Creative Kumihimo

A practical guide to the technique of kumihimo (Japanese braid making).

In ancient Japan, beautiful yet functional cords made with the traditional braiding art of kumihimo adorned everything from kimonos to samurai armor to prayer scrolls. In Kumihimo Wire Jewelry, innovative jewelry artist Giovanna Imperia offers a fresh twist on this time-honored technique, adapting it to create stunning wire jewelry. In addition to a concise history of kumihimo and an overview of its essential materials, tools, and techniques, readers will learn the basics of this braiding method, plus how to create 20 striking projects--stylish bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces--all supported with detailed, step-by-step instructions and illustrations. This comprehensive book, which also includes pieces by prominent kumihimo jewelry artists from around the world, will inspire jewelry makers, beaders, and wireworkers at all skill levels to take their craft in a vibrant new direction.

Kumihimo Basics & Beyond presents techniques for creating all-cord braids and beaded braids, then teaches beaders how to transform them into finished jewelry. Short demonstrations of the key techniques needed for each project are presented in easy-to-grasp portions, allowing beaders to learn and practice as they go. Rebecca Combs demystifies tricky “kumihimo math” by providing detailed supply lists for each project in the book, plus teaches beaders how to calculate the amount of fiber and how many beads they’ll need for their future kumihimo projects.

In ancient Japan, beautiful yet functional cords made with the traditional braiding art of kumihimo adorned everything from kimonos to samurai armor to prayer scrolls. In Kumihimo Wire Jewelry, innovative jewelry artist Giovanna Imperia offers a fresh twist on this time-honored technique, adapting it to create stunning wire jewelry. In addition to a concise history of kumihimo and an overview of its essential materials, tools, and techniques, readers will learn the basics of this braiding method, plus how to create 20 striking projects--stylish bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces--all supported with detailed, step-by-step instructions and illustrations. This comprehensive book, which also includes pieces by prominent kumihimo jewelry artists from around the world, will inspire jewelry makers, beaders, and wireworkers at all skill levels to take their craft in a vibrant new direction.

Kumihimo is a form of Japanese braiding using various types of stringing material, often combined with beads to make exceptional jewelry. The term Kumihimo in Japanese means the gathering of threads. This technique involves using different types of looms to achieve different types of braids. The possibilities are endless and can be customized to suit everybody, so find your Kumihimo supplies and get started When doing Kumihimo you will learn that using a different number of strands, as well as different colors, will change the overall look. Different types of stringing material can also change the look, as well as adding beads to all or some of the strands. Keep in mind that you may not want to use a stringing material that stretches. In Kumihimo, each thread in one single "slit" is referred to as a warp. Here we will be using the round Kumihimo disk with 32 slits to create an 8 warp basic round braid. A good rule of thumb when measuring stringing material is to multiply the length you want by three. This will accommodate most designs unless you are using larger beads, in which case you may need to adjust the length. Once you have mastered the basic round braid, learn how to add beads to Kumihimo. Discover kumihimo book for beginner 'Complete Guide Kumihimo Beginner to Make Friendship Bracelets'.

This book will introduce you to the basics of Japanese braiding. There are full step-by-step instructions for each move, followed by pictures of lovely examples to inspire you.