagonallyoppositeeachother.ThecolourschemeforHelixSpiral1:hasbeenchosenspecificallysothatyoucanseewhatpositionsonthediskcreatewhichhelix,asanaidfordesigningyourowncolourschemesorchangingtexturesofcord.
Startingposition
TipWhensettingupthedisk,rememberthatthesidecordscreatethelongerstrandhelixandthetopandbottomcordstheshorterstrandhelix.
WorkingthemovesWhenworkingthisbraidsomeofthecordsmoveoutofpositionandaftereachsequenceofthreepairsofmovesneedtobeplacedbackinthestartposition.
1
2
3
32 15then16 321 18then17 125 7then9 23Repositionthebottomandsidecordstothestartingpositionafterthree
pairsofmoves:8to9,7to8,15to16,18to17,24to25and23to24.
PointofbraidingAlwaysmovethetopcordfirstandthen,whenyoumovethebottomcordup,youcanputitinthevacatedslottoavoidhavingtorepositionthetopcords.
HELIXSPIRAL2Thiscolourschemechosenenablesyoutoseethecordpositionsthatcreatethisattractivespiralbraid.
QuickGuide:Helixspiral2
Thisisatrickierspiralbraidtomakethanhelixspiral1,asyouneedtosupportandadjustthecordsasyoubraid.Iholdthebraidunderthediskandtwistaftereachmovetoalignthecordsneatlyasshowninthepointofbraiding.
Tomakeasamplebraid,cut1m(1yd)lengthsofrattailintan,ivory,lilacanddarkbrown.Setupasshownmakingsurethattheivoryandtancoloursarediagonallyopposite.Bypositioningthesidecolours(topandbottom)diagonallyoppositeeachotherratherthanstraightacross,thecoloursalternatealongthebraid.
Startingposition
TipChooseyourcolourschemecarefullyrememberingthatthesidecordscreatethelongerhelixandthetopandbottomcordstheshorterhelix.
WorkingthemovesThecordsinthisbraidmovearoundthediskandsoafterthefirstfourpairsofmovesyoushouldrefertothediagramsbutignorethenumbers.Althoughtherearefourpairsofmoves,diagrams1and2arerepeated.
1
2
1 16then17 3225 6then9 2232 15then16 3124 5then8 21
PointofbraidingAfterfourpairsofmovespinchthecordstogetherwheretheycrosssothatitlooksexactlyasshown.
SubstituteafineSuperlon™orChineseknottingcordforthetopandbottomcordsofhelixspiral2andstringsize6seedbeadsbeforeyoustart,tocreateagorgeousstrapforabag.SeeBeaded
KumihimoBraids.
HollowBraidsWhenworkingKumihimo,ifnoneofthemovesgooverthemiddleofthediskorMarudai,abraidismadethathasaspacedownitscentre.Dependingonthenumberandthicknessofthecordsbeingworkedwith,thecentrespacecanbenarrow(seeSquareBraid)orlargeenoughtoinsertacorecord–orevenplastictubing–into.Cordinsertsinhollowbraidmakeitmuchstronger,openingupthepossibilitiesforitsuse.Severalvariationsforhollowbraidsaredescribedhere,aswellasinstructionsforinsertingacorecord.
ADDINGACORDINSERTHollowbraidscanbeworkedwithorwithoutacore.Thecorefillstheareainsidethebraid,andthebasicprincipleisexplainedforthenine-strandhollowbraidusinga550paracordforthecorecord.1Arrangethebraidingcordsintheorderthattheywillbeonthediskfollowingthestartingpositiondiagram/photograph,spacingthemontoapieceoftapesothattheywillfitaroundthecorecord.Wrapthetapearoundthebaseofthecorecord.
2Useapieceofstrongthreadtosecurethecordsabovethetape,andtuckthecordbundleintothediskhole.Arrangethecordsinthecorrectstartingpositionforthebraidandattachaweighttotheendofthecords(seePreparingtoBraid).
3Workthebraidingmovesaroundthecorecord,movingthecorecordfromsidetosideifnecessarysothatitisoutofthewayasyoubraid.
TipDependingonthematerialusedforthecorecord,itcanbeveryfirmandsuitableforusingaseitheralightpullorbaghandleorasacordincontemporaryjewellery.
EIGHT-STRANDHOLLOWBRAIDThisbraidusesBasicMove4,whereacordcrossesoveronestationarycordoneachmove.
QuickGuide:Eight-strandhollowbraid
Thissequenceofmovestakesalittlegettingusedto,butitisaneasyrhythmicbraidonceyougetstarted.Themovesgo:toplefttotoprightside,bottomrighttobottomleftside,thenmiddlerighttobottomright,middlelefttotopleft,thentoprighttotopleft,bottomlefttobottomright,andfinallymiddlerighttotopright,middlelefttobottomleft.
Thebraidcanbeflattenedorworkedaroundacorecordtokeepitsroundshape(seeAddingaCordInsert).
Startingposition
TipTomakeasamplebraid,cuttwo1m(1yd)lengthsofrattailintwocontrastingcoloursandsetupasshownwithpairsofcoloursoppositeeachother.
WorkingthemovesWhenworkingonadisk,twoofthesidecordsneedtoberepositionedbacktothestartingpositioneveryfourpairsofmoves.
1
1
2
3
4
32 7then16 2324 32then8 161 26then17 109 1then25 17Repositionthesidecordsafterfourpairsofmoves:7to8,10to9,23;
andaftereightmoves:24,26to25.
PointofbraidingAftermakingfourpairsofmovesthepositionofthecolourshasswappedasshownhere,butaftereightpairsofmovesthey’rebacktothestartingposition.
Eight-strandhollowbraidvariation
StartingpositionAlthoughworkedinexactlythesamewayasthemainversionofeight-strandhollowbraid,thisalternativeproducesanattractivespotpatternsimplybychangingthenumberofcordsusedofeachcolour.You’llneedone1m(1yd)lengthofgreyandthree1m(1yd)lengthsofgreen,setupasshowntomakeasample.
16-STRANDHOLLOWBRAIDThe16-strandhollowbraidsaretubularbutwillflattenunlessworkedaroundacoreplastictubingforexampleforsupport.
QuickGuide:16-strandhollowbraid
ThishollowbraidusesBasicMove2,wherecordspassaroundtheedgecrossingoveronestationarycordeachtime.Thecordsmoveclockwiseforthefirstfourpairsofmoves,thenanticlockwiseforthesecondfourpairsofmoves.Thisadaptationofthetraditionalmovesiseasiertoworkonadiskwhereyouuseonlyonehandtomovethecords.
Tomakeasamplebraid,cutfour1m(1yd)lengthsof1mmrattailintwodifferentcoloursandsetupwiththecoloursalternatingaroundthedisk.
Startingposition
TipThiscolourschememakesiteasytolearnthetechniqueastheapricotcordsallmoveclockwisethentheplumcordsallmoveanticlockwise.
WorkingthemovesOnadiskyouneedtorepositionthecordsbackintopairsside-by-sideafterfourpairsofmoves.Justremember,ifyourepositionclockwisethenthenextmovesareanticlockwise,andviceversa.
1
2
3
4
32 3then4 78 11then12 15
16 19then20 23,24 27then28 31Repositionclockwise:3to4,7to8,11to12,15to16,19to20,23to
24and26to28.
5
6
7
8
1 30then29 2625 22then21 1817 14then13 109 6then5 1Repositionanticlockwise:30to29,26to25,22to21,18to17,14to
13,10to9and6to5
PointofbraidingAlthoughthisbraidhasbeenworkedaroundacore,thepointofbraidinghasbeenshownwithoutthecoreforclarity.
RemovingthecoreYoucanleavethecoreinplace,butifyouhaveusedasmoothcore,suchasapieceofplastictubing,itcanberemovedonceyouarefinished,andthenthebraidcanbeflattened.
Chooseanyofthe16-strandhollowbraidpatterns,suchasthetwo-colourspiralshownhere,andworka16-strandhollowbraidarounda6mm(1⁄4in)diameterplastictube,thenremovethetube(seeRemovingtheCoreabove)andfinishwithendcapstomakeaveryprettybracelet.Theseendcapsaredesignedforusewithflatleather,buttheyhidetherattailrawendsveryneatly(see
FinishingTechniquesforBraiding).
16-strandhollowbraidvariations
The16-strandhollowbraidtechniquegivesyouthechancetobecreativewithyourcolourchoices,tomakeavarietyofdifferentpatterns.Asanexample,afewsampleshavebeenworkedusingjustthreecolours.Discoverforyourselfhow,byselectingcoloursandarrangingthemindifferentslots,youcanproducesomeprecisepatterns.Experimentwithmorethanthreecolourstomakeyourownuniquedesigns.
QuickGuides:16-strandhollowbraidcolourvariations
Thesesampleshavebeenworkedwithvariouscombinationsof1mmrattailinplum,apricot,teal,greyblueandgold,usingnomorethanthreecoloursforeach.Allthesampleshavebeenworkedaround6mm(1⁄4in)plastictubing.
TipWorkthehollowbraidsarounda6mmropeforasupplebraidoraroundaplastictubetomakeabracelet.
Two-colourspiral
Usingonlytwocoloursandarrangingtheminpairsaroundthediskcreatesaboldspiralpattern.
Startingpositionfortwo-colourspiral.
Three-colourspecklespiral
Carefulcolourpositioningcreatesonestrongspiralwithaspeckledspiralinbetween.
Startingpositionforthree-colourspecklespiral.
Three-colourspeckle
Tinyflecksofbrightcoralandtealonagreybackgroundcreatesaprettyall-overpattern.
Startingpositionforthree-colourspeckle.
Four-colourspiral
Usingathickerrattail(2mmratherthan1mm)fortheplumspiralraisestheapricotandcreatesaribeffect.
Startingpositionforfour-colourspiral
NINE-STRANDHOLLOWBRAIDThisquickandeasyhollowbraidjustusesBasicMove5repeatedaroundandaroundthedisk.
QuickGuide:Nine-strandhollowbraid
Setupthecordsasinthestartingposition.Anextracord(startingtopsideright)movesaroundtheouteredge,crossingovertwostationarycordsatatime.Ifyouwanttoaddacoreasshowninthefinishedsamplephotograph,seeAddingaCordInsert.Chooseastrongcontrastcolourfortheextracordtoemphasizethespiraleffect.Tomakeasamplebraid,cuttwo50cm(1⁄2yd)lengthsofsize8
Chineseknottingcordinfourdifferentcolours(olive,lime,greyanddarkgreywereused)plusanextralengthofcordindarkgrey.Tieinanoverhandknotandsetupthediskasshown(seePreparingtoBraid).
Youcouldmakethebraidwithmorecordssolongasthemaincordsarespacedequallyaroundthecorewithanextracordplacedintheslotabovetherightsidecordreadytostart.
Startingposition
WorkingthemovesAsyoumovetheextracordliftitupsothatitisverticalandtuggentlytopositionthecordcorrectlyeachtimeforaneatpointofbraidinginthecentre.
1
2
3
4
8 14then13 1817 22then21 2625 30then29 21 6then5 109 15then14 1918 23then22 2726 31then30 32 7then6 11andsoon.
PointofbraidingYoucanstopatanypointonthissequence,asyouarealwaysreadytomovetheextracordoverthenexttwocords.
FlatBraidsFlatbraidsareworkedonasquareplatewitharectangularhole–thestraightedgeoftheholemakesiteasiertokeepthebraidflat.Astep-by-stepphotoguideisprovidedformakingaroundedflatbraidsothatyoucanfamiliarizeyourselfwiththemovesforusingasquareplate.Theseguidesshowhowtocreatedifferentflatbraids:somestraight,somewovenonthediagonal,andsomevaryinginwidthdependingonthenumberofcords.
USINGASQUAREPLATETOMAKEAROUNDEDFLATBRAIDThisbraidwithaslightlydomedtopsurfaceisaneasy,rhythmicbraidtowork–idealforafirstattemptontheKumihimosquareplate.
1ChoosetwocoloursofcordandsetuptheplateasshownintheQuickGuide:Roundedflatbraid.Attachaloopandweight(seePreparingtoBraid).HereIhaveusedtwostrandsofsize5nylonknottingcordforeachbundle.
2Asyoumovethecords,holdtheplateinonecornerinthesamehandallthetime.Movethetopleftcordtotheslotunderthecordsontherightside(from5tohasshown),thenmovethetoprightcordtotheslotunderthecordsontheleftside(from6toH).
3Movethebottomrightcordtotheslotabovethecordsontheleftside(from16toD),thenmovethebottomleftcordtotheslotabovethecordsontherightside(from15todasshown).
TipWhenyouwanttotakeabreakfrombraiding,worktotheendofthesequenceandrepositionthecordssothatyouarereadytostartagain.
4Movethesecondfromtopcordsonbothsidesoneatatimedowntothecentreslotsatthebottomoftheplatewithoutcrossingthemover(Eto15asshown,theneto16).
5Movethemiddlecordsonbothsidesoneatatimeuptothecentreslotsatthetopoftheplate(fromGto5,thengto6asshown)to
slotsatthetopoftheplate(fromGto5,thengto6asshown)tocompletethefour-pairmovesequence.
6Repositionthesidecordsbacktothestartingpositionbymovingthetopsidecordsdownaslotandthebottomsidecordsupaslot,workingonesideatatime(fromDtoEandHtoG,thendtoeandhtog).
Workedinroundedflatbraidtechnique,theseprettybraidsmakequickandeasybracelets.Maketheminco-ordinatingcoloursandaddbeadstosomeforaddedtextureandsparkleasshowninBeadedKumihimoBraids.Seethestep-by-stepinstructionsformakingtheStackingBeaded
BraceletsinProjects.
QuickGuide:Roundedflatbraid
Setupcordsinthestartingposition,thenworkthesequenceasshowninthediagrams.AlthoughillustratedinasquarediagramthisbraidusesBasicMove6(seeBasicMoves)wherethecordsbeingmovedcrossovereachotherandtwootherstationarycords.Thepatternisdeterminedbythewaythecoloursarearrangedontheplate:inthesampleshowntheverticalcolouratthetopoftheplatewillbethecolourontheouteredgesofthefinishedbraid,andtheoneatthebottomisthecolourofthecentrestripe.
Startingposition
WorkingthemovesAftermakingfourpairsofmovesrepositionthesidecordsreadytobeginagain.
1,2
3
4
5 hthen6 H16 Dthen15 dE 15thene 16G 5theng 6Repositionthesidecords:DtoE,HtoGthendtoe,htog.
PointofbraidingWhenworkingflatbraids,keepthebraidflatagainsttheedgeoftherectangularholeforabettertension
Roundedflatbraidvariation
Foradifferenteffectwithzigzagstripestrythecoloursarrangedinthealternativestartingpositionshown.Thisvariationalsolooksquitedifferentonitsreverseside(seebottomsample)
StartingpositionThisarrangementofcolours,withonecolourinthetophalfoftheplateandthesecondcolourinthebottomhalf,makesanattractivezigzagpattern.
EIGHT-STRANDFLATBRAIDThisflatbraidisworkedwitheightstrandsofcordonasquareplateandlooksthesameonbothsides.
QuickGuide:Eight-strandflatbraidwithdiagonalstripe
Setupcordsinthestartingposition,thenworkthesequenceasshowninthediagrams.Placeonecolourinthetopandbottompositionsandtheothercolourintothesideslotstocreatethestripe.Whenworkingthisbraiditisessentialtorepositionthesidecordstothestartingpositionattheendofeveryfour-pairsequence.
Startingposition
TipWiththisstartingpositionyoucreateabraidwithastrongdiagonalpatternthatcouldlookinterestingworkedindifferenttexturesofcords.
WorkingthemovesThisbraidusesBasicMove5whereeachcordismovedaroundtheedgeacrosstwostationarycords.Aftermakingfourpairsofmovesrepositionthesidecordsreadytobeginagain.
1
2
3
4
5 ethen16 Fd 16thenG 5
6 Ethen15 fg 6thenD 15Repositionthesidecords:EtoD,etodandFtoG,ftog.
PointofbraidingWhenworkingthisbraidithelpstopinchtheverticalcordstogetherafteryouhaverepositionedthesidecordsreadytostartthesequenceagain.
Eight-strandflatbraidwithzigzagvariation
Byarrangingthecoloursinthisalternativestartingposition,finezigzagstripesgoingalongthelengthofthebraidcanbeachieved.
StartingpositionThiscolourpatternisachievedbykeepingallthecordsontheleftofthecentrelineinonecolourandthoseontherightacontrastcolour.
WovenFlatBraidsWovenflatbraidslookquitedifferenttotheotherflatbraids.TraditionallyknownasAnda-gumi,thesebraidshaveasimilarstructuretoaplain,wovenfabricwheretheweftthreadsgoalternatelyoverandunderthewarpthreads.ThesametechniqueusedtomaketheAnda-gumicancreateazigzagbraid,andforbothitisbettertoworkwithoutaweight,holdingthebraidflatagainsttheedgeoftheplate’srectangularslot.
USINGASQUAREPLATETOMAKEAWOVENFLATBRAIDSetupcordsinthestartingpositionthenworkthesequenceasshowninthediagrams.andfollowthestep-by-stepphotoguide.
Startingposition1Choosethreecoloursofcordandsetuptheplateasshown.Thisarrangementofcoloursgivesafairlyrandompatternonthebraidbutyoucanexperimentwithtwoormorecolourstocreateawiderangeofdesigns.ForthisexampleIhaveusedtwostrandsofsize5cottonperléforeachbundle.Attachaloop(seePreparingtoBraid)thenaddaweight.
TipThemovesforwovenflatbraidarequitedifferenttoregularKumihimo.Takecaretoworkthrougheachstagefromsettinguptoworkingthebraidanditwillsoonseemquitesimple.
Startmove
13 Ethen3 e2Toworkthestartsequence:takethebottomleftcordandmoveittoaleftsideslot(13toEasshown)andthentakethetopleftcordandmoveittoarightsideslot(3toe).Thesebecometheweftthreads.Thispairofmovesisnotrepeated.
Move1:Bottomandtopcordschangeplaces
1
2
3
4
5
14 3then4 1415 4then5 1516 5then6 1617 6then7 1718 7then8 18Onceyouhavecompletedthestartsequence,thebraidis‘woven’by
repeatingMoves1and2.3To‘weave’thewarp:takethebottomleftcordandmoveittothe
emptyslotleftofthecordsonthetopedge(14to3asshown),andthentakethenexttopleftcordandmoveittotheemptyslotleftofthecordsonthebottomedge(4to14).
4Tomovetherestofthewarpthreads,workingfromtheleft,takethenextbottomcordandmoveittotheemptyslotonthetopedge.Takethenexttopcordandmoveittotheemptyslotonthebottomedge.Repeattoswapallthecordsfromthebottomtothetopandviceversa.
Move2:Settingupthenewweftcords
1
2
3
e 8E e3 E5Tocreatethenextweft:taketherightsidecordandmoveittothe
toprightslot(eto8asshown).Thentaketheleftsidecordandmoveitthemiddleslotontherightside(Etoeasshown).Finallytakethetopleftcordandmoveittothemiddleslotontheleftside.(3toE).
PointofbraidingAswithallflatbraids,yougetamoreevenresultifyouholdthebraidflatagainstthesideoftheslotasyouwork
RepeatMoves1and26Repeatsteps3–5toworkthebraid.Thesequencewillbethesame
butthecolourswillmovetothelefteachtime.
ZIGZAGWOVENFLATBRAIDOneofthemostattractivevariationsofthewovenflatbraidtechniqueistheric-racbraid,whichismadebyturningtheplateupsidedownatregularintervals.
WorkingthemovesforzigzagwovenflatbraidThisbraidmayseemdauntingastherearemoremovesanddiagramsthanusual.Thisisbecausetheplateisturnedupsidedowneverytimeyouwanttomakethesharpzigzagandso,althoughsomeofthebasicmovesarethesameasthestraightversionofthewovenflatbraid,othersusethesamediagrambutthenumbersaredifferentbecausetheplateisupsidedown.Wherenecessaryyou’llbereferredbacktoUsingaSquarePlatetoMakeWovenFlatBraid.Moves1aand2a,forexample,followdiagramsforMove1and2.1Workwiththreecoloursofcordandsetuptheplate(seeWovenFlatBraid,step1).Tieaknotinthetoprightcord.*BeginwiththeStartMove,thenworkMove1andMove2sequences(seeWovenFlatBraid,steps2–6)untilthecordwiththeknothasbeenmovedintoslotetobecomethenewweftasshown.
Startmove
13 Ethen3 e2Tosetupthecordsreadytorotatetheplate,worktheMove1sequenceoncemore(seeWovenFlatBraid,diagrams1–5).Movethecordwiththeknotfromtherightsidetothetopright(eto8)asshown,thenmovetheleftsidecordtothebottomleft(Eto13)followingtheRotate1diagram.
Rotate1
e 8thenE 133Tostartthezigzag,turntheplateupsidedownandworktheStart1
sequence.Movethetoplefttotheleftside(18tofasshown),thenmovethebottomlefttotherightside(8toF).Adjustthecordssothatthebraidisflatagainsttheoppositesideoftheslot(newtopedge).
Start1
18 f8 F4WorktheMove1aand2asequencesuntilthemarkerthreadisinthe
rightsideslotagain(F).WorktheMove1asequenceoncemore.
Move1a(seeWovenFlatBraid,move1)7 18then17 76 17then16 65 16then15 54 15then14 43 14then13 3
Move2a(seeWovenFlatBraid,move2)F 13f F5Then,followingtheRotate2diagram,movethecordfromtheright
sidetothetopright(Fto13asshown),thenmovetheleftsidecordtothebottomleft(fto8).Turnthedisktherightwayup.
Rotate2
F 13thenf 86Repeatfrom*instep1tocreatethezigzagbraid,rememberingto
adjustthecordssothatthebraidisagainsttheoppositesideoftheslot(topedge).
TipEverytimeyouturntheplateyoumakearightangletocreateazigzagalongthelength.Youcanworklongerorshorterdistancesbetweentherotatemovestovarythelookofthebraid.
BeadedKumihimoBraidsKumihimobraidscanbeeasilyembellishedwithbeadsforevenmorestunningeffects,Beadscanbethreadedorstitchedontothefinishedbraids,strungontothecordsbeforebraiding,oraddedinasthebraidingisworked.ThesamplesIhavemadearedesignedtogiveyouaflavourofwhatcanbeachieved.FormoreinformationonbeadsthatcanbeusedwithKumihimoseeEssentialEquipment.
ChoosingbeadsBeadscomeinahugevarietyofshapes,sizesandcolours,nottomentionthewiderangeofdifferentmaterials,soitshouldbeeasytofindabeadsuitableforaddingtoyourKumihimobraids.Dependingonthetechniqueyouchoose,itisoftentheholesizethatismoreimportantratherthanthebeaditself,asthebeadsoftenhaveeithertothreadontoacordorontothebraiditself.
ADDINGBEADSWHILEBRAIDINGBeadscanbeaddedtosomeorallofthecordsbeforeyoustartbraiding.Beinspiredbytheexamplesshown,thenlearnthetechniques,whichcanbeusedforalltypesofbraid–flat,round,squareorhollow.
Stringingseedbeads
IfyouareusingastiffthreadingmediumlikeSuperlon™,seedbeads(size8or6)canbestrungontoiteasilywithoutusinganeedle.Otherwise,useoneofthefollowingtechniquestostringthebeads.
Foldastrongfinethreadorwireinhalfandthreadthetailsintoaneedle.Feedathickerstrandthroughtheloopoffinerthreadorwire.Thisallowsyoutothreadsmallholebeadsontothe
needleandontothethickerstrand.
Useatwistedwireneedletopickbeadsuponeatatimefromabeadingmat,orforlargequantitiesuseabeadspinnertoaddbeadsquicklytothestrandsbeforebraiding.
Applyalittleglueornailvarnishtotheendofstrandsorthickercord,thensmoothbetweenfingerandthumbtocreatea‘needle’oncedry.
Step-by-stepguidetobraidingwithbeads
ThebasictechniqueforaddingbeadsasyoubraidissimilarregardlessofthetypeofKumihimobraidbeingworked;forthepurposesofthestepsequence,thetechniqueisbeingshownappliedtoaneight-strandroundbraid.
Tomakeasamplebraid,cuttwo1m(1yd)lengthsof2mmrattail,oneinplumandoneinpeach,andtwo1m(1yd)lengthsofSuperlon™,oneindarkgreyandoneinpeach.Stringsize8(3mm)Tohoseedbeadsonthecordsasfollows:mattetearose155Fanddarkpeachlined275onpeachSuperlon™;ceylongrey150anddarkpeach-lined275ongreySuperlon™.
Startingposition
TipSetupcordsinthestartingpositionthenworkthesequenceasshowninthediagramsforEight-strandRoundBraid.
1Setupthediskasshowninthestartingpositiondiagram.ThreadbeadsontothefourthinSuperlon™strands:darkpeachandmatteroseonthepeachSuperlon™,greyanddarkpeachonthegreySuperlon™.Youwillneedabout22beadsforevery5cm(2in)lengthofbeadedcord.Ifthecordsareover50cm(1⁄2yd)inlength,windthemontobobbins.
2Onshorterstrandsforabracelet,youdon’tneedtouseabobbin–simplytieaknotattheend.Attachaweighttotheloopinthemiddleofthestrands.Workatleast1cm(3⁄8in)ofthebasicroundbraid(seeEight-strandRoundBraid)withoutbeads,moreifyouwantplaincordateachendofthebraid.
TipTocreateyourowncolourschemeforthebasicbeadedroundbraidthinkofthecoloursasdarkandlight.
3LiftthetoprightSuperlon™strandandletabeaddropdowntothepointofbraiding.PushthebeadunderthetophorizontalrattailstrandandthenplacetheSuperlon™inthebottomrightslot.
4LiftthebottomleftSuperlon™strandandletabeaddropdowntothepointofbraidingagain.Thistimetuckthebeadunderthebottomhorizontalrattailstrand,thenplacetheSuperlon™inthetopleftslot.
5Rotatethediskaquarterturntotheleftandmovetherattailstrandsinorder,makingsurethatthebeadsstaytuckedawaybelowthepointofbraiding.
6ContinueaddingonebeadatatimewhenyoumovethethinnerSuperlon™strands,makingsureyoudosoortherewillbegapsinthebeading.Finishthebraidbyworkingatleast1cm(3⁄8in)withoutbeads.
Somebeadedbraidsamples
Beadscanbeaddedtoanyofthebraidsinthisbook,eitheronallofthestrandsoronjustsomeofthestrands.Whenaddingseedbeads,youwillneedtoincorporateathinnerthreadorcordsothatthesecanbethreadedon(seeStringingseedbeads).
Eight-strandroundbraidsamplerThislongsampleshowshowavarietyofdifferentbeadslookwhenincorporatedintothesamebasicbraidtoillustratethehugepotentialfordesigningbraidswithbeads.Itisworkedwithastiffnyloncord(Superlon™),whichalthoughfine,hasenoughbodytosupportthebeads.
Detailsofbeadsused:
(1)3mmsquareand4mmroundfire-polishedbeads
(2)3mmglasspearlbeads
(3)7x4mmlongMagatamas
(4)2mmbiconecrystalsandsize15delicas
(5)Size8andsize11seedbeads
(6)Size8seedbeads
(7)Farfalleorpeanutbeads
(7)Farfalleorpeanutbeads
(8)4mmbiconecrystals
(9)Doubledelicas
(10)Size6seedbeads
Helixspiral1Usingdifferentweightsofcordcausesthebraidtoflattenratherthantwist.Rattailisusedinthetopandbottompositions.AddbeadstothepeachandgreySuperlon™diagonallyoppositeatthesides.
HoneycombbraidSetupthediskforthisbraidwithrattailforthehorizontalandverticalcordsandSuperlon™forthediagonalcords,stringingamixofsize8seedbeadsandsize11trianglebeads.Incorporatethreebeadsintothebraideachtimeyoumoveadiagonalcord.
ADDINGBEADSAFTERBRAIDINGTheeasiestwaytoaddbeadsissimplytostringbeadsontothefinishedbraid,butbeadscanalsobesewnontoo.
Preparingtheends
Kumihimobraidsarecreatedundertensionsothattheyaretightlywoven,andtheendwillunravelwhenthecordsarecutmakingitdifficulttostringonbeads.Ifyoustartedyourbraidwithalark’sheadknot(seePreparingtoBraid),there
willbearoundedendthatwillpassthroughalargeholebead,otherwisetryoneofthetechniquesshownbelowtopreparetheendsofthebraidforstringing.
Threadingbeadsontothebraids
Beadscanbestrungdirectlyontothebraids,butyoumayneedtopreparetheendsfirst.Ifthebeadfitssnuglyoverthecorditmaystayinpositionasthebraidexpandsslightlyoneitherside,otherwiseapplyalittleglueontothebraidbeforeslidingthebeadontoptosecure.
•Dividetheloosecordsinhalfandpullonehalfthroughusingalargetapestryneedle,thenpulltheotherhalfthrough.
•Whiptheendofthecordswithafinesewingthreadandsewintheends.Applyalittlegluetosmoothanystrayendsandleavetodrybeforestringingthebeads.
•Alternativelyfeedafinewireorstrongthreadthroughbehindthewhipping,thenuseasaneedletostringthebeads.
Ideasforstringingbeads
•Lotsofbeads,likeponybeadsandPandora-stylebeads,havelargeholesthatcanbestrungontoKumihimobraids.Takecaretomatchthediameterofthebraidtotheholesize.
•Thinnerbraidscanbeusedtostringbeadspendant-style.Useasmallbeadasa‘turn’beadbelowthelargerbeadorabovethelargerbeadforadifferentlook.
•Uselargeholebeadstocreateafigureofeightband,threadingtwobraidsinoppositedirectionsthroughthebeads.
Sewingbeadsintothebraid
Beadscanbestitchedintothebraidstoaddfurtherembellishment.Whenplacingthebeads,workwiththeshapeandpatternofthefinishedbraidtoenhancethecorddesign.Useshapedbeadsthatwillsitintothebraidsuchasdropsormagatamas,oraddtexturewithtrianglebeads,hexbeadsortinyseedbeads.1Secureastrongbeadingthreadintothebraidusingtinybackstitches.
1Secureastrongbeadingthreadintothebraidusingtinybackstitches.Feedtheneedlethroughthemiddleofthebraidandbringitoutwhereyouwantthebeadtosit.
2Pickupaseedbeadandstitchbackintothebraid,goingbackthroughthebeadonemoretimetoattachitsecurely.Taketheneedlethroughthemiddleofthebraidtocomeoutwhereyouwanttostitchonthenextbead.
3Whensewingbeadsontheedgeofthebraid,eithersewthroughatadiagonal,orstraightacrossasshown,toaddafewbeadsatatime.Whensewinggroupsofbeadslikethis,stitchwithadoublethreadforextrastrength.
Ideasforsewinginbeads
•Stitchbeadsonindividuallysothattheysitattractivelyineachchevronthenembellishfurtherwithloopsdowneachedgeoftheroundedflatbraid.
•Trapbeads.bysewingbetweentwostrandsofbraidingsuchasthesquarebraidsusedinthisexample.
•Sewloopsofbeadsbetweenthelongerstrandsonhoneycombbraidtoadd
extratextureandcolour.
TipAlwaysanchorbeadingthreadwithtwoorthreetinybackstitchesratherthanaknotthatmaycomeundoneorpullthrough.
WorkingwithWireKumihimoisaversatiletechniquethatcanbeworkedinarangeofdifferentmaterialsincludingwire,whichhasmanyexcitingpossibilities.Youcanusewiretomaketheentirebraidorjustintroduceitonsomestrands,andyoucanworkhollowbraidsaroundawirecoreforflexiblecurves.Wirecanalsobeaddedtoafinishedbraidasadecorativeembellishment.
CHOOSINGWIRESolongasthewireissoftenoughtobemanipulatedandnotsobrittlethatitbreaksreadilyitcanbeusedforKumihimo–seeKumihimo:EquipmentandMaterialsformoreinformation.Wireissoldeitherbymeasurementorgauge:thethinnerthewire,thelargerthegaugeandanywirebetweenO.2mm(36swg)and0.6mm(24swg)wouldbesuitable.Thickerwiresarehardertobendbutyoucanbuysoftaluminiumwiresorsilverwireinasoftconditionforaspecialproject.
•Severalstrandsofathinwireiseasiertoworkthantheequivalentthickerwire,forexampleusefourstrandsof0.315mm(30swg)wireratherthana1.2mm(18swg)wire.
•Whenworkingwithfourormorewirestrandsit’snecessarytoreallypullthewireintopositionatthepointofbraidingtomakeamoreevenbraid.
•Fewerwiresineachbundlewillgiveasmootherbraid:aneight-strandroundbraidwithfourwiresineachbundlewillbemoretexturedthana16-strandroundbraidwithtwowiresineachbundle.
Kumihimobraidsworkedinwirewillholdtheirshapewhencurvedorbent.Thispiecehasthreedifferentbraidsworkedontheonepiece,andmakingasamplelikethis,changingfromone
techniquetoanotherthathasthesamesetup,willgiveyouaquickintroductiontothepossibilitieswhenworkingwithwire.
Becauseofitsstrongstructure,wirecanbeusedinKumihimotomakepiecesofjewellerylikethisfabulousbrooch.Itismadefroma16-strandhollowbraidthatisflattenedandshapedbefore
beingembellishedwithbeads.Seethestep-by-stepinstructionsformakingtheKumihimoHollowBraidBroochinProjects.
GETTINGSTARTEDWITHWIREUnlikecordsandthreads,wirehasnostretchsoitcannotbeworkedataneventensionbutmustbecarefullyplacedintoposition.Mistakesmustbeavoidedaskinkedwirewilllookunsightlywhenreworked.
Preparingthewire
Forlengthsofwireinexcessof50cm(20in)1Clamptwouprightpegstotheworksurfaceoruseonepeginaviceandholdtheother.Spacethepegsthelengthyouneedforthebraid(seePreparingtoBraid).Securethewirewithatwistedloopatoneendandbegintowindthewirearoundbothpegskeepingafairlygoodtension.
2Whenworkingwiththinwireyoucanusemultiplestrandsforeachbundle.Onceyouhavewoundsufficientstrandsforabundle,tieapieceofthreadorcordaroundthebundle.Don’tcutthewireyet–keepwindinguntilyouhavetiedallthebundles.
3Secureoneendofthewirestogetherwithatwistofwireorcordbeforeyouremovethemfromthepegs.SnipthroughthewiresonebundleatatimeandwindthebundleofwiresontoabobbinreadytostarttheKumihimo.SetupthediskasshowninPreparingtoBraid.
ForabraceletlengthSimplywindwirearounda45cm(18in)ruler.Holdthefirstcolouratoneendandcountthenumberoflengthsyouneed,say8or16wraps.Repeatwiththesecondcolour.
TipWirehasatendencytospringbackwhenreleased,sotakecaretoholdthecutendsandreleaseslowlytopreventanyaccidents.
WORKINGFLATBRAIDSWITHWIRETheseareagoodplacetostartforafirsttrywithwireasitiseasiertomovethewiresintothecorrectpositionwhenworkingwithaflatbraidratherthanaroundone,andyoudon’tneedtoworryaboutgettinganeven3Dshape.Althoughyouwouldnormallyuseasquareplate,youcanquiteeasilymakethesetwosamplebraidsonarounddisktoo.
Dependingonwhereyouplacethecoloursthereareavarietyofcolourpatternsthatcanbeworkedinroundedflatbraid.SeeRoundedflatbraidvariationforthispattern.
QuickGuide:Roundedflatbraidinwire
Withthissetupthereisacolourborderandachevronbanddownthecentreasshowninthependantbelow.Cuteight90cm(36in)lengthsof0.4mm(27swg)wireineachoftwodifferentcolours.Foldthewiresinhalfandsecurewithacordlooportwistofwire.Setupfourwiresintoeachslotwiththecoloursarrangedasshowninthestartingpositiondiagram,thenworkthesequenceasshownforRoundedFlatBraid.Onceyouhaveworkedtheflatbraidandremoveditfromthediskorplate,pulltheendsfirmlytoevenupthewirework.
Startingposition
TipMovingthewireintopositioncanbequitehardonthehands,especiallywhentryingtokeepagoodtension.Ifindseveralstrandsofathinnerwireareeasiertoworkwiththanoneortwothickwires.
Althoughitworksverywellasastraightbandforabracelet,theroundedflatbraidcaneasilybeshapedintoacurveorcircletocreateanattractivependantorringcomponentforjewellery
designs.Tomaketheringpendant,trimthetailsandoverlap,thensewtogetherwithapieceofwire.Makeawrappedloopinthemiddleofadoublelengthofwire,thenwrapthetailsaroundto
wire.Makeawrappedloopinthemiddleofadoublelengthofwire,thenwrapthetailsaroundtohidetheoverlappingends.Addachainorleathercordtohang.
QuickGuide:Wovenflatbraid
Cuteight90cm(36in)lengthsof0.4mm(27swg)wireineachoftwodifferentcolours.Foldthewiresinhalfandsecurewithacordlooportwistofwire.Setupthewiresasshowninthestartingpositiondiagram,thenworkthesequenceasshowninthediagrams.Remember,onceyouhaveworkedthebraidandremoveditfromthediskorplate,pulltheendsfirmlytoevenup.
Thisbraidcanbemadewithcordbutwhenworkedinwireitworkswellasaflatbandforabracelet.Attachrectangularendcapsandafasteningtofinish(seeFinishingTechniquesfor
Braiding).
StartingpositionTryoutdifferentcolourpositionstostartasthepatternalongthebraidwillchange.
WorkingthemovesThisbraidwastheresultofahappyaccident.Itriedtorememberthesequenceforroundedflatbraidoffthetopofmyheadandcreatedthiswoveneffectthatworksverywellinwire.
worksverywellinwire.
1
2
3
4
5 gthen6 Gf 5thenF 616 Dthen15 de 16thenE 15Repositionsidecords:DtoE,GtoFanddtoe,gtof.
WORKINGROUNDBRAIDSWITHWIREAlltheroundbraids,includinghelixspiralsandhollowbraids,canbeworkedinwireanditisworthtryingoutshortsectionsofdifferentbraidstoseewhateffectsyouget.
Tryusingtwoormorestrandsofathinwiresuchas0.315mm(30swg)or0.4mm(27swg)sothatitisfairlyeasytowork,ortryaddingbeadstoasingle
0.4mm(27swg)sothatitisfairlyeasytowork,ortryaddingbeadstoasingle0.6mm(24swg)wireorevenathickersoftaluminiumwire.
WORKINGWITHWIREANDCORDSMixingwireandcordsinyourKumihimobraidsisveryeffectiveasthesoftnessofthethreadcombineswiththehardedgeofthewire.
Choosingwheretoputthewire
Everybraidwillhavevariationsdependingonwhichcordbundlesarechangedtowire.Youcanaddoneortwostrandsofthinwiretoeachbundlesothatthebraidcanbemanipulatedintoshapewithoutchangingtheoriginallooktoomuch,butitismuchmoreexcitingtoreplacesomeofthestrandswithwireinsteadofcord.
Asyouexperimentyou’llfindthatthesamebraidcanlookquitedifferentwiththewireindifferentstartingpositions.Wiresatthesidestartingpositionswillmakeaspiralbraid,butputthewiresinthetopandbottomslotstostart,andyouwillcreateaflatterbraidwithcordontheoutsideandwiredownthecentre.Thewirepreventsthebraidtwistingsoitcanbeflatoryoucantwistitoncecomplete.
S-shapespiral:Wirehasbeenusedinthetopandbottomslotsandcordsinthesidepositionstocreateaneatspiral.
Roundbraid2:Therearefourcordsandfourbundlesoffourwiresalternatingsothatinthestartpositionthewiresaretoptobottomandsidetosideandthecordsareonthediagonals.
Placetwoorthreefinewiresinthehorizontalpositionacrossthedisktostart.
Startwithfourfinewiresintheverticalpositiontocreatethisstrongspiral.
AddingwireintoKumihimobraidallowsthebraidtobebentortwistedtoholdaparticularshape.Trymakingoneortwodifferentthicknessesofroundbraidstocreateaprettybroochorcorsage,
addingsparklycrystalsontwistedwirestemstofinish.
FinishingTechniquesforBraidingKumihimobraidshavemanyrawendsthatneedtobeneatenedinsomewaybeforetheycanbemadeintoapieceofjewellery,accessoryorotheritem.Traditionaltechniquessuchaswhippingorwrappingcanbeusedtocovertherawends,oryoucanusespeciallydesignedfindingssuchasendcapsorcones(seeEssentialEquipment).Itisalsopossibletoaddlargeandsmallbeadsforamoredecorativeembellishment.
FINISHINGFLATKUMIHIMOBRAIDSRectangularendcapsareidealforfinishingtheendsofflatKumihimobraids.Usetheinternalmeasurementofthefindingasaguidetogettingtherightfit.1Beforeyoutrimthebraid,sewacrossneartheendusingastrongbeadingorsewingthread.Stitchrunningstitchesinonedirectionandthensewbackacross.Sewinthethreadendswithacoupleoftinybackstitches.
2Trimthebraidclosetothestitching,butnotsoclosethatthethreads
2Trimthebraidclosetothestitching,butnotsoclosethatthethreadspullout.Trimtheouteredgescarefullytomakeiteasiertoinsertthebraidintotheendcap.
3Applyglueinsidetheendcap(notonthebraid)withacocktailstick.Foraflatbraiditiseasiertogetoneendofthebraidinandthentouseanawlorlargetapestryneedletoworkalongtheedge,thenpushintheremainingbit.Repeattoattachanendcapattheotherend.
Thestitch-and-trimmethodcanalsobeusedtoneatentheendofKumihimobraidsorplaitingbeforeattachingaribboncrimpend.Nylon-jawplierswillpreventthecrimpendfrombeing
damagedasitispressedtosecure.
FINISHINGROUNDKUMIHIMOBRAIDSDependingonthebraidingtechniqueandthethreadorcordused,roundbraidsmayfitinacordend,oralargeendcaporconemayberequired.Aselectionofbraidstogetherwithsuitablefindingsarepicturedhere,andthetechniquesof
addingendcapsorconesandattachingawireloopareexplainedindetailinEssentialTechniques.
•ThinbraidsworkedwithSuperlon™orotherfinecordscanbegluedintoacordend.Itwillhelptowrapeventhesetinybraidswithsewingthreadbeforeinsertingthemintothefinding.
•Whenworkingwithwirebraids,simplytwisttheendofthewires,thentrimtheendneatlybeforegluingitintotheendcaporcone.
•Hollowbraidswithacorecanbefinishedwithanendcap.Wrapthreadaroundthebraidnearthetopofthecoreandthentrimanybraidstickingabovethecorebeforeattachingtheendcap.
FINISHINGPLAITEDBRAIDSAlthoughplaitingisasimpletechnique,itcanbeworkedwithavarietyofdifferentcordsandthreads,sotherearemanydifferentwaystoneatentheends.Aselectionofplaitedbraidstogetherwithsuitablefindingsarepicturedhere.Forhowtofitendcapsorcones,suitableformoreroundedplaiting,seeFinishingTechniques,andforsuitabletechniquesforattachingafindingtoaflatplaitedbraidseeFinishingFlatKumihimoBraids.
•Ribboncrimpsaresuitableforfinishingthinflatplaiting.Theyareavailableinseveralwidths.Sewthestrandstogether,thentriminastraightlinebeforeattachingtheribboncrimpwithnylon-jawpliers.
•Wraproundplaitedbundleswithsewingthreadbeforeattachinganendcapwithglue.Youcaninsertaheadpinunderthewrappingtomakealoopifrequired.
•Largebundlesofdifferentmaterialsplaitedtogethercanbefinishedwithanendcone.Wraptheendofthebundlewithwireandthenattachtheendconewithalittleglue,addingalooptofinish.
USINGBEADSTOCOVERRAWENDSAlthoughendcapsorconesareoftenusedtofinishtheendsofKumihimobraid,whenafasteningisnotrequiredbeadscanbeusedtocovertherawendsortohideajoin.
Finishingwithlargebeads
Choosebeadsthathavealargeenoughholetofitoverthebraid.Ifthefitisgoodthebeadwillsitinpositiononitsown,butalittleglueappliedtothecordwillsecureitmorepermanently.
Usingabeadasanendcap1Wraptheendofthebraidwithsewingthread(seeFinishingTechniques),thenstickalarge-holebeadovertheendofthebraidtoneatentheend.Thistechniqueissuitableforabellpullortofinishalariatnecklace.
2Youcouldaddaplainorwrappedloop(seeGeneralTechniques)sothatthelargebeadreplacesanendcaporcone.Allowthegluetodryfor24hours.
JoiningendsinaY-shape1Wrapthebraidstogether,thenchoosealarge-holebeadtofitovertheendsandcoverthewrapping.Applyalittleglueoverthewrapping,thenslidethebeadontoptohidetherawends.
2Tomakeatassel,leavethethreadendsonthebraid.Addinganotherbundleofthreadsthickensthetasselandpreventsthebeadfallingoff.
Joiningendsinacircle1Wrapbothendsofthebraidwithstrongsewingthreadtosecure(seeFinishingTechniques)andtrimneatly.Addasuitablelargebeadontothebraid.
2Buttthetwoendstogetherandsewlongstitchesthroughthewrappingallthewayround.Sewintheendsandtrim.
3Applyalittleglueoverthewrappingandfinishingstitches,thenslidethebeadoversothatallthestitchingishidden.Leavetodry.
Apendantslidecouldbeaddedontothebraidbeforejoiningthetwoends.Thistubularfindinghasaloopforattachingacharmorbeaddangle.Largebeadsoneithersidewillhidetherestof
thejoinifthefindingisn’twideenough.
Finishingwithsmallbeads
Seedbeads,buglebeads,tinypearlsandcrystalbiconesarejustsomeofthesmallbeadoptionsforcoveringjoinsortofinishendsonKumihimobraids.
•JointhebraidasJoiningEndsinaCircleandthenstitchgroupsofsmallbeadslengthwaysacrossthestitchedjoin.Addthesamenumberofbeadseachtimetocreatealittletubular‘beadedbead’toembellishthecord.
•Aspiralbeadalsocoversthejoin.Wrap0.4mm(27swg)wirearoundthebraidseveraltimes,pickupseedbeadsonthewireandcontinuetowrapto
makethebeadedbead,thenfinishwithafewwrapsinplainwire.
Finishingwithtubularbeadstitches
Foranornatefinishuseoneofthetubularbeadstitchestocoverthejoin.OneofthesimplestistheDutchspiral.
DutchspiralThelengthofbugleyouusewilldependonthediameterofthebraid,oryoucouldaddmorepairsofseedbeadandbugletofitaroundthebraid.Thestitchisillustratedwithoutbraidbutyoushouldjointhebraid(seeFinishingwithsmallbeads)andthentiethebeadsaroundthebraidreadytostart.1Pickupaseedbeadthenabugleandrepeattwice.Wrapthebeadsaroundthebraidandthenpasstheneedlethroughallthebeadsagaintomakeacircle,comingoutafterthefirstseedbead.
2Pickuponeseedbeadandonebugleandpasstheneedlethroughthenextseedbead.Pullthethreadthrough.Repeatfromthestartofthisstepcirclingaroundthebraid,tillthetubularbeadstitchingislongenoughtocoverthejoin.
TipCloselypackedtubularbeadstitchessuchasherringbonestitch,peyotestitchandbrickstitchareallsuitable.
Slidethebeadingoverthejoinandsewthroughthebraidtosecure,sewinghalf-hitchesintothebeadingtosecurethetailbeforetrimming.
ProjectsThroughoutthisbookthereareinspiringminiprojectsthatcanbemadeasaquickandeasyfollow-ontothevarioustechniquesandtheseneednofurtherinstruction.Alongsidearesomefabulousdesignstoshowcasemyfavouritetechniques;thesearealittlemoreinvolvedsodetailedstep-by-stepinstructionsaresuppliedforyoutofollow,illustratedwithphotodetails.Youshouldreferbacktotheknottingandbraidingtechniquesasnecessary.
Knotting
DOUBLECOINKNOTCUFFDoublecoinknotsareusuallytiedinexactlythesameway,oneaftertheother,buttheknotslieflatterifthestartoftheknotisreversed,beginningontheleft,thentheright,andsoon.Thiscreatesanattractivepatternwithlongstrandsloopingacrossbetweenthedoublecoinknotsalternatingatthetopandbottomedgesofthecuff.
Youwillneed
•9m(10yd)of2mmleathercord•Magneticfasteningwith3x9mminternaldimensionendcaps
1Cuttheleathercordintothreeequalpieces,3m(31⁄3yd)long.ReferringtoChineseKnots:DoubleCoinKnot,tieadoublecoinknotusingallthreestrandsstartingwithaclockwiseloopinyourlefthandandbringingtheworkingend(right-handtail)downovertheloop.Completetheknotandfirmitupsothatthetoploopisfairlylargeandallthreestrandsareflatandalignedneatly.
2Makeaseconddoublecoinknot,thistimestartingwithaloopinyourrighthand,bringingtheworkingend(left-handtail)downacrosstheloop,aroundtheothertail,anddoublingbacktocreatethesecondknot..3Firmupthesecondknot,adjustingthepositionsothatitisfairly
closebutnotoverlappingthepreviousknot.Makesurethatnoneofthecordsaretwistedandthatallarelyingflatwithintheknot.
Tip
TipYoualwaysknowwhichsidetomaketheloopasyouusethetailthatiscomingfrombehindthepreviousknot.
4Continuetyingdoublecoinknotsoneaftertheother,swappingthestartpositionfromsidetosideeachtime.5Onceyouhavemadesixknots,checkthelengthofthecuff.Allowing
forthefastening,adjustthedistancebetweeneachknotifrequired.Overlapthecordstomakeacrossafterthefinalknot.Dependingonthestyleofyourendcap,eitherwrapthecordstogetherorsewacrosstokeepthecordflat(seeFinishingTechniques).Trimtheendsandstickintotheendcapsusingepoxyresinadhesive.
PROSPERITYKNOTBELTTheprosperityknotisalargeflatknotintheshapeofarectangle,whichmakesitperfectformakingintoabelt.Youcantiejustprosperityknotsoneaftertheother,butaddingadoublecoinknotinbetweenkeepsthebeltflatter,allowingyoutoadjustittoamoreaccuratelengthwiththebuckle.Toembellish,youcouldaddbeadsbetweentheknotsorhangcharmsfromoneortwooftheloops.
Youwillneed
•8.5m(9yd)of2mmwaxcottoncord•12mm(1⁄2in)widebuckle•Smallpieceofleather•E6000jewelleryglue
1Foldthecordinhalftofindthecentreandtieadoublecoinknotinthecentre,startingwithaloopinthelefthand.ReferringtoChineseKnots:ProsperityKnot,continuetotieaslightlylooseprosperityknot.Firmupbypushingalltheoverlappingcordsup,oneatatime,towardsthetopoftheknot,untiltherearetwoloopsleftatthebottom.
2Pullthetopleftcordthroughtopullupthebottomloopononeside.Repeatwiththeotherside.Thenpullthetailsoneatatimetofirmuptheknot.3Repeatthefirmingupprocessifnecessarytocreateacloselywoven
prosperityknotthatisabout12mm(1⁄2in)wide.Holdtheknotfirmlybetweenfingersandthumbsintwohandsandagitateslightlytoalignthecordsinamoreevenwovenpattern.
4Tieadoublecoinknotwiththetails,startingwithaloopintherighthandthistime.Oncetheknotistiedadjustthepositionsothatitisclosetotheprosperityknotbutnotoverlappingit.Firmupcarefullyasyouwillnotbeabletoadjustitlater.5Continuetotiealternateprosperityanddoublecoinknots.
Remembertoalternatethesidethestartloopison–left-handloopfortheprosperityknotandright-handloopforthedoublecoinknot.6Oncethebeltisthelengthrequiredallowingforoverlap,stopafter
tyingaprosperityknot.Looptheendsaroundthebeltbuckletwiceoneachsidetofillthegap,andsewsecurelyonthereverse.7Tomakethebeltloop,cuta1x3cm(1⁄8x11⁄8in)stripofleather.
Applygluetooneendoftheleatherstripandstickoverthestitchedcordendsbelowthebuckle.Wrapthestriparoundthebeltsothatitoverlapsonthereverseside,leavingalooplargeenoughfortheotherendofthebelttogothrough.Applyglueontheoverlappingstripandholdinplaceuntilthegluedries.Leavefor24hoursbeforeuse.
SNAKEKNOTTIEBACKSTheseinstructionsareforatiebackmeasuringabout40cm(16in)long,butthelengthcanbeeasilyadjusted:allow1.25m(50in)ofelasticcordforevery10cm(4in)offinishedbraid.Youcanleavethebraidplainorembellishitwithbeads.Astheelasticcordisveryfirmanddifficulttostitchthrough,itismucheasiertouseatapestryneedletocreateapathwayforthefinerneedlewhenaddingthebeads.
Youwillneed
•5m(51⁄2yd)of3mmtealelasticcord•SwarovskiElements:XILIONbeads5328,4mmpacificopalandchrysoliteopal,54each
•Seedbeadssize11(2.2mm)bluemarbledaquaandsilver-linedcrystal•Nylonbeadingthread•Size10beadingneedle•Tapestryneedle•Twoendcapswith3x9mminternaldimension•Epoxyresinadhesive
1Cuta45cm(18in)lengthofelasticcord,thencuttheremainingcordlengthintwopieces.ReferringtoKnottedBraids:SnakeKnot,workyoursnakeknotbraid.
2Tieaknotintheendofalengthofnylon(ormatchingcolour)beadingthreadandthreadasize10beadingneedle.Bendthebraidabout5cm(2in)fromtheendsothatyoucanseethecordpatternbetweentheloopsatoneside.Insertthetapestryneedlebetweenthetwostraightlengthsofbraidthatyoucansee.
TipItisalwaysmoresecuretoworkwithadoublelengthofthreadwhensewingbeadsontobraid.
3Pushthetapestryneedlethroughthebraidtocomeoutbetweentheloopsontheotherside.Leavethetapestryneedleinplace;thisisthepaththatthefinerthreadedneedlewilltakethroughthebraid.4Securethenylonthreadbetweenthetwosideloopsabovethe
tapestryneedle.Pickupanaquaseedbead,apacificopalXILION,anaquaseedbead,asilver-linedseedbead,achrysoliteopalXILION,asilver-linedseedbead,anaquaseedbead,apacificopalXILION,andanaquaseedbead.
5Laythebeadsatanangleacrossthebraid,thentakethebeadingneedlebackthroughbesidethetapestryneedle.Pullbothneedlesthroughatthesametime.6Pullthethreadtauttosecurethebeadsacrossthebraid.Insertthe
tapestryneedlethroughthebraidagainbetweenthenextloops,inpreparationtoaddanotherlineofbeads.ThistimereversetheorderoftheXILIONS,addingtwochrysoliteandonepacificopal.7Repeattoaddlinesofbeads,stoppingabout5cm(2in)fromtheend
ofthebraid.Sewinthethreadendssecurely.
8Trimthecordendstothesamelength,leavingtailsabout2cm(3⁄4in)long.Mixalittleepoxyresinadhesiveanduseacocktailsticktoapplyinsideoneendcap.Pushtwoofthecordendsintotheendcapanduseacocktailstick(orawl)topushtheremainingcordinplace.Repeattoattachanendcapattheotherend,andleavetodry.
TipTogivethefinishedtiebackmaximumimpactbuy(ormake)morebraidcordsintoningcolours,cuttingthemsothatsomeareslightlyshorterthanthesnakeknotropeandothersslightlylonger.Finishwithwhippedloopsateachendandsecurearoundthecurtainwithribbon.
SWITCHBACKBRACELETThisbraceletisnotasetpatternandcanbemadewithyourowncombinationofdifferentknottingtechniques.Workapproximately51cm(20in)sothatitwrapsaroundyourwristthreetimes,andcheckthepositioningofthebeadsonthebraceletasyougoastheyshouldbeonthetopofyourwristratherthanbelow.
braceletasyougoastheyshouldbeonthetopofyourwristratherthanbelow.
Youwillneed
•1.25m(11⁄2yd)of1mmoff-whitepearlizedleathercord•3m(31⁄4yd)eachof1mmand1.5mmbrownwaxcottoncord•5m(51⁄2yd)ofcreamSuperlon™Tex400(0.9mm)•SwarovskiElements:SquareMini-beads,eight6mmlightsilk•Doubledelica(size8)seedbeads,approx50darktopazrainbow103•Metalbutton•E6000jewelleryglueorepoxyresinadhesive•Pinboardandmappins(optional)
1Foldtheleathercordinhalf.Topreventthepearlizedleathergettingdamaged,loopashortpieceofscrapcordarounditusingalark’sheadknotandsecuretoapinboardorworksurface.
2Usingthe1.5mmwaxcottoncordandreferringtoSwitchbackBraids:SingleCordSwitchbackBraid,begintoworkan8cm(3in)lengthofregularswitchbackbraidovertheleathercord.Afterabout2.5cm(1in)adjustthesizeofthelooptosuitthebuttonyouareusingforthebraceletandthencontinue.
3Pickup14doubledelicasoneachendoftheleathercord.Droponeofthetailsofthewaxcottoncordandworkstitchedswitchback(see
SwitchbackBraids:StitchedSwitchbackStrap)pushingbeadsupbetweentheknots,securingtheminplaceasyoutiethenextknot.
4ChangetothecreamSuperlon™Texandworkan8cm(3in)lengthofregularswitchback.Workthefirsthalfofamacramésquareknot(seeMacramé:MacraméKnots).Pickupasquaremini-beadononecordandfeedtheothertailthroughtheholeintheoppositedirection.
TipMelttheendofthecordwithalighterflameandtrimtomakeiteasiertofeeditthroughthebead.
5Tieasquareknotaroundbothleathercordssothatthebeadissittingflat.Addsevenmoremini-beads,tyingasquareknotaftereachone.Workanother2.5cm(1in)ofswitchbackincream.6Continuetoworkthesecondhalfofthebracelet,usingdifferent
thicknessesofcord,changingfromregularswitchbacktostitchedswitchback,incorporatingdoubledelicabeadsorworkingalength
switchback,incorporatingdoubledelicabeadsorworkingalengthwithoutbeadsasyouchoose.Finishwithalengthofregularswitchbackworkedwiththe1mmwaxcord.
7Checkthelength,thentiethebuttonontotheendoftheleathercords;trimtheleatherandsticktothereversesideofthebuttonusingepoxyresinorE6000jewelleryglue.
RHINESTONEBRACELETSMicromacraméworkedwithafineknottingcordisperfectformakingdelicatejewellery.Seedbeadscanbeaddedtotheoutercordstomakeasimplebeadedbraceletoraddalittleblingbyknottingthecordsaroundrhinestonecupchain.
Youwillneed
•11cm(41⁄4in)of4mm(stretchedout)rhinestonecupchain•2.5m(23⁄4yd)of1mmnylonknottingcord•E6000jewelleryglue•Pinboardandmappins(optional)
1Cuta50cm(20in)lengthfromtheknottingcord,andfoldbothpiecesinhalf.Pinortapetheshortlengthtotheworksurfacewiththeloopatthetop.Tiethelongerpieceofcordaroundtheshortlengthwithanoverhandknot.
TipFliptheoverhandknottothereversesideafteryouhavetiedittomakeaneatertransitiontothemacramé.
2Fora17.5cm(7in)longbracelet,work3cm(11⁄8in)ofsquareknots(seeMacraméBasics:MacraméKnots).Insertapinortapeatthebottomoftheknotstoholdtheminplace.3Laythelengthofcupchainontopofthetwocordthreads.Worka
squareknotbetweeneachrhinestoneonthecupchain(seeAddingBeadstoMacramé:AddingRhinestones).Looktoseewherethebarisontopoftheprevioussquareknot:ifitisontheright,thenbeginthenextsquaresquareknotwiththerightcord;ifitisontheleft,startwiththeleftcord.Continueworkingasquareknotbetweeneveryrhinestone,alternatingthesideyoubegintheknottokeepthesquareknotsbalanced.4Finishthemacraméwitha3cm(11⁄8in)sectionofsquareknotsor
workthelengthtomatchtheotherend.Checkthelengthofthebraceletandadjustifnecessary.Workatwo-strandbuttonknotovertwocords,weavingthecordsinpairs(seeChineseKnots:ButtonKnot).Tightenthebuttonknotgradually,pullingthecordsthroughsothatitissittingabout3–5mm(1⁄8–1⁄4in)fromthesquareknots.
5Applyalittleglueinsidethebuttonknotwherethecordsemergeatthebase,andtrimthecordsoncethegluehasdried.Checkthattheloopattheotherendofthebraceletgoesoverthebuttonknotsnugly.Youcanadjustslightlybypullingthemacraméknotsdownorupthecentrecorecords.Applyalittleglueonthereversesidetosecuretheloopatthecorrectsize.
BeadedmacramébraceletBeginthebraceletinexactlythesamewayastherhinestonebracelet,andinsteadofaddingthecupchaininthecentresection,pickupasize6(3.5mm)seedbeadoneachoutercordandtiethenextsquareknot(seeAddingBeadstoMacramé:AddingBeadstoWorkingCords).Youwillneed20seedbeadsfora17.5cm(7in)bracelet.
MACRAMÉBROOCHMacraméisoftenthoughtofasarathercrudechunkyknottingtechnique,butwhenworkedinfinecordsittransformsintoratherelegantmicromacramé.Choosecoordinatingcolourstocreatearainboweffectacrossthisprettybrooch.
Youwillneed
•1.5m(13⁄4yd)eachofSuperlon™cordinpurple,lilac,coral,lightgreyandduskypink
•20cm(8in)of1mm(19swg)halfhardsterlingsilverwire•Seedbeads:size6(3.5mm)mattesilver,size10(2mm)colour-linedpeach,size11(2.2mm)silver-linedcrystalandemeraldraspberrygoldlustre
•Ultrasuede™10cm(4in)square•Broochback•Jewellerytools•Chasinghammerandsteelblock(optional)•Foamcoreboard•Mappins•Adhesivetape•Springclip(optional)
1Bendthesilverwireinhalftocreateaslightlyroundended‘V’shape.ArrangetheSuperlon™cordsinorderreadytouse:purple,lilac,coral,lightgreyandduskypink.
2Pickupasilver-linedcrystalseedbeadonthepurplecordanddroptothecentre.Foldthecordinhalfandlayitoverthewireononesideofthe‘V’.Takethetailsoverthewireandbackthroughthelooptomakeareverselark’sheadknot(KnottingBasics:BasicKnots).
3Workahalf-hitchoneitherside(seeMacraméBasics:MacraméKnots).Repeatsteps2and3withtheothercolouredcords,addingabeadeachtime.
4Laythewireshapeonthefoamcoreboardandtapeinposition.*Bringtheendpurplecordacrossparalleltothewire.Workadoublehalf-hitchwitheachcordinturn(seeMultistrandMacramé:StraightHalf-hitchRib).
5Insertamappinattheendoftherib,thentakethepurplecordbackacrosstheverticalcordsataslightangle.Securewithtapeoraspringclip.Workdoublehalf-hitcheswiththeduskypinkcordsandthefirstgreycord.Pickupacolour-linedpeachseedbeadonthenextgreycordandworkdoublehalf-hitchesagain.
TipThebeadsaddedontheverticalcordswilldeterminetheangleofthehalf-hitchrib.
6Workdoublehalf-hitcheswiththefirstcoralcord,thenpickuptwosilver-linedcrystalseedbeadsonthenextcoralcord;securewithdoublehalf-hitches.Addthreeemeraldraspberrygoldlustreseedbeadsonthefirstlilaccord,securingwithdoublehalf-hitchesagain.
7Workdoublehalf-hitchesonthenextlilaccordbeforefinishingwithasilver-linedcrystal,asize6mattesilverandasilver-linedcrystalontheremainingpurplecord.Workthelastdoublehalf-hitch.
8Repeatfrom*instep4sixorseventimes,dependingonyour
8Repeatfrom*instep4sixorseventimes,dependingonyourtension,untilthesemicircleofmacramécurvesaroundtomeetthewireagain.Takethepurplecordbacktotheoutsideedgeagain,workingstraighthalf-hitchrib.Workdoublehalf-hitcheswitheachcordinturnoverthewire.
9Tuckallthecordtailsbehindthesilverwire.Pickuptwosilver-linedcrystals,asize6mattesilverseedbeadandtwosilver-linedcrystalsonthefirstduskypinkcord.Workadoublehalf-hitchontheothersideofthewire‘V’shape.Attachthenextduskypinkcordwithoutbeads.10Repeatonthetwogreycordsandthenworkdownthewire,adding
beadsonthefirstofeachcolour,reducingthenumberofsilver-linedbeadsasthegapbetweenthewiresnarrows.
11Workasemicircleinmacramétomatchthefirstside,endingwithastraighthalf-hitchrib.Workadoublehalf-hitchwiththefirstcordandaddasilver-linedcrystal.Workanotherdoublehalf-hitchwiththesamecordtosecurethebead.Repeatwitheverysecondcord.12Foldthecordendsoverthebackofthemacraméandstitchinvisibly
withtinystitches.Trimneatly.CutUltrasuede™tofiteachsemicircleandstitchinplaceinvisiblyaroundtheedge.
13Sewabroochbacktoonesideonthereverseofthebrooch,stitchingrightthroughtotherightside,thencomingbackthroughtothereversesothatthetinystitchishiddenbetweenthemacraméknots.Sewtheendsinsecurely.
Braiding
PLAITEDSILKANDPEARLNECKLACEThree-strandplaitingisoneofthesimplestbraidingtechniques,andbecauseofitssimplicityyoucanbraidquitechunkystrandstogetherincorporatinganeclecticmixofmaterials.Silkorganzaanddelicatepearlsmakeanelegantnecklaceforevening,orchooseafunfabricwithbrightbeadsforasummer’sday.
Youwillneed
•Silkorganza,50x30cm(20x12in)palepink•Pearls,approx2004mmdustypink•1.3m(49in)eachofchainingold,antiquegoldandbronze•3m(31⁄4yd)of8mm(5⁄16in)KojakuribboninStrasborgCanal•3m(31⁄4yd)eachof5mm(1⁄4in)Isukiribboninmanilaandsoftpink•1m(39in)of19strand0.38mm(0.015in)beadstringingwire•Fine0.315mm(30swg)wire
•Twoeyepinsantiquegold-plated•Twoendcapsantiquegold-platedwith10mminternaldiameter•Palepinksewingthread
•Needles:sewingandlargetapestry•Lobsterclawfastening12mmantiquegold•Jumpring6mmantiquegold•Smallbeadspringsortape•Jewellerytools•E6000jewelleryglue
1Cutthesilkorganzaintothree10cm(4in)widestrips.Foldeachinhalflengthwaysandsewdownthecentrewithrunningstitch.Sewinthethreadendssecurelyandleavelongtails.Usearouleauloopturningtooltohookoneendandpullthefabrictubeinsideout.Youcouldalsouseatapestryneedletiedtothethreadtailstopullthefabrictubethroughtotherightside.Repeattoturntheothertwotubesinsideout.
2Useacoolirontopressthesilktubeswiththeseamononeedgeandlaythemsidebysideontheworksurface.Cuttheribbonsinto50cm(20in)lengths.Laytwolengthsofeachoftheribbonontopofeachofthesilktubes.3Cutthebeadstringingwireinhalf.Attachanarrowstripoftapeor
beadspring5cm(2in)fromtheend.Pickuphalfthepearlsoneachstringandsecurewithtapeorabeadspring.Laybeadstringsontopoftwoofthesilktubes.Wrapthethreetubestogetherwiththefinewiresothat
thesilktubes.Wrapthethreetubestogetherwiththefinewiresothatribbonsandpearlsarelyingontopofthesilktubes.
4Cutthechainsinhalfandfeedthefinewireintotheendlinks.Wrapwireafewtimestosecure.Laytwochainsontopofeachofthethreebundles.Securethewiredendofthepreparedbundlestotheworksurfacewithtapeoraspringclip.Plaitthebundleskeepingthetubesoffabricfairlyflatwiththechain,pearlsandribbononthetopsurface(seePlaiting:Three-strndPlaiting).
5Plaitabout35cm(14in)totheendofthepearls,thensecuretheplaitagain,wrappingthesilk,pearlstringandribbonswithfinewire.Trimthechainssothattheyarelevelwiththewrappedwireandsecurebythreadingthewirethroughtheendlinksonlysothattheywillsitbelowtheendcap.Wrapwirearoundafewmoretimes.
6Trimtheexcessfabricandribbonsabovethewrappedwiresothattherawendswillfitinsidetheendcap.Glueanendcapovereachendoftheplaittocoverthewiresandrawedgesandleavetodry.Attachabout13cm(5in)ofchaintoeachend.Finishwithajumpringandlobsterclawfastening.
CHAINPLAITNECKLACEThisbeautifulnecklacemakesarealstatementbutisactuallyquiteeasytocreate.Thebaseismadebyplaitingembroiderycottonandribbonintochunkychain,thenheadpindanglesareattached.Thefinisheddesignisthendrapedwithfinechain.
Youwillneed
•Antiquecopperchain:30cm(12in)with15x12mmlinks,1m(39in)with3x4mmlinks,and20cm(8in)with6x5mmlinks•DMCcottonperlé:oneskeineachofplumandorange
•50cm(18in)eachof1cm(3⁄8in)organzaribboninlilacandpaleorange•1.5m(13⁄4yd)offinechaingold-platedchainwith3x2mmlinks•40cm(16in)oftubularwiremeshinburgundy
•SwarovskiElements:•LargeDomebeads5541,three15mmcrystallilacshadow•SmallDomebeads5542,two8mmcrystallilacshadow•RoundCrystalbeads5000,four8mmcrystallilacshadow,214mmcrystalcopper•RoundCrystalpearls5818,two8mm,three6mmandfour4mmblackberry•DropCrystalpearls5816,two11.5x6mmblackberry
•CoinCrystalpearls5860,five14mmblackberry•14ballendheadpins4cmantiquecopper•Finewireforwrapping•Twoendcapsantiquecopperwith8mminternaldiameter•E6000jewelleryglueorepoxyresinadhesive
•Jewellerytools•Lobsterclawfastening9mmantiquecopper
•Jumpringsantiquecopper:two4mmandone6mm
1Openouttheskeinsofcottonperléthencutthrougheachofthebundlesattheknot.Layalengthofmatchingorganzaribbonontopofeachoftheembroideryskeins.
2Securethetwobundleswithanoverhandknot.Ontheorange,layalengthofthefinegold-platedchaincuttosize,andontheplumlaythelengthofmetalmesh.Plaitthebundlesintothechainwiththelargestlinks(seePlaitingwithBeadsandChain:Two-strandPlaitingwithChain).Securetheplaitingateachendwithfinewire.3Trimtheendfromfiveheadpins.Makealoopononeendofeach.
Pickupacoincrystalpearloneachloopheadpin.Bendthetailoveratrightangles,trimto7mm(9⁄32in)andmakealoopontheend(seeGeneralTechniques:MakingaPlainLoop).
4Attachonecoincrystalblackberrypearlbeadlinktothecentreoftheplaitedchain.Workingtoeithersideofthiscentrebeadlink,missthreelinks,thenattachanothercoincrystalblackberrypearlbead,andrepeattoaddtheremainingtwobeadlinks.Tomakethelargedangles,pickupa6mmroundcrystalblackberrypearl,alargedomebeadanda4mmroundcrystalcopperbead.Makealoopontheend.Attachtothecentralcoinbeadlink.Maketwootherdanglesthesameandattachtothecoinbeadlinkateitherside.
5Tomakethesmallerbeaddanglesinthesamestyle,usea4mm
5Tomakethesmallerbeaddanglesinthesamestyle,usea4mmroundcrystalpearl,smalldomebeadanda4mmroundcrystalcopperbead.Attachtotheoutercoinbeadlinks.6Pickupan8mmcrystalblackberrypearl,8mmroundcrystallilac
shadowbead,a4mmroundblackberrypearlanda4mmcrystalcopperbead.Makeintoadanglewithaloopandattachtothemiddlelinkbetweenthetwooutercoinbeadlinksoneachsideofthenecklace.7Trimtheendofftwoheadpins,anduseE6000jewellerygluetostick
ablackberrydropcrystalpearlontoeach.Oncedrypickupa4mmcrystalcopperbead,an8mmcrystallilacshadowbead,a4mmroundblackberrypearlanda4mmcrystalcopperbead.Makealoopontheendandattachtothemiddlechainlinkateithersideofthecentredangle.8Securetherestofthefinegoldchaintooneendoftheplaitingby
wrappingwithmorefinewire.Drapethechainaroundthenecklace,usingabodkintofeedthewirethroughtheplaitonthereverseside.fromtimetotimetosecure.Repeatwiththeantiquecopperchainwith3x4mmlinks,andthentrimandsecurebothlengthstotheotherendoftheplaitwithfinewire.Sewtheremainingcrystalcopperroundbeadsintothefrontoftheplaitrandomly.
9TrimtheplaitabovethewrappedwireandthenattachanendcaptoeachendwithstronggluesuchasE6000orepoxyresin(seeFinishingTechniques).Attacha10cm(4in)lengthoftheantiquecopperchainwith6x5mmlinkstoeachendcap.Checkthelengthandtrimthechainifrequired.Attachalobsterclawfasteningtooneendofthechainwithasmalljumpringanduseasmalljumpringtoattachalargerjumpringtocompletethefasteningattheotherend.
ROUNDBRAIDEARRINGSEmbellishedwithSwarovskiElementsincludingbeautifulBaroquependants,theseelegantearringsareeasytomake.Superlon™,astiffnyloncord,isusedtomakeafinefirmbraid,thentheearringsarefinishedwithhigh-qualityendcapsdesignedespeciallyfortwo4–5mmcords.
Youwillneed
•1m(39in)eachofSuperlon™cordindeeppink,darkgrey,steelgreyandteal•Sewingthreadandneedle
•SwarovskiElements:•Baroquependant6090,two16mmruby•XILIONbeads5328,two6mmruby,two6mmpacificopal•Crystalpearl5810,two6mmTahitian-look
•TwoSilversilkCapturedouble-strandendcapgunmetalwith8x9mminternaldimensions•Twoheadpinsgunmetal
•Twojumpringsgunmetal•Twotrianglebailsgunmetal•Twoearringwiresgunmetal•Kumihimodisk•Weightapprox100g(4oz)•Sewingthread•Jewellerytools•Nylon-jawpliers
1PreparetheSuperlon™threadsbypressinglightlywithamediumsteamirontostraightenoutthecurvesandmakethethreadmoresupple.Foldthebundleofcordsinhalfandsetupthedisk(seeKumihimo:PreparingtoBraid),arrangingthecordsinthestartingpositionshowninthediagram.
Startingposition
2ReferringtoRoundBraids:RoundBraid2,worka20cm(8in)length.Removethebraidfromthediskandwrapneartheendwithsewingthread.Measure8cm(3in)andwrapagain.Leaveasmallgap,thenwrapwiththreadonemoretime,beforemeasuringasecond8cm(3in)length.Cutthebraidintotwopiecesclosetothewrapping(seealsoFinishingTechniques:Wrapping).
3Takeoneoftheroundbraidpiecesandinserttheendsintooneoftheendcaps,squeezingwithnylon-jawplierstoclosetosecurethebraidendsinplace.Repeattomaketheotherearring.
4AttachatrianglebailtoeachBaroquependantbead,thenattachajumpring(seeGeneralTechniques:AddingaJumpRing).Tuckthejump
ringbetweentheendsofthebraidandstitchinplacewithtinystitchessothatitissecuredinvisiblyasshownabove.
5Tomakethebeaddangles,pickuparubyXILIONbead,acrystalpearl,andapacificopalXILIONbeadontoaheadpin.Makealargeloop(seeGeneralTechniques:MakingaPlainLoop),andthreadontooneoftheshortbraidlengths.Repeatforthesecondearring.6Tofinisheachearring,openthelooponanearringwireandattachto
theloopontheendcap.
SQUAREBRAIDNECKLACESquarebraidhasamoredistinctiveflat-sidedstructurewhenworkedinleatherandproducesafirmbraidthatcanbeshapedtofitaroundtheneck.Thebraidisfinishedwithattractiveendcapsthatbecomepartofthedesignofthenecklace.Workedhereingoldthedesignwouldlookequallygoodinsilverorgunmetal.
Youwillneed
•8m(83⁄4yd)of1.5mmpearlizedivoryleathercord•Fourendcapsgold-platedwith8mminternaldiameter
•SwarovskiElements:•RoundCrystalpearls5810,nine8mmandone4mmnightblue•Artemisbead5540,one17mmcrystalgoldenshadow
•0.6mm(24swg)gold-platedwire•Headpingold-plated•Threejumpringsgold-plated•Barrelfasteninggold-plated•Kumihimoplate•Weightapprox100g(4oz)•Finewire•Jewellerytools•E6000jewelleryglue
1Cuttheleathercordintofourequalpiecesandattachwithalark’sheadloopinthemiddle.ReferringtoKumihimo:RoundBraids:SquareBraid,setupthediskandworka36cm(14in)lengthofsquarebraid.
2Removethebraidfromthediskandsecurethelooseendwithawrappingoffinewire.Measure15cm(6in)andwrapthebraidwithfinewire.Leaveasmallgapthenwrapthebraidwithwireagain.Measureanother15cm(6in),thenwrapwithwireonelasttime.Cutthebraidintotwopiecesclosetothewirewrapping.3Glueanendcapontoeachendofthetwopiecesofsquarebraid;
leavetodry(seeFinishingTechniques).
4Makeeightofthe8mmcrystalpearlsintoindividualbeadlinksusingthe0.6mm(24swg)wire(seeGeneralTechniques:MakingaPlainLoop).Jointhebeadlinkstogetherintwogroupsoffour.
5Attachonelengthofthebeadlinksontoeachlengthofsquarebraid.Thepearlbeadlinklengthswillbejoinedtogetherwithajumpring,butfirstmakethecentreArtemisbeaddangle.Pickuptheremaining8mmcrystalpearlontheheadpin,thentheArtemisbeadandthecrystal4mmpearl.Foldovertheheadpinatthetop,trimto7mm(9⁄32in),andmakeaplainloop.6OpenthetopoftheArtemisbeaddangle,andattachwithajumpring
inthemiddleofthepearlbeadlinklengths.Useajumpringtoattachthefasteningtotheendcapsattheendofthesquarebraidsections.
STACKINGBEADEDBRACELETSSeveralnarrowbraceletsworntogetherinastackareoneofthemostpopulartrendsinjewelleryandtheperfectwaytoshowoffthisprettydesign,whichisa
variationoftheroundedflatbraidworkedinthickandthincordswiththebeadsaddedonthethincords.Solongasthethinstrandsareplacedwhereshowninthestartingpositiondiagram,youcantryallsortsofcolourvariationstomakeamatchingsetofstackingbracelets.Thematerialslistedaresufficienttomakeonebracelet,measuring17cm(63⁄4in)long.
Youwillneed
•2m(21⁄8yd)of2mmsilvergreyrattail•1m(39in)eachofSuperlon™cordinpurpleandteal
•Seedbeadssize8(3mm),16eachofpurpleirisandsilvergloss•Kumihimosquareplate
•Weightapprox100g(4oz)•Magneticorlobsterclawfastening•Ribboncrimp6mm•Twojumprings4mm•E6000jewelleryglue
1Laythecordssidebysideandloopthescrapoffinecordaroundthemiddleusingalark’sheadknot.Setupthecordsinthesquareplatereadytoworktheroundedflatbraid(seeKumihimo:FlatBraids:UsingaSquarePlatetoMakeaRoundedFlatBraid).Togetthisexactpatternarrangethecordsasshowninthediagram.
Startingposition
Itisespeciallyimportantwithaflatbraidtokeepthecordsinthecorrectslotssothatthebraidisevenandthethreadssitatthecorrectangle.
2PickupeightpurpleirisseedbeadsoneachofthepurpleSuperlon™strandsandeightsilverglossseedbeadsonthetealSuperlon™strands,tyingaknotattheendofthestrandstostopthebeadsfallingoff.3Worktheroundedflatbraidkeepingthefineyarnsslightlylooseso
thattheyshowasa‘v’shapeonthefrontofthebraid.Work6cm(23⁄8in)ofroundedflatbraidwithoutbeadsfinishingattheendofthefour-pairsequenceofmovessothatthecordsarebackintheoriginalposition.4Begintoincorporatethebeadsduringthenextsequence.Whenthe
finecordsarebeingmovedfromthesidepositiontothebottom(fromEto15andeto16),addabeadoneachside,allowingthebeadstofalldowntotheworksothateachbeadistuckedundertheothercolourofSuperlon™cordcurrentlyinthedandDslots.You’lladdbeadsonthepurplecordononefour-pairsequenceandonthetealcordinthenext.
5Onceyouhaveaddedallthebeads,continueworkingtheunembellishedroundedflatbraidforanother6cm(23⁄8in).Removethecordsfromtheslots,wraponeoftheSuperlon™cordsaroundthebottomofthebraidandtieareefknottosecure.
6Checkthelengthofthebraceletincludingthefastening.ReferringtoFinishingTechniques:FinishingwithCordEnds,EndCapsandCones,attachtheribboncrimpstotheendsofthebraid:securetheendsbystitching,trimneatly,andstickinplacewithE6000jewelleryglue.Leavetodryfor24hoursbeforeattachingthefasteningtoeachendwithajumpring.
KUMIHIMOHOLLOWBRAIDBROOCHWireKumihimobraidisphenomenallytactileandeasilymanipulated.AbitofexperimentingwiththeflattenedwirebraidcreatedthisfabulousCelticknotshapethatevolvedintoastunningbrooch.Thedesignwouldalsoworkasahairdecoration.
Youwillneed
•50greelsof0.315mm(30swg)wireinsteelgreyandchampagne•SwarovskiElements:•SolarisFancyStones4678,one23mmcrystalsilvernight,one14mmcrystalluminousgreenandthree8mmdarkmossgreen•SolarisFancystonesettings4678/G,one23mm,one14mm,andthree8mm•XILIONbeads5328,eighteachin3mmlightsilk:jonquil,olivine,andblackdiamond•Kumihimodisk
•Weightapprox100g(4oz)•Broochback•Finewire•Beadingneedle•Jewellerytools
Startingposition
1Usingpegssecured50cm(20in)apartonthebench,windeachcolourofwirearound16times(seeKumihimo:WorkingwithWire:Preparingthewire).Separateintogroupsoffourandthencutintolengths.Setupthediskfor16-strandhollowbraid(Kumihimo:HollowBraids):youdon’tneedacoreasthewirewillholdtheroundshapeasyouwork.Arrangethecolouredwiresingroupsoffourandalternatethecoloursallthewayround.
TipAweightofaround100–150g(4-6oz)willhelptokeeptheweavingevenalongthelength.
2WorkthebraidasdescribedinKumihimo:HollowBraids:16-strandHollowBraid.Afteryouworkclockwisewithonecolourandthenanticlockwisewiththeother,givetheweightatugtopullthebraiddownthroughtheholeinthemiddleofthedisk.
3Continuetoworkthebraid.Thenatureoftheweavingtechniquewillmeanthatthewiresshouldliesidebysideasyouworktocreateanevenflatbraid.Fromtimetotimecheckthepositioningofthewiresandrearrangesidebysidesothatthebraidisasevenaspossible.4Oncethebraidiscomplete,removeitfromthediskandflatten.
Removethelark’sheadloopfromtheendofthebraid.Holdthebraidandpushintowardsthemiddletocreateawidersection.
5Tietheendsofthebraidinanoverhandknotshape,overlappingthestartendoverthebottomedgeofthewireshape.ArrangethewirebraidintoanattractiveCelticknotshapeandfoldthebraidendovertheedgetosecure.
6Shapethewidestpartofthebroochshapeoveryourfingerssothatithasacurvedcross-section.Setthefancystonesintotheirsettings:lay
thestonesontopofthesettingsothatitislevel,thenusesnipe-noseplierstobendeachofthelugsoverthestoneinturn.
7Thelargestfancystonehasadeepsettingsoyouneedtomakea‘dip’forittorestinsothatitisnotraisedonthefinisheddesign.Foldthelooseendofthewirebraidatrightanglesasitcrossestheholeinthebrooch.Foldacrosstheholeallowingforthedepthofthesetting,thenfoldbackupattheothersideofthehole.8Securethewirebraidonthereversesideofthebroochbystitching
withfinewire,andtrimtheexcess.Setthelargestfancystoneintothegapsothattheholesinthesideofthesettingarelevelwiththebraid.Sewinplacewithfinewire.9Sewtheremainingfancystonesonthetopofthebrooch.Pickupa
selectionofXILIONbeadsandarrangeonafinewirearoundthecurveofthelargestfancystoneandcouchdownbyoversewingacrossthewireandbetweentheXILIONbeads.SewmoreXILIONbeadsaroundtheedgeofthehole.
10Stitchabroochfitmentontothereverseofthebrooch,tothebraidthatrunsbeneaththelargestfancystone.Checktheshaping,curvingthewiremeshsmoothlyoveryourfingerssothatthebroochbackisinsetratherthanstandingproudbeyondthelevelofthebackofthebrooch.
Suppliers
ThecompanieslistedallhadKumihimoandknottingsuppliesatthetimeofprinting.Checkthewebsitesforparticularcordsandfindingsasstockschangefromtimetotime.
UKandEuropeBeadsDirectTel:01509218028Email:[email protected]:www.beadsdirect.co.uk
BeadWorkshopTel:01333424400Email:[email protected]:www.beadworkshop.co.uk
CareyCompanyTel:01404813486Email:[email protected]:www.careycompany.com
HeavenlyBeadsTel:01324228353Email:[email protected]:www.heavenlybeads.co.uk
I-BeadsTel:02073676217Email:[email protected]:www.i-beads.co.ukFR:www.i-perles.frDE:www.i-perlen.de
AT:www.i-perlen.at
Nosek’sJustGemsTel:01225706222Email:[email protected]:www.noseksjustgems.com
StitchCraftCreateWeb:www.stitchcraftcreate.co.uk
TheLondonBeadCompanyTel:02072679403Email:[email protected]:www.londonbead.co.uk
USAAccentBeadDesignTel:9169411104Email:[email protected]:www.accentbead.com
TheBeadShopTel:6503866962Email:[email protected]:www.beadshop.com
TheSatinCordStoreTel:8887288245Email:[email protected]:www.satincords.com
Acknowledgments
I’vethoroughlyenjoyedwritingthisnewbible,focussingonknottingandbraidingtechniques.Mytwopreviousbibles,TheBeader’sBibleandTheBeadJewelleryBible,havebeenahugesuccessandIhopethatthisnewbookencourageslotsofpeopletotryoutsomefabulousnewtechniques.ItwasanewchallengeresearchingthedifferentknotsandbraidsandIwouldliketothanktwofriends,CaroleCowieandShelaghFraser,fortheirhelpmakingsomeofthebraidsamplesandsmallprojects.Thankstoallsuppliersfortheirgenerositysupplyingmaterialsusedinthebook.Allbooksrequireabackgroundteamandthisisnoexception.I’dparticularlyliketothankJeniHennahforcommissioningthebook,editorSarahCallardforkeepingmeontrackandCharlyBaileyforafantasticbookdesign.ThanksalsotoCherylBrownforcopyeditingthemanuscript.FinallythankstoAllyStuartforherskilledstep-by-stepphotographyandJackKirbyforthebeautifulfinishedshots.
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