Beginner's Guide to Braiding: The craft of Kumihimo (Beginner's Guide to)

I did not have a marudai, but because her many pictures were quite well thought out, it was easy to see what was necessary, I was able to construct one out of the box my books came from (it needn't be round). Rolls of 25 pennies can be used as bobbins. Emroidery floss doesn't work well, as it is not long enough...one should use embroidery thread on spools for this. <-She does speak of this in the book, but a lot of people buy the tools with the book without being able to read through it first.

The braids one can learn are all made with 8 bobbins. She explains how the colors and patterns can be changed with a change of thread color or thread texture.

If you are thinking of this book to make obijime: These are all basic braids (nothing too fancy), so it is an excellent beginners book...but it will not make the fancier braids you see in most flat obi jime. It will make the braids for round obijime, though.


Clear, easy to use, and beautiful   June 18, 2004
wiredweird (Earth, or somewhere nearby)
80 out of 81 found this review helpful

This is Japanese braiding. As with so many other crafts, the Japanese start with the same materials used by workers anywhere else in the world. Then, they apply their own techniques to create something completely new.

This book gives clear, simple directions for making or improvising the tools needed. It takes a bit of effort to hold the incomplete work in place and feed in each strand as needed, so the tools really are necessary. You can't just grab a few strings and try the techniques. The tools are easy to put together from common household materials - film canisters, coins, and a few other things - so don't let that put you off.

The braids themselves are presented in beautiful photos, along with clear, complete directions for making each one. The photos also show how one braid can look very different according to the colors and kinds of strands woven together.

It's not something to pick up casually on a rainy day and try with your kid. It takes some preparation, and some practice to get an even result. That is well within reach of the home crafter, though, and well worth the effort.


Good book for beginners   June 15, 1998
59 out of 59 found this review helpful

This is a good book for beginners because it has different variationf for the 4 basic braids for 8 bobbins all spelled out. Also, there are photographs of Jacqui's hands and the movements, which is good if you are teaching yourself. She also makes some suggestions for improvised equipment, very useful until you decide you are well and truly hooked and can't live without real equipment.


Great book for beginner   October 16, 2001
T. Brewer (Dodge City, KS United States)
18 out of 22 found this review helpful

I don't have the loom to start the braiding yet but from what I have read and seen just by looking at the book it will be very useful in instructing me in how to do kumihimo braiding. It is very detailed and easy to understand espcially since it is in color and shows you in pictures each step. I consider it a great book for beginners.


Beginner's Guide to Braiding   April 2, 2007
Gerry Hall (Florida)
17 out of 18 found this review helpful

I found this book to be an excellent guide for the rank amateur....which I AM! It is very easy to understand with good photos and drawings. Perhaps the best part is that it tells you how to make your very own tools and spools (just in case you don't want to go buy everything before you even know if you have an affinity for it).