Kumihimo

Part of being a Creative Circle Ambassador is getting the new products from Cousin's Prima Bead website and trying them out. Last month, we received kumihimo disks and supplies. We Ambassadors were told to enjoy and experiment.

I gladly took up this challenge and using the square disk, I made these braids:

This is not two bracelets, but one. I took pictures of each side and put them into one photo so you can see the difference of the two sides. This was ten strands, five red, five tan, with the colors opposite each other except for the two in the middle, which had one red and one tan.

So, what if the strands were next to each other, and I added some beads?

Kumihimo Braid with Beads

This gave me more of a tweed look, and the beads embellishing the braid matched so well that I was pleased with the results. This was my first flat braid.

I had made other Kumihimo jewelry designs using the round braids at a class at the Bead & Button show and using a traditional mauradai:

Sheilah Cleary Design Taught at Bead & Button Show 2009

Once I returned from the Bead & Button Show, I did another like this with different beads and an accent bead I bought ten years ago at a show:

Gail Devoid, Ph.D. Design

I wasn't done experimenting with the mauradai by any means. I went on to use another technique to create this one, which sold within weeks of listing it at my Need For Beads store at eBay:

Sold

After playing around with the square disk from Prima Bead, I went into my stash and got some rattail satin cord and my round Kumihimo disk. I used the round disk even though you can make a round braid with a square disk, and vice versa. However, if you have both disks, why make it hard on yourself?

Round Braid with a Trinkette® from Cousin

The Trinkette® is attached using a chain that can be removed, but really, I think the bracelet looks better with it on. This was inspired by the trees in my area, which is Boscawen NH, starting to turn colors. It seems too soon for summer to end, but it is not too soon to start designing for fall and the holiday season. I hope this gives you some ideas of what you can do with simple Kumihimo braids.