Friday, January 16, 2009

Kumihimo

At the monthly smocking guild meeting last night we learned a new (to us) braiding technique called kumihimo. We used this little foam disc that has slits around the edge.

The braid forms in the center as you move the threads around the disc.

A fishing weight keeps the braid hanging nicely!

The finished braid. For this one I used strands of regular ol' DMC floss, but you can use just about anything you want. I'm thinking of making one with some beads, maybe use some silk ribbon for another. Once you get the rhythm down, it's a very relaxing activity.

Take a look here to see just how easy it is!

5 comments:

Cindy said...

That is really cool! I think that the braid would be a fun alternative to doing a twisted cord. Where do you find the foam loom?

Rachel V said...

Now how cool is that?

Lynn said...

This looks like fun. I've never seen anything like it around here. I agree with Cindy, it might look nice instead of twisted cord.

Dani - tkdchick said...

I did my fist attempt on Kumihimo back in the fall its pretty cool. But too bad there aren't lots of great free diagrams on the net. It seems a closely guarded secret!

Anonymous said...

That looks neat! I can't wait to see what you use it for. I agree with the others that it would be a nice substitute for cording in a finishing project.