The Round Braid

The Round Braid
v2
Published in 2005
Accent Bead Design
2222 Francisco Blvd., Suite 510-#158
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
916-941-1104
916-941-1103 fax
www.accentbead.com
E-Mail: Sales@accentbead.com
Copyright © 2005 Karen DeSousa
All rights reserved. Every effort has been made to ensure that these instructions are accurate
and complete. We cannot, however, be responsible for human error, typographical mistakes or
variations in individual work, injuries, losses or other damages which may result from the use
of the information in this book or materials. No production of these patterns as kits, or any part
of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of the publisher.
Any violations of the above will be prosecuted to fullest extent of the law. Minor altering of
these patterns does not negate this copyright and serves as a confirmation of knowledge of this
copyright.
2
Round Kumihimo Braid
Introduction
Introduction:
Kumihino is the ancient Japanese art of braid making. There are many different devices for
making braids, but one of the most common is the marudai, which is a wooden stool with a hole
in the middle, using tama which are wooden bobbins filled with lead to make a very specific
weight. Kumihimo braiding has a beautiful history full of many traditions. The Kumihimo disc
is a fast and inexpensive way to try out kumihimo braiding and see if you like it. If you do, you
will find the kumihimo disc a great way to “try out” braid patterns before setting up the larger
marudai. There is a lovely rhythm and peacefulness about the braiding process...and traditions
are good.
The Kumihimo disc is sturdy, but can be destroyed by overly rough use. You can make
wonderful kumihimo braids that incorporate strings of beads, but not with this disc. The beads
will chew up the slits and eventually you lose tension. Once you have a little experience, a
careful braider can incorporate beads one at a time as long as they never enter a slit. String the
beads before braiding and drop in whenever that bobbin comes into play.
Check out the kit

In addition to these instructions, you should have a Kumihimo Disc, 12 yards of satin cord, 8
bobbins, some thread, 2 end caps, and a clasp.
The kit does not include glue. You will need some fabric glue to adhere your cord inside the end
caps. I recommend E6000 because I know it works well. Just be sure whatever glue you choose
dries clear and does not discolor your braid or your end cap.
3
Setting up
1. Cut the cord into 8 equal pieces. The easiest way to do this is by folding. The cord in your
kit is 12 yards long. Fold it in half and you now have 2 pieces 6 yards long. Fold again and you
have 4 pieces 3 yards long. Fold one last time and you have 8 pieces approximately 54 long. No
ruler needed.
2. Tie an overhand knot at one end of the folded cord to organize them into a single bundle. Cut
the loops at the other end. Voila, 8 equal pieces of cord. Keep your overhand knot as close to the
end as possible to avoid wasting cord.
3. Drop the knot down the center hole of the Kumihimo disc. Arrange one cord on either side of
the 4 black dots on the disk.
4. Open the bobbins by bending towards the domed top. The dome will invert and you will see
the center shaft.
5. I used to tie one end of each piece of satin cord to the bobbin shaft using a slip knot. I was
afraid I would lose a bobbin. But experience has shown that all you really need to do is wind the
cord around the bobbin shaft. Leave 2” of cord hanging below the disk then close the bobbin by
bending the dome back over the shaft. Do this to all 8 pieces of cord.
open domed bobbin
slip knot on shaft
4
Kumihimo disc
Look at your Kumihimo disc. Notice that the slits for the cord are to the LEFT of the number.
This is important. In the following instructions you will be directed to move cord from one
numbered slit to a different numbered slit. ALWAYS use the slit to the left of the number
directed.
Your disc should look like this. Notice how short

the bobbins are. Also notice that the knot is in the
center hole.
5
Braiding
1. The disk should look like this. Place one strand

North
of cord in each of the following slots:
32 1 8 9 16 17 24 25
West
Reality check: The knot should still be in the hole with
the top of the knot level with the top of the hole. There East
should be one cord on each side of the black dots printed
on the disc. Bobbins should hang down 2”-3” from the
bottom of the disc. If they are much longer they will start South
to tangle on each other. Use slits to keep cord taut on face
of disc.
2. Move the cord in slot 1 to slot 15. Move the cord

in slot 17 to 31. In the picture, the green cords moved,
the red cords stayed the same. Your disc should look like
this picture.
Another way of saying this would be: Move the upper

right cord across the disc. Then move the lower left
hand cord across the disc.
Never move one cord without

moving the second. It is the
easiest way to get confused and
make mistakes.
6
3. Turn the disc, one quarter turn to the right. The
numbers 24 and 25 should be at the very top.
4. Move the cord from slot 25 to 7. Move the cord

from slot 9 to 23. (the green cords moved) Use slits to
keep cord taut on face of disc. Your disc should look like
this picture.
Another way of saying this would be: Move the upper

right cord down across the disc. Then move the lower
left hand cord up across the disc. IN THAT ORDER.
Never move one cord without
moving the second. It is the
easiest way to get confused and
make mistakes.


from slot 32 to 14. (the green cords moved) Your disc
should look like this picture.Use slits to keep cord taut on
face of disc.
Again, we are moving the upper right cord down then the
lower left cord up across the disc.
DO IT IN THAT ORDER.
7

from slot 24 to 6. (the green cords moved) Use slits to
keep cord taut on face of disc.
Your disc should look like this picture.
By now you should know what your next move is. (Turn the disc one quarter turn to the right.)
But just in case, the table on the next page lists the next moves. You are at 4. The table does
not go on forever, nor does it repeat. By the time the table runs out you should no longer need
to look at it. Try not to use the table, but continue to move the upper right hand cord down
across the disc. Then move the lower left hand cord up across the disc.
Repeat this move, over and over and over until you run out of cord. When you need more cord,
just tug on the bobbin and a couple more inches of cord will spool out. There is no need to open
and close the bobbins every time you need cord.
8
Move from To slot: Move from To slot: quarter turn to right
slot: slot:
1 15 17 31 quarter turn to right done in Step 1
431 13 15 29 quarter turn to right
9
Continued from previous page
Move from To slot: Move from To slot: Then turn disc...
slot: slot:
When the bobbins are completely spooled out, take the bobbins off and continue to braid until
you can no longer catch the cord into a numbered slit. This will give you an inch or so more
cord than if you stopped when the bobbins were spooled out. DO NOT TAKE OFF THE DISC
YET!
You should have approximately 26” of braid.
Finishing the braid:
When the braid is as long as you want it, or you’ve run out of cord, it is time to bind off
the braid. Instructions are on page 12.
10
Troubleshooting
1. You’ve stopped and you don’t know which cord to start with again.
This is an easy and an important thing to learn in

kumihimo. When braiding, the last moves made are the top
most cords on your braid. Look at the center of your disc.
Notice that there are two cords on top. In the case of this
picture the cords are in the top east and bottom west position.
This tells you that you just finished rotating the disc. You are
ready to move the upper right hand cord down across the disc.
Then move the lower left hand cord up across the disc. After
that move, there will be the two cords on the top of the braid
and you would be ready to make the quarter turn right.
2. Looking at my cord I can see I’ve made a mistake.
Kumihimo is great because it does not damage the cord in the process of braiding. If the
mistake is not too far down the braid, then very carefully, step-by-step, undo the braid. Basically
you will be moving the upper LEFT hand cord DOWN across the disc followed by moving the
bottom RIGHT hand cord UP across the disc followed by a quarter turn to the LEFT. Sometimes
it helps to use a safety pin to mark the mistake so you don’t lose it in the process of undoing the
braid. It is up to you to decide if the mistake is serious enough to fix.
3. I’m at the end of my cord and I want to make my braid longer.
Oops! That one can’t be solved. All the big decisions in kumihimo are up front. Length
is one of those decisions. When making subsequent cords figure out how long you want the
finished cord to be. Then TRIPLE that length on EVERY bobbin. This way you will never come
up short. Another good idea is to hold onto your leftover braid. Use it as a “sample” to remind
you how you made it and what that color/bobbin combination ended up looking like.
11
Binding the Ends
1. Cut a piece of thread about 24” long. Fold it in half making a loop.
2. Bind the braid. At the top of the braid, right under where the cords
branch out to their numbered slots, slide the tails of the thread through the
loop making a cinch. Your hands will be working below the disc. Move
the thread so that it is at the very top of the braid. Pull the tails of the thread
taught to cinch in all the cords. Make another loop with the thread. Run the
tails through again, pulling taut to cinch the thread.
3. Remove the cords from the disc being careful to hold onto the thread
at the cinch point.
4. Wrap the thread around the cinch point several times, binding all the cords together
tightly. The width of the binding should be about 1/16”. If you make the binding too wide it will
show from under the bead cap.
5. Seperate the ends of the thread, wrapping one back around the binding so that you can tie
a knot. Tie several knots to hold the binding taught.
6. Trim the loose ends from the braid by cutting the cord very close to the binding.
7. Do this to the opposite end of the braid, right above the knot.
12
Finishing the necklace
1. Check to make sure that the braid is not too long. Be sure to take into account the width
of the clasp. If the braid is too long, rebind the cord at the correct length. Then bind a second
time about 1/4” beyond the correct length. When BOTH bindings are in place, cut the braid
between the bindings. If you don’t bind twice, the unbound end of the braid will unravel.
2. If you intend to thread the braid through a focal bead, now is a good time to do it. Once
the bead cap is attached, it may not fit or be flexible enough to squeeze through. If you are
hanging, stitching, weaving, or any other sort of embellishing of the cord, do it now. Even if it
doesn’t make a difference, it is better to be safe than sorry.
3. Spread glue on the braid end. Be sure to cover the binding well. Slip the gluey braid
end into the bead cap. Make sure the braid is centered and straight. Carefully wipe off any glue
residue. The result should look like the picture.
4. Let the glued bead cap dry 24 hours before attaching the clasp.
5. After 24 hours, attach the clasp.
Congratulations, you have now made a round kumihimo braid.
There are all sorts of things you can do to vary the look of your round braid.
The easiest is to change the type of cord you use. Try yarn, embroidery floss,
cotton perle, art cord, mixed fat and thin cords. The possibilities are endless.
Enjoy your new skill. Experiment with new cords and fibers. Have lots of fun.
Happy Braiding!
13

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The Round Braid

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The Round Braid

Copyright © 2005 Karen DeSousa

Check out the kit

open domed bobbin

slip knot on shaft

Your disc should look like this. Notice how short

1. The disk should look like this. Place one strand

2. Move the cord in slot 1 to slot 15. Move the cord

Another way of saying this would be: Move the upper

Never move one cord without

4. Move the cord from slot 25 to 7. Move the cord

Another way of saying this would be: Move the upper

5. Turn the disc, one quarter turn to the right. The

6. Move the cord from slot 16 to 30. Move the cord

8. Move the cord from slot 8 to 22. Move the cord

You should have approximately 26” of braid.

Finishing the braid:

This is an easy and an important thing to learn in

2. Looking at my cord I can see I’ve made a mistake.

3. I’m at the end of my cord and I want to make my braid longer.

5. After 24 hours, attach the clasp.

Congratulations, you have now made a round kumihimo braid.

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