Kumihimo - a fun way to braid

Have you ever been to a convention or craft show where you had to wear a badge on a lanyard to get access to different areas of the show?

Frustratingly, mine always flips itself over to the back so that when you meet someone and they look down at your name badge, all they see is the back of it. It doesn't seem to matter which way I wear it, it always flips itself over again. 

Not surprising really, as they are usually secured by just one point at the top of the badge and no amount of fiddling with it will prevent this phenomenon from happening. 

I decided that enough was enough! 

I made my own braided lanyard cord using a Kumihimo disk and colourful satin cord. The cords are attached to the two corners instead of the middle and it no longer flips over. And the bonus is, it is unique and pretty... no more drab neck cords for me!

You might not need a lanyard, but this particular braid is so adaptable that it's also ideal for making braided jewellery. So let's get to it and learn how to make a round Kumihimo bracelet.

How to Set Up the Kumihimo Disk

You'll need four 1 metre (39") lengths of rattail cord in your choice of colours and a Kumihimo Disk.

Find the middle of the first length of cord (yellow) and place it across the hole in the middle of the disk and then place the cord into the slot on the left-hand side of the dot at the top of the disk. 

Pull the cord firmly and place the other end into the slot to the right of the bottom dot. Repeat with the other cords until the disk looks like the photo.

Create a Round Kumihimo Braid

The round Kumihimo braid is a really simple (and FAST!) braid to work. 

There are just three actions involved:

STEP 1: Hold the centre of the cords with your right thumb and with your left hand, lift the bottom left cord out of its slot. (The photo below is a progress photo and it shows the disk rotated as the braid has already been started.)

and place it into the slot to the left of the cord at the top of the disk. You now have 3 cords at the top and 1 cord at the bottom.

STEP 2: Now, switch hands and place your left thumb over the centre and using your right hand, lift the cord at the top right of the disk....
and place it into the slot at the bottom right of the disk.

STEP 3: Rotate the disk counterclockwise/anticlockwise.

And that's it. Continue with these three simple steps and you will see the braid begin to emerge from the bottom of the disk.

Continue until you have used up all the cord and you will have a braid approximately 20cm (8") long.

Turn the Kumihimo Braid into a Bracelet

You need to tie the pairs of cords together with a half knot so that the braid can't unravel when you take it off the disk. 

You'll need approximately 18cm - 19cm (7" - 7 1/2") to make a bracelet. Measure your wrist to check how long you need to make it and then subtract about 3/4" for the toggle closure.

Use a needle and thread to stitch through all the cords at the desired length and then wrap the thread 3 or 4 times around the braid and tie it into a knot to bind all the strands together.

Trim the cords closely to the binding.

Use a good dab of glue on the ends and slide the braid into a snug-fitting cord end. Your braid will be around 8-10mm thick depending on how tightly you braided, so look for cord ends with this internal diameter.

If you're not sure what size to buy, then get a variety pack of cord ends and choose the ones that fit.

A strong glue like 5-minute epoxy is my go-to adhesive. 

Once the adhesive has dried, add a jump ring and two or three chain links to the bar end of a toggle clasp. Then, connect the jump ring to the cord end. Attach the toggle to a jump ring and connect it to the remaining cord end.

And there you have it - a simple and fun bracelet that can be made in any colour you like.

It's exactly the same process for making a lanyard or a necklace... you just make a longer braid!

Now that you've got the hang of the basic round braid, check out this Beaded Leather Kumihimo Bracelet with Sliding Knot.

It's made with leather cords and it has a totally different look!

Pin this project for later!

'Til next time...

If you can't get enough of My Tutorials and you want even more inspiration, click here to find my books and printable pdfs