Kumihimo Again

The beaded beads from my last post needed the right kind of rope, and circumstances have conspired to roll me around to kumihimo again.

I strung my beads and started, but neglected to hang a weight from the centre, figuring I could just hold it and pull on it for tension as I was braiding.

First I noticed that there were threads showing. Then it just didn't seem to twist nicely (the braid should have produced a spiral), so every now and again I'd stop and twist, and it seemed to stay.

There were enough strung beads after I'd finished the rope to try again, this time using a centre weight, and what a difference it made!

Both ropes have the same thread and the same beads and are braided in exactly the same way, except that the rope above was made without a centre weight and the other rope had as a weight the bead in the picture below.

Admittedly, it's a substantial bead: almost two inches long, and stone, but it really made a huge difference.

I finished the ends with a few rounds of peyote which attach to a copper toggle clasp on which my nice big red beaded bead is suspended. My daughter says the focal reminds her of the Disney movie "Anastasia", though she couldn't quite explain why.

Yesterday was full of stuff.

Sitting around for three hours waiting for a car to be serviced. That's a real joy, although to be fair, it wasn't as odious as it must be for people who are reduced to watching the TV (if it's on; I didn't notice one where I was sitting, thankfully) or paging through inane magazines, since I brought my laptop and was able to complete the instructions for next Tuesday's class, as well as do some kumihimo while listening to a podcast of This American Life.

Then Amy had her annual home sale at which my weakness for silk and tencel got the better of me. And oh yes, I sold a few things too - about three times the value of what I sold at the home sale last week, so my weakness isn't exactly leaving me destitute.

After that, at the Bead Society meeting we got the skinny on resin, about which I'd been doing some reading anyway. We made a little resin charm. What I really want to do is make cabochons out of resin. With Things in them.

And the lampworker who always brings her stash was able to seduce me with a few beads this time. I had a very, very weak day.

At least one of them has a kumihimo rope too. It will soon be a necklace.

Turns out the bead was the perfect weight.