Have a close look at this lovely jumbled mix-up that we are calling "Selections from our spring collection"! I just wanted everyone to see what we are doing with Kumihimo woven cord and viking knitting combined with Jessica's sea glass pendants and Janis' lampwork beads. Check out the individual pieces on our website
www.jajejems.com. I will devote this blog to talking about our experience with Kumihimo weaving and save Viking knitting for another day.
Kumihimo weaving is a Japanese technique for making a woven cord using a small hand loom. Modern day looms like the one pictured here are made out of foam, are easy to handle and surprisingly durable.
With this loom it is possible to create a variety of cords suitable for making bracelets and necklaces. Once the cord is made the ends can be easily finished using purchased or hand made end caps and attaching a purchased or hand made fastener.
Selecting materials to use for your Kumihimo woven cord can also be fun. I enjoy using the shiny silk rattail that is the suggested material to use and is often included with the weaving disk in a starter kit. I purchased mine from
Canada Beading Supply Limited in Ottawa. When you purchase your loom, you will probably want to consider a set of 8 bobbins as shown above to keep your threads from tangling and I would also suggest that you ask about the appropriate glue for securing the end caps.
You can see here that there are some lovely colours available in rattail. It also looks good when combined with iridescent thread for added sparkle. Rattail can be purchased by the yard or metre, or many bead and craft shops sell smaller packages with measured amounts, suitable for one project.
I have also found that regular embroidery floss makes a lovely Kumihimo cord. The diameter of the cord can be varied by doubling the floss and interesting colour combinations are possible.
Embroidery floss is an inexpensive material to use, especially when you are learning and the results can be very pleasing. You can purchase it for about $.50 a skein and can make a cord suitable for a necklace using just two skeins.
In addition almost any kind of cotton yarn will make an acceptable cord so have some fun experimenting. Your local wool shop or craft shop may have interesting balls of cotton yarn that you can purchase for a reasonable price. Check out the clearance bin!
Your Kumihimo loom will come with complete instructions which will also indicate how much thread is required for the completed project. Other pleasing effects can be achieved using seed beads but more about that in a future blog. Here are two examples of how we have used our completed cords. Give it a try and happy weaving!
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| Granny's Apple |
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| Coral Reef |
