Kumihimo on a budget

As my friends know, I am a Kumihimo addict.  I began with the small foam disks and one-handed braiding. That is great for a take-along project, but far too slow for serious braiding. I added several fabulous hand crafted wooden braiding stands from Dave Saunders at Braidershand.com and happily braided away for several years. 

When I tried to interest friends in Kumihimo, beyond the foamies, I ran into the cost factor. The beautiful works of art wooden looms were too expensive for those unsure if this craft would become a favorite. So.....I set myself the project of finding a way to have the advantage of two-handed braiding for $25-$50.

Here is my brainstorm: the glass Marudai (round braiding stand).
The smaller vase can be used on top of your coffee table, and the larger one will sit on the floor between your knees.

Supplies available at Michael's.

15" or  24" glass vase (diameter of 4" to 6")                                                   ($5 to $20 on sale.)
CD rom disk or 7" circle foamy (cut a 1/4" hold in the center of the foamy)     ($2)
Fibers from sewing threads, perle cottons, metallics, to all types of yarns and even cloth strips.

Yarn store on online:
8 to 24 small size Susan Bates Yarn Bobbins (for winding the braiding fibers) Order online.
       ($2.50 for a set of 10)
Fibers from sewing threads, perle cottons, metallics, to all types of yarns and even cloth strips.

Local hardware store:
Box of fender washers. Start with the 1" size. These are used to weigh down the bobbins. ($8-12)

Office Max:
Square magnetic clips (used with your filing cabinet). Small and large size.  ($2.50 - $5)
These will be used as counter weights to the weighted bobbins around the outside of the vase.
Box of 1" notebook rings, one per bobbin.

Once you have all the supplies, what next?

1. Open the notebook rings and place 5-6 fender washers on each ring.
2. Attach the ring to the small plastic loop on the bobbin.
3. Close the ring.
4. Prepare your bobbins by wrapping your fibers around the bobbin. I usually start by taping
     down the end of the fiber to the bobbin so it won't fall away at the end of braiding.
5. Gather up all the wound bobbins and tie an overhand knot.
6. Place the knot down into the CD and/or foamie hole and attach the large weighted magnet clip.
7. Put the CD /foamie on top of the vase, with the clip inside.
8. Arrange the bobbins around the top, following you favorite Kumimiho directions, and braid away!
You can adjust the number of fender washers and the counter weight as needed. The quality of the braid varies with more or less weight according to the fibers used and braiding pattern.

If you have questions, email me at: Aperica@aol.com

Let me know if this works out for you!