How to Kumihimo?

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Kumihimo beading An old type of Japanese braiding, kumihimo was really created to the seal regarding battle suits for Japanese samurai and the horses. Afterwards, kumihimo braids had been utilized to secure quilted coats as well as kimonos. Nowadays, kumihimo is much more well-known than in the past and also beaders have discovered exactly how these types of braids may be used to highlight a unique lampwork cyrstal glass bead and just how they may be adorned together with strands associated with gleaming gemstone beads. Kumihimo is completed over a light in weight disk, usually done of froth, along with steps for every follicle associated with dietary fiber becoming braided. Another kind of free-standing kumihimo device is known as the marudai as well as is made up of wooden group upon 4 hip and legs. Materials attached with bobbins tend to be braided with the pit down the middle of the actual wooden group. The simple, stroking movements associated with braiding materials with each ...

"Kumi" means to braid or gather together and "Himo" means string or cord so "Kumihimo" means simply braided cords. Traditionally Kumihimo is done on a Marudai which is a round wooden stand that the braider would kneel at. Modern braiders tend to braid at tables and Marudai can be made of plastic and more portable versions are simple disks cut from thick foam rubber. For a simple eight-strand braid you will need: A sheet of thick card 2 strands of thread or yarn a meter long in one colour 2 strands of thread or yarn a meter long in another colour Scissors Instructions First make your Marudai, use the template below to cut one from your card. Fold your 4 strands in half and knot them to make a loop, push this through the hole in the centre of your Marudai and wedge the strands into the slits as shown Move the top right strand to the slit to the right of the bottom pair then the bottom left strand to the slit to the left of the top strand. Rota...

This is a great introductory braid. You can make your own disk by cutting a circle out of cardboard or craft foam. For this braid, you will need 8 slits cut around the edge of the disk (evenly spaced) and seven strands of yarn cut to your desired length. Also cut a hole in the center of the disk (shaded area shown at right.) For fun, experiment with using different color & texture yarns. Tie an overhand knot in one end of the strands and place it through the hole in the center of the disk. NOTE: If you want to make a bracelet, use three long strands folded in half plus one strand (half the length of the others) to make your seven strands. Fold them in half before tying the overhand knot so that it forms a loop that can be used as a clasp. Place one strand in each of the slits (1-7), leaving slit 8 open. Hold the card with the empty slit towards you. (You don’t need to keep track of the slit numbers, I just wrote them here to help with the initial set-up.) From the empty sl...

Materials needed for eight tama: (The wood parts for these bobbins are manufactured by Lara’s Crafts and can be purchased at most craft stores. The weights can be found in most fishing supply stores) �� 8 Wood Spools 7/8” x 1-1/8” (part # U10018, 3 per pkg) �� 16 Wood Circles 3/4” (part # U10817, 6 per pkg) �� 16 Bullet Weights 1/8 oz.(part # BW18, 12 per pkg) �� White Glue Assembly instructions: Step 1: Cover one side of 1 wooden circle with white glue Press it firmly onto one end of one of the spools. Make sure that it is centered and even. Wipe off any excess glue. Repeat for the rest of your bobbins and set them aside to dry for a few hours. Step 2: Turn one bobbin open end up and drip four or five drops of white glue into the hole. Drop in one weight (point down) into the hole. Add two or three more drops of glue. Drop in the last weight (wide end down) and finish with several more drops of glue. Finally, secure a wooden circle over the hole as you did in Step 1. Repe...

Kumihimo is the ancient Japanese art of braiding cord (“kumi”= to braid, “himo” = cord). Over the centuries, these cords have been used for religious ceremonies, lacing samurai armor, securing the kimono sash (obi) and other decorative uses. There are hundreds of braiding structures, ranging from simple to very complex, and requiring from 4 to over 100 threads. The braid described here is traditionally made on a round braiding stand (marudai) which uses weighted bobbins to produce a balanced tension and manage long threads. However, some of the more simple braids such as this one can also be done as short samples using a portable diskshaped card, which you can make yourself out of cardboard or craft foam, or purchase in kit form. These instructions are for one of the simplest braiding structures called kongo gumi (= hard braid), which produces a solid cord with a round crosssection (as opposed to a shoe lacestyle hollow cord or a flat braid). The braiding movements can be made with 8...

Kumihimo Patterns - 8 Thread Kongo Gumi Patterns (Part 1)                      

Art Clay and Kumihimo Bracelet Materials: 1 oz 28gg round, fine silver wire 10gm Art Clay Slow Dry (regular or low fire) 10 gm Art Clay Silver Paste type Hook and Eye set (2pc) .980SV Paint brush Kumihimo foam disc Wire snips Chain nose pliers Masking tape Twist tie Butane torch or programmable kiln Water Begin by cutting the wire into 3 foot (1 yard) long pieces. The oz. of wire has 120 feet, so this will give you 40 wires. Separate the wires into 4 bundles of 10 wires. Smooth and even the ends and put a small piece of masking tape on each end to hold the wires together. Hold the kumihimo disc so that #32 is on top, and 16 is on the bottom. Put the two ends of one bundle of wire together and slightly fold them in the middle so that there is a slight bend where the middle of the wires is. Set this mark in the middle of the kumihimo disc and thread one end of the bundle on the right of #16 and the other end between #32 and #1. Keep the wires taut. Take a second bund...

Here's what you'll need: 7 strands of yarn, floss, or string - 12" each Octagon-shaped disk made from foam, cardboard or plastic.  The disk needs a hole in the center and a slit on each of the eight sides. General Instructions: Hold the ends of the 7 strands together and tie a knot. Put the knot through the hole of the disk from top to bottom. Hold the knot with one hand under the disk. The untied ends of the yarn are on top of the disk. With your other hand, place each strand in a slit, leaving one slit open. Hold the disk so that the open slit is towards your body. Count to the third strand to the right of the open slit. Take that strand and move it to the open slit. Rotate the disk clockwise so that the open slit is towards your body. Again, count to the third strand to the right of the open slit. Take that strand and move it to the open slit. Rotate the disk. Repeat these two steps until your braid is the length you want. To end the braid, remove the yarn f...

Kumihimo is a Japanese braid-making technique which dates to about 550 C.E., when the Buddhist religion spread in Japan and people began to use decorative cords in religious ceremonies. Later, people used brightly colored braids to decorate clothing, to hang banners, to lace samurai armor together (esp. in late SCA period, 1400-1600), and to hang knives. Although kumihimo is particular to Japan, other cultures in history have used similar braids or braid ‘stools’, including the sling braiders of the Andes and hair-braiding stools from Scandinavia. Research is ongoing into the origins of kumihimo and similar braids. There are some similarities between kumihimo and the fingerloop braiding practiced in western Europe during mid- to late-SCA-period. Except for those who aspire to putting together a set of period Samurai armor, most people who make kumihimo in the SCA use it for decorative purposes. Oddly, it is not usually used in Japanese garb in the SCA, possibly because we don’t hav...

History: The Japanese concept of combining function and beauty becomes obvious when you consider the Art of Kumihimo. These beautiful braids were used to lace the many small plates of Samurai armor, to attach swords to their sashes and even to wrap the handles of their swords. Braids were also used in temples, shrines and tombs as edging for Buddhist flags and as attachments and ties for scrolls. In late period we see braiding used to tie the obi to prevent slippage. The earliest evidence of braiding in Japan was in the Jomon period (400 BCE-300 CE). The word Jomon means “rope pattern” and describes the pottery dating to that era. The cords, made from plant fiber, were rolled or pressed into the wet clay to leave decorative impressions. In later periods, pottery figures and paintings showed men and women dressed in clothing adorned with braided cords used as belts, ties and hair adornments. Actual fragments of braids have been found as early as the Nara period (645 CE-784 CE). The H...