[Nfb-krafters-korner] Kumihimo and Stick Weaving

[Terrence van Ettinger]

Hello, Annette,
   I'm going to post some basics for both the slotted disk and the
marudai, and how to make each simply.
   The slotted disk can be purchased under the trade name of Kumiloom,
and I believe the site that has them is www.braidershand.com.  You can
also find them by looking up Primitive Originals.  You can also make
your own disks either with thick foam or by sticking several layers of
stick-on foam together.  The disk should be at least the size of a
saucer, though dessert-plate size is better.  Another template idea
that works to get an idea of a suitable disk size, as well as the hole
in the center, is a CD.  The central hole should be at least 3/4-1
inch in diameter.  For the 7-strand pattern, you'll want a disk with 8
slots cut around the edges, basically 1 slot in each of the 8 compass
directions, or top, top right, right, bottom right, bottom, bottom
left, left, top left.  These slots should be about half an inch or so
in size.  As you get into more varied patterns, more slots can be
added in between these 8 slots.  However many slots you have, they
should be in multiples of 4, and equally spaced around the edge of the
disk.  You can make bobbins out of anything onto which the thread can
be wound; I use the same kind of foam as for the disk; the little
squarish pieces that you often see embroidery floss wound onto also
work well for this.  For the simple pattern, you'll need 7 of them.
To create the braid:
   1. Start with 7 strands of thread, of the color(s) and thickness
you choose, each wound onto its own bobbin.  I generally have at least
2 feet of thread on each one.  Tie the ends of the strands together in
a knot.
   2. Place the end of the knot through the center hole so that the
end not attached to any bobbins hangs down through the hole.  Arrange
the bobbins so that there is a thread in every slot but one.  The
result should look sort of like a mobile; I have had several people
who thought that's what I was doing when they've seen my projects.
   3. Now you're ready to start braiding.  Point the empty slot toward
your body, so that it is in what would be considered the south
position on a compass.  Moving counter-clockwise, count 3 threads away
from the empty slot.  Take this thread and move it into the empty
space.  Again using the compass directions, you'd be taking the
northeast thread and moving it to the southern slot.  Repeat until
your project is the desired length, or until the thread won't stay on
the bobbin(s).
   4. At the end of the cord, you need to tie the whole thing together
so that it doesn't unravel on you.  To do this, there are a couple
different techniques.  You can either gather up threads from each half
ot the disk and make your knot that way, or (what I was originally
taught), or you can take each pair of adjacent threads and tie them
together (the method I've used lately.)  Whatever method you use, be
sure that it is snugly tied.

Marudai Instructions:
   The marudai is basically a wooden stool with a hole in the center,
and is the traditional method for making kumihimo braids.  I will give
instructions here for a simple 4-strand braid.
Making a Marudai and Tama:
   Marudais and tam can be purchased from a variety of sources; I
personally have made my own.  What I did was to get a barstool from
freecycle, the simple 4-legged, round kind with no back, and drill a
1-inch hole in the center.  For the tama (bobbins), I use pill bottles
weighted down with pennies and/or those little round pebbles sometimes
used for garden/aquarium decoration.  Each of the 4 main tama should
be of equal weight, with the central weight being half the combined
weight of all the other 4.  The idea is for the central weight to hold
down the cord while the smaller tama can be moved around the stool.
Making the Braid:
	1.  Start with 4 strands of thread, each wound onto its own bobbin.
Tie these together.  Place the free end of the not down through the
central hole in the marudai and attach it to the central bobbin.  One
thing I've recently discovered is that, at least for child-proof,
screw-top bottles, the kind you have to push and turn to open, you can
stick the free end of the threads into the bottle, then screw the top
on, and this holds everything in place.
2. Now, arrange the 4 threads, bobbins hanging out over the edge of
the marudai, such that the part of the thread that's on the marudai
forms a cross shape.
3. Lift the two threads running horizontally, and turn them
counter-clockwise, so that they are in opposite positions.  The one
that was on the right should be on the left, and the one from the left
should be on the right.
4.  Now take the top and bottom threads, and lift them, turning them
clockwise, so that what was on top is now at the bottom, and what was
at the bottom is now at the top.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until (a) your cord is long enough and/or (b)
you run out of thread.
6. Look at where you've ended.  One line of the "cross" will seem to
be on top of the other.  Take the two threads that seem to be
"underneath" the other two, and tie a knot, first cutting off one of
the bobbins if need-be.  Lay them back into the cross position.
7. Tie your other two threads in the same manner.  Cut off any
remaining bobbins.
*NOTE: Assuming you have a 4-legged stool, the 4 legs can be helpful
as markers for positioning your threads.  Also, should you need to
transport your project in the middle of working on it, you can tie the
threads in place, one to each leg of the stool.

I'll gladly answer any questions people have on this; if you need some
1-on-1, I am willing to offer assistance either after 9 PM EDT
weekdays, and/or pretty much any time most Sundays.  My skype name is
LandrasPhaelan.  I can do phone assistance as well, but contact me
off-list for that.

Happy braiding,
Terrence