Jewellery Fundamentals: How to Kumihimo Braid

What You'll Be Creating

Cord has made a comeback. Just a few years ago, friendship bracelets were consigned to the playground, but now unless your bling has string, it's just not hot! If you make your own jewellery, why not create the perfect rope detailing to set off the sparkle? You can easily weave your own cord in any single colour or combination you choose, and you'll learn exactly how to do it in this tutorial.

Materials

• Kumihimo board
• Yarn/cord/string
• Scissors

1. Set Up the Board

Step 1

Cut eight pieces of cord the same size and knot them together at one end. Depending on the type of stringing you're using, the final piece will shrink to about a third of the original size. Bear this in mind when you're starting your project.

Step 2

Thread the knot through the centre hole onto the other side of the Kumihimo board.

Step 3

Slip each thread into the slots on the board as shown below: two at the top and bottom and two at each side, perfectly opposite each other.

2. Begin to Braid

Step 1

Take the top-left string (red) and bring it right over all the other cords to slot into the space next to the bottom-left string (pink).

Then take the bottom-right string (blue) and bring that over all the other cords to slot into the space on the right of the remaining top string (lilac).

Step 2

Rotate the board to the left 90 degrees so that the cords that were previously east and west are now north and south.

Step 3

Repeat step 1, taking the top-left string (purple) and bringing it right over all the other cords to slot into the space next to the bottom-left string (yellow).

Then, again, take the bottom-right string (white) and bring that over all the other cords to slot into the space on the right of the remaining top string (turquoise).

Continue to turn the disk 90 degrees and move the top-left and bottom-right cords each time. Do this until you have the desired length for your braid.

Try to keep the tension tight to create an even cord. This is great to do with your favourite new series or podcast playing in the background. You'll be surprised how quickly the cord grows!

3. Remove From the Board

Step 1

To remove the braid, pull out each of the cords and tie a knot. This is enough to secure the braid in place. Trim the ends to create a neat tassel. You can also glue the ends into bell closer cord end caps or dip them into wax to secure the strands.

This is a great way to use up left over yarns and unused cords. You can even use fabric and T-shirt yarn to create thicker cords. I chose to create a multicolour rope to make it easier to illustrate the technique, but I am actually pretty pleased with the outcome. What do you think?