Kumihimo braiding has really taken off recently

We recently showed a demonstration of Kumihimo braiding at the craft show in Manchester Central earlier this month and everyone went wild for it!

For such a complicated looking design it is surprising how easy it is to make. All you need to complete the braid is a Kumihimo disc, 8 lengths of thread (1 meter each as you are making a necklace, 0.5 meters each if you are making a bracelet), a weight, 8 Bob-eez (bobbins to you and me), end fasteners and away you go.

At first the thread set up on the disc can look a little daunting but don’t be put off by this. All you are doing is moving the top right thread and placing it beside the bottom right thread, then moving the bottom left thread and placing it beside the top left thread. All you have to remember is to then move the Kumihimo disc clockwise and repeat the steps over and over until you have completed your braid.

We have Kumihimo classes taking place in our beautiful Bead Academy. In this class you will learn how to set up your Kumihimo disc, complete the braid and how to finish off the ends and add fastenings for a professional look. The class is 2 hours long and all tools and materials are provided.

Once you have mastered the basic braid the opportunities are endless! You can use a variety of materials, incorporate beads and use the braid for a multitude of purposes for example jewellery, bag straps and belts to name a few.