Rodrick Owen

Hmmm - not at all what I expected. I think of kumihimo as round (ok, some flat) braids, done on a marudai or a slotted disk - relatively simple tools to make some quite nice patterns of cord. I was expecting a few more patterns and maybe some tricks. But this book is basically about working on a takadai - a much more complicated structure, which allows you to make wide flat braids that are effectively narrow fabric strips. The narrowest here are about an inch wide; the widest are about 5 show more inches (and he mentions making much wider ones, but those require even more complex additions to the basic takadai). The instructions are detailed, the patterns are gorgeous, and it's a fascinating craft - but it's not what I think of as kumihimo (he explains at the beginning that in Japanese, they don't make the distinction English does between weaving and braiding, let alone varieties of braiding - they're all kumi-himo, gathering of thread). show less

Very interesting. The first part is about braids and braiding - how braids are used in some of the various cultures referenced here. Then a section on materials and equipment, and how to set up a braiding system (maru dai, card, or slotted card). The last section - more than half of the book - is various braiding patterns - the initial layout, and the exchanges that need to be made to produce the various patterns. The patterns, most of them, are shown in photographs of braided cords. I've show more braided a lot on cards, and a little on a maru dai - the basic braiding patterns are clear, though I'll have to work on some of the more complicated ones. I got this from the library and I won't have it long enough to do all the patterns I want, but I can do some of them - I want to own the book, as well. show less

I am a self taught braider. Someone who thought the whole process looked interesting and started out the same way many new weavers do – by just doing it and without any formal classes or training. And, I have continued in much the same way as I started out for quite a few years.

Ah, but I do wish that I had seen the Victorian Video Workshop tape earlier on. Maybe it is because I have done braiding pretty much on my own for so long that I appreciate what this video contains. All the little show more fine points that I missed about how to wind your warps and get the whole thing on the Maru Dai (braiding stand) without a mess of bobbins and weights getting tangled all together. Learning how to do the little knot that ties the threads you are braiding to the bobbin leader. This video takes you through several beginnings for your braids, complete instructions on the braiding process and then how to finish your braid with tassels or other finishes and then how to steam the finished braid . But, even if you have never braided before, this video will be like attending an expensive workshop. But with one important difference; this workshop can be rewound, watching the process several times until you understand what is happening.

On top of the detailed instructions that the video gives in the braiding process, there is a diagram for making your own Maru Dai out of foamboard, using film canisters as bobbins included with the video. show less

Drawings, beautifully photographed examples and the authors unique system of diagrams give you all the information you need to explore the endless variations of color and texture. Using anything from small slotted boards to a traditional Japanese braiding stool, readers can learn to make 4-, 8-, and even 16-strand braids. Tips on finishing and embellishing the braids are also included.