Mary Johnson Consulting: On
Kumihimo
An
exotically colored cord is just the thing to personalize your luggage, carry a bear
bell, or strap a small item to a larger one. One simple way to make such a cord
is with Japanese braiding, or Kumihimo. A wooden stand or loom is fine, but in
a pinch you can drill a hole in a cardboard box, and use biologist’s T-pins to
hold your bobbins in place.
I
use DMC floss to make cords, but any other string-like materials can be used
instead. Traditional Japanese cords are made of silk.
For
making cords while flying, use a kumihimo wheel or plate, and wood, plastic, or
paper bobbins.
Here
is a five-foot-long cord I made over a six-week period this summer:
And
the wheel and pattern I used:
It
is hard to see in these scans, but the dark threads were black (used singly),
and dark brown (always used and moved in pairs). The red thread varied in tone
from red to black, while the pink thread was solid colored. I used a very
simple over-and-under rotation; the doubled brown threads led to a nubby
texture.
Here
are some sources for Kumihimo equipment and information. There’s plenty more on
the ‘Web, of course!
A
high-density-foam disk: http://www.pointshop.com/Mall/Catalog/Product/ASP/product-id/26153873/store-id/1000029291.html
A
high-density-foam plate: http://www.pointshop.com/Mall/Catalog/Product/ASP/product-id/26153867/store-id/1000029291.html
Another
source for both: http://www.braidershand.com/disk.html
[Such
items can also be found on e-bay]
And
for information in English on Japanese cord weaving, you might start with: http://www.braidershand.com/ and http://www.weavershand.com/#K