Friday, May 10, 2013

Making do!

Kumihimo is a Japanese braiding technique that is fun and relaxing.  It also creates an interesting beaded chain for bracelets and necklaces.  I had a piece that I bought years ago that needed a special cording to hang it from.  I'd tried making some beaded and chained pieces for it but none of them seemed to complement the piece..... until now.

When making a bracelet, the cording is cut two feet long.  For a 20" necklace I cut the pieces 60" long as the ratio for the braiding is 3 to 1.  Also, the use of the longer pieces requires a bobbin at the end of each cord.  The bobbins keep the cords from tangling during the wrapping process.

As the bobbins work up to the Kumihimo board they have to be unwrapped and repositioned.  It is easier to loosen the bobbins when not holding onto the board.  So...... I looked around for something to hold the board and it's cords.  What I found was a foldable magnifying stand that I bought in Florida.  It actually resembles the holders that are used in the Kumihimo process.




The beads weren't quite what I wanted, but in the end I think these do work.  Remember, I did not make the focal point.  Not sure who did, but I bought it long before I got into jewelry making.


2 comments:

Zoe Nelson said...

Looks a lot like bead crochet. I've done a lot of that, but it takes a looooong time. Maybe kumihimo is faster?

Alice Walkowski said...

I' ve never done bead crochet so I can't compare. But once the beads are strung on the cords it doesn't take long to make and it is relaxing.