Making braids

Braiding has never been ‘my thing’, I even struggled plaiting my daughter’s hair when she was little and french plaits have always been beyond me.  I did, recently have a go at Japanese Kumihimo braiding and found it very relaxing and even quite meditative, once I got the hang of it.

I had a go at several different braids.  Firstly, I chose ‘hard’ and selected some leather laces which I made into a four-strand chevron braid.

Then I chose ‘smooth and shiny’, selecting strips of sari fabric to make into a four-strand round braid.

For ‘ soft’, I selected soft wool yarn which I mixed with silk thread to make four-strand flat braids.

Then I went on to making some cords by twisting, a technique which I have used before to wind silk.  It is a remarkably simple way to combine different yarns of varying thicknesses and colours.