Alaska Pendant

I completed this kumihimo necklace some time ago, inspired by the pendant that I purchased when we visited Alaska.  The braiding is shades of dark green and a pearlized white and I also strung silvery beads to wind around the braid.

Carried Away

And it could be said that I got a little carried away with this Kumihimo project.  I did a fairly typical necklace in pearl and dark green seed beads which picked up the color in the pendant quite nicely.  Then I made a separate, traditional string of the pearl seed beads and twisted it around the round braid.  It makes it a little heavy but not too much that it looks bad or is difficult to wear.  You should be getting the idea that there's a lot of variation in what can be done with Kumihimo.  I'm keeping this one for myself.

And More Turquoise and Black

Guess I was in the mood for turquoise and black as I also completed this necklace.  If I remember correctly, I found that pendant in Portland some months back.  I suspended a bead in its hole and added beads to jump rings above the pendant.  The second photo shows the pattern in the seed beads - something a little different.

Kumihimo In Turquoise, Black and Silver

Before we move on with our journey in Peru, I thought I'd show you some of my completed Kumihimo projects.  Although progress has been almost nil in recent weeks, I currently have two projects underway and hope to soon be back to some regular braiding time.  I thought this one was rather striking with the turquoise and black with the silver beads, pendant and end caps.  It was just given to an 89-year-old for her birthday.  Hope she enjoys wearing it as much as I enjoyed making it.

Turquoise Kumihimo

For this necklace I started with a focal bead I purchased in Oregon.  There are two shades of turquoise, a light blue and red.  It's really quite striking.  You'll have to take my word on that.

In Case You've Been Wondering

Yes, I'm still doing some Kumihimo braiding.  This little number has two shades of turquoise and a touch of red.  I got the focal bead at a bead store when I was in OR.

I have more necklaces in progress so you'll be seeing more designs in the future.  Seems there's always another design or color of bead that I want to try.  I haven't even gotten to square or flat braiding yet.

Silver and Black Kumihimo

I actually purchased a kit for this necklace as it was the only way I could find to get the pattern.  It wasn't very difficult since someone else had to figure out how to load the beads and now I can use different colors and made the same design quite easily.  This design used a larger 6/0 bead and includes a section in solid, spot (2 variations) and spiral.  At each end is a section with plain braid.  It's quite striking.

Kumihimo Spiral Bracelet

This bracelet was braided with cotton cords.  It takes twice as much of the white which lies on top of the other cords.  It's a different effect that I like quite well.  I just added big beads and a bail with an owl charm.

Kumihimo With Dichroic

At a bead store in Portland OR I was able to match some 8/0 beads with the dichroic glass pendant that I made at our local ceramic shop.  I had previously wire wrapped my pendant and I'm still thinking about dangling a charm or bead from either the bottom wire loop or maybe the one in the middle of the pendant.  For the chain I just loaded beads onto all of the cords randomly and braided away.  I like it!

Kumihimo In Gold

Unfortunately the photo doesn't do this necklace justice.  Maybe I'll have to invest in a jewlery form that showcases necklaces better.  The necklace has a beautiful sparkle and was made using the larger 6/0 beads.  The clasp is a pretty leaf which adds a nice element and it could be worn with the clasp to the front or somewhere at the side.  I'll be doing more in different colors.

Kumihimo Totally Beaded

I've continued doing Kumihimo projects.  This one is totally beaded, using mostly 8/0 seed beads but with some larger beads as a focal point.  I'm learning quite a lot as I go along and one of the things I'm learning is there's a lot about this ancient craft that I don't know at all.  So I'll keep practicing.

Kumihimo Magatama Necklace

The Kumihimo braiding continues and this one incorporates some "midnight" magatama beads.  Those are strange little beads and they have to be strung in an exact way so they face outward on the necklace.  I found it a little tricky and time-consuming but the result was worth the effort.  There are also some shiny little seed beads tucked in between the magatama for some "sparkle."  My daughter liked this one so it's hers.  And I have more of those magatamas in other colors to play with.  Need to build up my patience quota first.

Kumihimo With Focal Bead

Before we move on to another area of exploration, here's another Kumihimo necklace.  It's very similar to a purple one I did earlier.  I had planned to add coordinating beads where the small seed beads start but they wouldn't fit over the braid.  Ugh!  Note to self: check out fit and add beads as I braid if necessary.  I'm not beating myself up over this error.  It's a learning process and I'm feeling mostly successful.

Kumihimo - Totally Beaded

Welcome to my new blog.  I hadn't intended to leave my old space but an upgrade caused me to lose access to it and I was unable to fix that so here we are.  You'll find things much the same.

This is my first Kumihimo necklace which is totally beaded.  I used 8/0 seed beads and they are more brown than the photo shows.  The closest bead to the actual color are at the top.  I added some metal large-hole beads with some gold spacers for the focal points and the twist was just for the photo.  It lays flat when worn.  It went so well that I'll get more beads and try again!  And maybe the next photo will show a more true color.