Kumihimo Flower Hair Pin

unikatissima Kumihimo Flower Hair Pin

I found a site with a cute Kumihimo flower hair pin that is made from a beautiful Japanese knot.

On the photo you can see my Kumihimo cord which I want to use to make such a Kumihimo flower but the cord isn’t finished, yet.
I think that I will embellish it later with some beads because the single-coloured cord will possibly look bland.


Links:
Kumihimo Flower Hair Pin
The instruction for it has two parts:
Knot tutorial part 1
Knot tutorial part 2

Here at unikatissima:
Entries with the tag ‘kumihimo’
The Treasure Knot

Woven Trash Basket

craftster Woven Trash Basket.jpg

Somehow I always thought that you have to buy a lot of special items to make a woven basket, I’d’ve never thought that you can just begin with two wooden picture frames, wooden Kebab skewers and twine. But you can!
(Eh, it may be that I forgot something, best you read the original instruction ;-))
I’m thrilled about this and have to see whether it finds a place somewhere on my just-do-it-list ;-)


Links:
Hands off my trash! with tutorial (loads of pics)

Braided Bracelet with Beads

unikatissima Braided Bracelet with Beads.jpg

(Click on picture to enlarge)
Recently I saw a woman in the underground wearing a bracelet that I liked.
It looked quite easy and after trying it I noticed that it is ;-)

 

That’s what you do:
unikatissima Braided Bracelet with Beads Knot seven threads together and fix somewhere.
String beads on the middle thread and part the other six threads in two strands.
Note: I used some cotton crochet thread for the test because I didn’t have no beads to be strung on heavier yarn.

 

unikatissima Braided Bracelet with Beads Braid the three strands just like you’d do with your hair.
Make sure that the threads of the strands made of several threads lay neatly side by side.
As for the middle thread let lay a bead between the other strands at every braid.

 

Braid until you reached the desired length for a bracelet or a necklace and add a matching closure at both ends (links to closures see below).

The bracelet I’ve seen was made of hemp or the like, but I think that it would look great with fine leather strings, too.
As well I guess that one could use different sized beads and of course you can omit the beads.


Google search results for the making of closures:
Google search result for ‘bracelet closure’
Google image search result for ‘bracelet closure’

Google search result for ‘armband verschluss anleitung’
Google image search result for ‘armband verschluss anleitung’

10 Minute Boa

unikatissima 10 Minute Boa

If you need a boa quickly (with accessories!) the tutorial on how to make a 10 minute boa will be helpful.
Although I never needed a boa quickly up until now ;-))

Originally it is crocheted, but I am sure that you can finger crochet (see Links below) or make a fingerloop braid.


Links:
10 Minute Boa

Concerning finger crochet:
Finger Crochet Jewelry
Crochet a Bracelet With Your Fingers

Here at unikatissima: Fingerloop Braiding

Kumihimo Edo Yatsu

Kumihimo Edo Yatsu

I found recently the blog of Gabriela Marková. I’m very glad about, because her (German) book ‘Kumihimo – Flechtkunst aus Japan’ ‘Kumihimo – Flechtkunst aus Japan’ was such a help for me to learn Kumihimo.
In this book she describes not only different braids, but she always encourages the reader to play around, to try new braids, colour combinations and so forth.
It really was the right book for me ;-)
On the photo you see one of my braids, and I’m almost sure, that it is a Edo Yatsu braid ;-)
If you want to give the Edo Yatsu braid a try, check Gabriela Marková’s blog entry.

Links:
Kumihimo blog of Gabriela Marková
Kumihimo Edo Yatsu braid

The link isn’t available no more.
Gabriela Marková’s German book ‘Kumihimo – Flechtkunst aus Japan’ (English)
At Amazon.de:
Gabriela Marková’s German book ‘Kumihimo – Flechtkunst aus Japan’

Kumihimo here at : unikatissima :
Kumihimo beads here at : unikatissima :

Kumihimo

Kumihimo

Once I took a class for Kumihimo braiding – that is a japanese technique for braiding cords.
I really enjoyed the class and the work with the marudai, but I can’t afford to buy one. And although I found a tutorial on how to make your own marudai I prefer now to work with a cardboard disk. I braided for hours during train journeys. I can’t do this with a marudai ;-)

I didn’t find many instructions on how to make kumihimo cords in internet (see those I found below), so I will present my own.

On the photo you see my cardboard marudai and a braid I’m working on. I changed the pattern several times to get a more interesting appearance.

What you need:

  • 4 threads of yarn in 2 different colours (e.g. 2 red and 2 yellow) (test it e.g. with 100 cm/39 inches)
    Note: in the beginning both threads should be of the same gauge.
  • cardboard marudai disk (not too thin cardboard)
    Note: This is a cardboard disk with a hole in the middle and cuts around.
    For the beginning, 36 12-16 cuts are sufficient, later you may need more depending on the number of threads and the pattern.
    You can use the marudai picture as template to be cut from cardboard.
  • a little weight
    Note: I use mostly some coins in a little plastic bag.
  • quite a lot of patience ;-))

(click or scroll to go to the instructions below)


What you do:
(Click on pictures to enlarge)

Fold the threads in half and knot all together at the fold.
You have now 8 threads, connected to each other at one side.

 

Kumihimo Wedge the threads into the cuts as seen in pic. 1.
The knot is in the middle.

 

Cling your little weight to the knot of the threads. It provides a certain tension on the threads.

 

Kumihimo

 

Kumihimo Braid: Move the threads as seen in the pics 2 and 3 to the desired length.

 

After four moves you must have a ‘real’ cross again, otherwise you made a mistake.
But don’t worry, after a little practise you will see which thread should be moved next.

With 100 cm/39 inches you’re using quite short threads, but they tend to entangle anyhow. Therefore you must pull them free at every round. When the treads become longer, see to it to use some (self-made) bobbins.

The finished braid is a lot shorter than the threads, but I don’t know no factor.

Have fun
(and check the links to find more patterns)

Here are some of my kumihimo cords, made with thin cotton to thick acrylic yarn:

Kumihimo

Kumihimo

 

Kumihimo I worked a lot of cords with different yarns in matching colours, included funky yarns and strands of beads and simply braided them together to get a big necklace:

 

Kumihimo And then I worked several braids with sewing yarn in matching colours, included metallic threads. Every braid has another braiding pattern. They are supposed to be a necklace, but up until know I haven’t finished it yet.

 


Kumihimo Marudai Cardboard marudai template (click picture to enlarge)

 


Links:
Wikipedia: English entry for ‘Marudai’

Wikipedia: English entry for ‘Kumihimo’German entry for ‘Kumihimo’


Self-made Marudai and bobbins:
Tutorial on how to make your own marudai

At Gabriela Marková’s Kumihimo blog:
Check the entries labelled with ‘Equipment’
Kumihimo braids:
Check Gabriela Marková’s Kumihimo blog

An instruction for a Kumihimo braid with 12 threads (with diagrams)

An instruction for a Kumihimo braid with 8 threads (German) (PDF-file) (with diagrams)
An instruction for a Kumihimo braid with 16 threads (German) (PDF-file) (with diagrams)

Diagrams for Kumihimo software, can be used as pattern (with diagrams)

See also how different your braid looks when changing the order of the threads or of moves (with diagrams)
An interesting pattern (with diagrams)

A pattern with 16 threads (with diagrams)

An instruction similar to mine (English) (PDF-file) (with diagrams)

An instruction for a Kumihimo braid with 12 threads (English) (with diagrams)

An instruction for a Kumihimo braid with 16 threads (English) (with diagrams)

An instruction for a Kumihimo braid with 8 threads (English) (with diagrams)

Linklists about Kumihimo:
Squidoo
Shelly Gillmann’s Kumihimo Links

Fingerloop Braiding

Fingerloop Braiding

Sometimes you need some cord and one fun and fast way to make one is fingerloop braiding (for tutorials see Links below).
It is a medieval technique and I used it several times with good results.
On the photo you see two of my self-made cords.
The most difficult part is for me to get the cord evenly, because you must adapt to the loops become shorter while working.
But it is only a question of practising ;-)


Links:
Fingerloop.org:
Basic Braiding Instructions

Phiala’s String Page:
Basic Braiding Instructions
Fingerloop braiding for two or more people

The Tudor Costume Page:
Making Finger Braids (many explaining photos)

Hochmittelalter Infoseite:
Fingerloop Braiding (German, very good illustrations)

Friendship Bracelet

Friendship Bracelet

I once braid a Friendship Bracelet, but in just one colour. The ones at Heather’s Friendship Bracelets are so beautiful because of the different colour patterns she presents.

I haven’t done them yet, but they are on my to-do list (together with a gazillion of other things to try ;-))


Links:
Heather’s Friendship Bracelets
Note: even though there’s written something about a move I could stilll reach the links
Friendship Bracelet – first pattern of first set