Beautiful Braiding Made Easy: Using kumihimo disks and plates

I have been reading through the book and it has some great braids. The zigzags look very nice. They don't seem very hard.

Super livre pour bien commencer le kumihimo.

Non ho ancora avuto modo di provare gli schemi ma sembra molto carino e semplice anche per chi si è appena approcciata a questa arte come me! La consegna è stata rapidissima e l'imballaggio ottimo. Contiene istruzioni per fare intrecci round e flat, più utili indicazioni su come concludere ogni cordoncino e istruzioni extra su come lavorare aggiungendo perline, davvero sfizioso e il formato grande facilita la comprensione. 4 stelle e non 5 solo perché non ho ancora provato a fare gli schemi! Ma sono decisamente soddisfatta!

I am delighted with this book. The instructions for making braided cords (on a kumihimo disk) and flat braids (on a square plate) are as clear as can be and very easy to follow. The book starts with a very brief background to the technique, what threads or textiles are useable, how to use and dress the kumihimo disc and how to end off the braid once it is made. Beginning with a simple, 8-strand braid, Ms Deighan shows how to manipulate the threads. Her 'tips' are useful and the little cartoon figures on almost every page help to make learning fun, which is surely the sign of a good teacher. She progresses us to elaborate patterns without any fuss: simple twist, double twist, lattice, heart, dog-tooth and reversed spiral. Pretty good for a 48-page book! Each pattern has the thread number and position as well as clear working instructions. The instructions for using the square plate for flat braids are equally concise and clear. Ms Deighan gives us chevrons, square braids, zig-zig patterns and zig-zag braids. The final section of the book shows how to incorporate beads into the work. There are colour photographs of the braids that can be produced and not at any stage was I left puzzling what to do next. I am so pleased with this book and delighted with my first efforts. The navy/red cord is 2mm satin rat-tail, the 4-colour spiral - my second attempt! - is No. 5 crochet cotton.

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