Kumihimo

A year ago to the day since I last posted! Weird!

I know I said I'd do better, but mundane life is...well, mundane.

The good news is that with the Queen Pig Bitch of the Universe gone, people who should have known better have realized I'm not a cheating whore, everything seems shiny and new, and I can have some fun again. Huzzah!

My latest infatuation: Kumihimo. 'Manda brought it up last time she visited, and well, you know how I am. I got this kit on Amazon and these books, and have completed the following projects:

First: the "test" I did on 'Manda's loom while she was visiting me. It's now on my keyring.

This is an 8 tama (strand) spiral round braid using fibre cord obtained from Wal-Mart. It has a firmer, matte finish because of the cord.

This is the first thing I did on my own loom. It's a half round braid, 12 tama. It's ECU colors: Royal Purple with Gold hearts. On one end is a split ring (like keychain ring) with a bulldog clip on it. The other end also has a split ring and that has a plastic "snap strap" on the end.

You clip the one end on the baby's shirt, unsnap the strap and put the pacifier handle through then re-snap it. Voila! Pacifier leash! Thinking about selling these at ECU home games.

Then I made a flat braid on the flat loom and sent that to my daughter before I took a picture of it.

Then I decided to try a purpley-green braid, where the green is varigated thread.

Which becomes this --------->

Then I made an all black spiral and a red and black spiral (don't have a pic of the black one):

And now I'm working on the "Cathanar Heart". This is a 12 tama half-flat braid.

Here's how to thread the loom:

(Blue lines indicate white thread).

To make the pattern:
32 - 10
1 - 23
16 - 26
17 - 7
move 31 to 32 and 2 to 1
move 15 to 14 and 18 to 17
8 to 15
25 to 18
9 to 2
24 to 31
move 7 to 8 and 10 to 9
move 23 to 24 and 26 to 25
repeat, do not rotate disk.

This will produce this braid:

I just got the pattern for the Atlantean Opal pattern from Dar at Raven's Cove, and will work that up when I'm done with the Cathanar Heart pattern (once the bobbins are empty). Still have loads of patterns to try, and I have a Kumihimo book on the way. Will post when it gets here.

(Update: Opal Braid with pic of my Opal badge, cross-stitched:)