Recently I took a little break from temari and did some kumihimo at my daughter’s suggestion.  Kumihimo is japanese braiding.  There are scores of fabulous braids you can make with just simple repetitive hand movements and a small amount of equipment.  I use a kumihimo disk so that it is very portable.  The traditional way to do it is with a maru dai which is a simple wooden braiding stand.  (I don’t have a ‘real’ one yet, only a homemade one.)  BTW, BraidersHand is a great place for kumihimo supplies and has some nice eye candy galleries as well.

Since I have not shown any kumihimo here yet I’ll include a pic of some of the different braids I have made.

samples of kumihimo braids

I have seen some fabulous jewelry made using kumihimo.  Other people make braids for dog leashes, belts, scarfs and all sorts of things.  (I’ve even seen shoes!)  I have so much fun making the braid that I rarely follow through and finish it into anything.  That is the part that I don’t quite get.  I have thoughts that sometime I will do some flat braids and use them in a temari design.  Or, learn the braiding pattern well enough to work it on a temari in some way.  Don’t hold your breath waiting for that to happen.  I am very new at kumihimo and it will take me a long time of concentrated work to get that far into understanding the structures.  (But oh the math involved!  braid and knot theory!) 

Aside:  It occurred to me that it is so much easier to finish temari since I rarely do hanging cords or tassels… just toss it into the bowl to sit there and be pretty!  Cross stitch projects are pretty easy too… take them to the framers.  I consider the quilting and binding to be part of the quilt project so they are easy too… toss on the bed (or table if it is a small project).  I need to find some way for my kumihimo projects to be done when the braiding is done.  End aside.

Mostly I do kumihimo to keep my hands moving on something when other stitching things just are not working.  It is meditative and relaxing because of the repetition but it keeps my mind engaged as I work to figure out how the pattern is being created.

This is the project I just finished: a small choker for my daughter.  

closeup of the braid (sorry it is a bit out of focus)

Since I can use the same sort of threads for kumihimo as for temari I get stash credits for this one!  (+4)  It is made using one of the Fujix thread samples I got from Glenna, a polyester embroidery floss.  I have to admit that I tried it on temari but did not like the way it separated.  It didn’t behave as nicely as cotton floss and was frustrating so I abandoned it for temari.  On the other hand, it was great for this kumihimo project.  I used it without separating into strands and with doubled lengths.  It was sturdy and consistent as I did the braiding, even holding up for all of my reverse braiding when I made mistakes.

So, you see… even if the temari are not getting updated right now, I am still making stuff!