kumihimo

Yaaaay.

I have a book on beading with braids. No, I don't know where it is. It's called um... BEADS & BRAIDS by Jacqui Carey

Oh, and I have something to own up to. I owe Jan G some beads. There, I've said it in public, thanks to JC and her thread on being responsible for your actions!

Jan, can you remind me what you'd like? I'll be responsible and post them next week when we're back from the bead fair. Everyone may nag me on Friday a week from today to be sure I've been responsible and adult.

-Su

Hi Jan (and others here),

I've just started reading this ng thanks to a tip from Shirley Shone - we met on rec.crafts.textiles.yarn (I crochet and have been working other materials into my crochet work).

Jan, it sounds like you have great local kumihimo support - one woman in particular on rcty, Els, is the "kumihimo monster" of rcty (a la cookie monster of Sesame Street) - we both live on the west coast of Canada, she's sending me an introductory kumihimo kit. I don't recall ever having seen kumihimo when I was sighted but do enjoy learning new activities. :)

Cheers,

David Vancouver, Canada

David, I hope you have fun. I didn't until my fourth attempt. My stitch was fine but my tension was too loose and I wasn't catching the beads with the thread hence a rather moth eaten attempt. Do you have any degree of sight? I know I had to keep checking to see if I was on task.

Cheers, Jan

Hi Jan,

The kit came in the mail this afternoon - Els made a heavy cardboard marudai and included some beads and a braid already started in the marudai. Completely new for me, the closest I've done to this is spool knitting when I was a kid.

By the end of 1984 I had become totally blind from type 1 diabetes and got rid of all my crocheting tools I'd accumulated since about 1973. Re-started a few years ago.

I did a little kumihimo following Els' instructions - it is tricky getting the threads untangled and making sure the threads go into the correct 'slots' - it would be a lot easier for me using something thicker like 'regular' yarn. (I don't know a lot of the correct terminologies for my own purposes but am finding that it's helpful when communicating with other people lol!)

I'm curious - how fast can people make kumihimo? I assume the beads if used in kumihimo would be threaded on any of the braid threads before braided? - I'd use a fine crochet hook to do this rather than a sewing needle.

Cheers,

David

I do know that if I charged by the hour no one could afford it!! My husband laughed when he saw how slow and careful I was. Hey, I've just got the technique and tension. Time will speed up. They talked about the clicking of shuttles-I'm not up to that,yet.

Sheilah Cleary used Mastex. Yes, we did thread the beads on before starting. I only had time for a quick look for Mastex at the show and did not find it so bought some C-Lon.

Cheers, Jan

Su, has anyone reminded you? Just remembered myself, and wondered why I had kept the kumihimo thread.

Cheers, Jan

No, but if you remind me I'll post them.

If I had a brain I'd be dangerous, you know?

-Su