Kumihimo with 6/0 Seed Beads

Here are a few 8-cord round Kumihimo braids done with size 6 Japanese seed beads on Tex-400 cord. Only two of the cords were strung with beads which allows the center of the braid to show. They are quicker to make than braids with all eight cords carrying beads, and also a bit more flexible.

I started with four 2-yard pieces of Tex-400 folded in half and knotted at the fold, and left about 3/4 plain braiding before adding in beads. To finish ends I will bind cord with thread before cutting off the knots. The last step: 4mm barrel cone caps will be glued on the ends to cover the bare braid.

I love the look so much that I have ordered new colors in size 6 (in addition to some size 8 which are perfect for braiding on S-Lon cord). The new colors should be up on the wall by Thursday! The square Kumihimo plate used for flat braiding is expected to arrive in the same order.

Kumihimo with Tex-400 Macrame Cord

Anita's Beads is now stocking Tex-400 macrame cord in 22 colors. It comes on spools like S-Lon, and it is about twice as thick. There are 35 yards to the spool as opposed to the 77 yards you get with S-Lon. It is available in fewer colors than S-Lon but the colors match the S-Lon line.

This is one of my favorite necklaces. (Some day I may even finish it!) It combines Czech glass beads (knotted with spaces in between like my Illusion Necklaces) on 8 strands of Tex-400 cord. I cut long strands so that after all the strands were knotted I could tie them together after the beads and braid both sides (one at a time) in my small kumihimo disc. I will end by gluing on 4mm barrel caps once I decide how long I want my finished necklace to be.

I made the second version (displayed at the top of the page) in green. This one combines 6 strands of Tex-400 cord with 2 strands of S-Lon. The 5mm round turquoise-green beads had holes too small for Tex-400. When I braided the ends, I mixed in some more of the 5mm beads on the S-Lon cord, leaving the Tex-400 strands plain.

The kumihimo braid on the far right of this last photo was done on Tex-400 with small Antique Copper beads on one strand only added every other turn.