Kumihimo

Shelagh! I also have one of those bags - the last one knitted by a friend's grandma. I'm always afraid to wear it because the necklace part is just one string of seed beads. This would be perfect! laurie ps did you make your amulet bag?

Hi, Shelagh! You DO know that Els (and Helen!!) is/are our 'resident' Kumihimo 'gurus', right? Or as Katherine likes to type: Kimihomo! LOL Noreen

Tut! It works! Els even explained *my* spelling a while ago!

Hugs Katherine

Shelagh, are you making a braid on a card or a braiding stool. I am looking forward to your posting the link

Els

Els, it's just a round wheel made of cardboard with slits cut all around with scissors, and a hole in the middle with the braid hanging down through the hole. (nothing fancy). And, I'm only using 8 strands of fine crochet cotton since I don't want the braid to be too thick for the beaded bag. Because it's fine thread, I'm not sure how many "years" it's going to take to get it long enough. I'm also not sure at this point how to finish it off and how to fasten it at the neck either. I'll have to look for something in a craft store for that I guess?? Any thoughts?

Shelagh

Welllllll (huff, huff). I'm quite annoyed. It appears that not all the messages from the group are appearing through my Usenet connection. I went to Google to read it and have missed a few posts on this thread and probably others. So please - I'm not being snobbish, just didn't know the other posts were there.

To answer Laurie Dolan: Yes I did make my amulet bag. I have attended a knitting camp in Colorado the last 2 years and made it at the first one. Go here to have a look at it.

Shelagh you better come over for a cup of tea and some kumihimo fun....LOL

I find beads a great help to finish projects off. However you want something visual so you can see how it works. Roderick Owen has good explanations in his book: The Big Book of Sling and Rope Braids. I also have a book called Decorative Knots. There are many wonderfull knots in it, that are lovely to start a kumihimo project off with. You create a loop right away by not cutting your warp ends. In your case you are working with an 8 end warp. Make your warp a 4 end one but twice as long and fold it in the middle. Now there are several ways you can do the next step. The simplest one would be to just make a knot and leave a little loop, at the end you folded over. A more complicated one would be to make one of the lovely Chinese knots below this loop, and finish your braid off with a nice bead at the end that fits through this loop See if you can get these two books from your local library and now you can sit and look at the samples.

Do you know the name of the braid you are making. Is it one you work with four threads across the centre hole of you little circular loom? That is the Kongo gummi. It sounds like a fun project and after a while you will braid this pattern up very quickly, even when the yarns are fine.

Els

Shelagh that is a lovely bag, and great colours. By the way, lately I get messages from months ago all over. I also believe that I do not get all the replies that are posted here, but we get by...LOL

Els

Els wrote: "Shelagh you are getting there, Looks great and also like this is a Kongo Gummi braid, it can be done with multiples of 4. This is the braid I have been sharing with lots of you....LOL

When you are finished braiding, boil up a kettle of water for a cup of tea and hold your braid over the steam, not your fingers just your braid gently stretching the braid while you move it back and forth over the steam. Now get a bath towel out on your kitchen counter and you dough rolling pin or an empty bottle and put your steamed braid on the towel and roll your dough pin over it. Rolling it between your hands and gently stretching the braid helps as well. It is like blocking your knitting, you are aligning the braiding stitches you made. I am waiting for the finished project, the way you are going that will be soon "

Els I retreived this from Google (sigh). Thanks for the info Els, I never would have known that. And, I will see about the books too - I can get library books sent to me free in the mail because I live in a rural area without access to a local library.

Shelagh

Shelagh, that is gorgeous!!! It looks like a butterfly! :o)

Gem

Shelagh, I never saw this post from Els either until you posted it here. :o/

Gem

Oooooooh managed to get the album, my word Shelagh, that is beautiful what a wonderful craftsperson you are thankyou for sharing it, it is absolutely lovely

Cheers....Cher

Oh wow - thanks Cher!! It's always nice when someone appreciates your work. ;>)

Shelagh

I'm stunned by beading work, and tot have it shaped like this as well is just beautiful, I did look at all your other bits on there as well, it is all up to master craftsman status, beautiful work...thnkyou so much for making this available for us to see

Cheers.....Cher x

Cher - I just learned that knitted beading last year at knitting camp. I paid for the kit, and our instructor showed us how to do it. We were lucky - she had a spinning wooden thingy and a long curved needle to help put the beads on the thread, otherwise it would have taken forever. All I did was follow the pattern (and managed to miss a couple of rows completely too) and that's how it turned out (big smile). I'm not sure I would do it again, since I got cramped hands using those tiny knitting needles not to mention using magnifying eyeglasses to see what I was going. I'm almost finished the kumihimo cord so I can wear that amulet bag around my neck. Pictures will be posted when it's done. ;>)

I'm thinking my favourite completed piece so far is the pink mohair laceweight shawl. I snuggle under it all the time now that the weather has turned chilly. Did you see it?

Thanks again for your lovely comments! Shelagh

I think the spinning wooden bowl, I have seen on the internet. I pair of handy hands and the know how of using a lathe, is all you need to get there. I have found though that with a long piece of fishing line, with a loop or eye at the end, works well also. Pour you seed beads in a deep bowl or what we call in Dutch a soup bowl, and push your fishing line throug the beads. You will pick up lots of beads that way as well.

Els

Well I wouldnt' have a clue how to go about doing one of these...but it is rather lovely Shillagh.

Yes I saw the lovely shawl ... looks lovely and soft too...but that is comforting to have around you.

Els sent me a kimihimo kit a couple of years back, and I love doing it and often have something on the go.

Looking forward to next pics ...... are you threading beads onto the braid or just having that plain?

Cheers.....Cher