Beginner's Guide to Braiding: The craft of Kumihimo (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: warp details, green biron, eighty strands (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

The basics of kumihimo without having to buy special equipment. "... the best I have seen on the subject and I strongly recommend it for the timid beginner and others already addicted." -- Jennie Parry, World of Embroidery

Product Description

The basics of Japanese braiding without special equipment. "...recommended... " Jennie Parry, World of Embroidery

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Search Press (June 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0855328282
• ISBN-13: 978-0855328283
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #406,668 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, easy to use, and beautiful, June 18, 2004

By	wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This is Japanese braiding. As with so many other crafts, the Japanese start with the same materials used by workers anywhere else in the world. Then, they apply their own techniques to create something completely new.

This book gives clear, simple directions for making or improvising the tools needed. It takes a bit of effort to hold the incomplete work in place and feed in each strand as needed, so the tools really are necessary. You can't just grab a few strings and try the techniques. The tools are easy to put together from common household materials - film canisters, coins, and a few other things - so don't let that put you off.

The braids themselves are presented in beautiful photos, along with clear, complete directions for making each one. The photos also show how one braid can look very different according to the colors and kinds of strands woven together.

It's not something to pick up casually on a rainy day and try with your kid. It takes some preparation, and some practice to get an even result. That is well within reach of the home crafter, though, and well worth the effort.

86 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to understand (mostly because of the dot charts)!, January 18, 2003

By	AxeTopher "AxeTopher" - See all my reviews

This book was VERY easy to learn from (and I had to learn all the vocabulary from the book, too! The vocabulary is all English. She doesn't use many Japanese words. I didn't really even know what it was when I bought the book.) It took less than a minute to figure out how to do each of the different braids because the charts were so easy to understand. (I didn't even have to read the accompanying text). There are many pictures and they are in full color. This lady REALLY knows how to teach and explain!

I did not have a marudai, but because her many pictures were quite well thought out, it was easy to see what was necessary, I was able to construct one out of the box my books came from (it needn't be round). Rolls of 25 pennies can be used as bobbins. Emroidery floss doesn't work well, as it is not long enough...one should use embroidery thread on spools for this. <-She does speak of this in the book, but a lot of people buy the tools with the book without being able to read through it first.

The braids one can learn are all made with 8 bobbins. She explains how the colors and patterns can be changed with a change of thread color or thread texture.

If you are thinking of this book to make obijime: These are all basic braids (nothing too fancy), so it is an excellent beginners book...but it will not make the fancier braids you see in most flat obi jime. It will make the braids for round obijime, though.

60 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book for beginners, June 15, 1998

By A Customer

This is a good book for beginners because it has different variationf for the 4 basic braids for 8 bobbins all spelled out. Also, there are photographs of Jacqui's hands and the movements, which is good if you are teaching yourself. She also makes some suggestions for improvised equipment, very useful until you decide you are well and truly hooked and can't live without real equipment.