Kumihimo_Crystal.pdf

kumihimo

crystal bracelet

Wire woven braids from a disk.

TOOLS & SUPPLIES

• 16"–20" pieces of 24- to 26-gauge

Artistic Wire, 8

• 4mm round crystals, approximately 120

• Hamanaka Kumihimo Disk

• Round nose pliers

• Chain nose pliers

• 2 end cones

• 18-gauge wire, 6"–7"

• Jewelry cement

Resources: Artistic Wire, artisticwire.com;

Kumihimo Disk from ontherocks.biz.

SKILL LEVEL

BY VANESSA BLEVINS

I found the Kumihimo portable disk one afternoon at a

bead show, and became determined to learn how to use it.

Soon I was creating beautiful necklaces out of all kinds of fiber.

After a while, I wanted to return to my love, metal. I decided

to create something using Artistic Wire, because it was anti-tar-

nish and could easily be bent a few times without breaking. I

added crystals for sparkle and durability.

Photo of finished piece by Jim Lawson; all other photos

courtesy of the author.

Kumihimo Crystal Bracelet • Page 1 • More great projects available at shop.interweave.com/beading

kumihimo crystal bracelet

1 Measure your wrist, and add

2 Bring all the wire ends together

3 Insert the twisted wire ends

1"–1 1 ⁄ 2 " for comfort. This is the

woven length of your bracelet. The

cones and clasp will add more

length, so measure them and add to

your total. Measure eight 16"–20"

pieces of wire.

and twist them with your fingers

a few times, like you are twisting a

bag tie.

through the center hole on the

top side of the disk. Use your left

hand to hold the twist underneath the

disk. It is important to maintain con-

sistent tension throughout the project,

so that the weave is uniform in shape

and size.

4 Separate the strands of wire, one

5 Hold the disk so #32 is at the

6 Take the wire on the right side of

on each side of #8, #16, #24,

and #32 on the disk.

top. While holding the twist with

your left hand on the under side of the

disk, begin by taking the wire on the

left side of #16 (bottom left) and bring-

ing it up and to the left of the two

wires on the top (#31—top left). You

now have three wires on the top.

#32 (top right), and bring it down to

the right side of the bottom (#15—bot-

tom right). Turn the wheel to the left, or

counter clockwise, so that #8 is on top,

and repeat the pattern: bottom left-top

left, top right, bottom right. Continue

weaving one time around the circle until

all the wires have been moved.

7 At this point, you have woven about 1", or made one complete rotation.

8 Remove the wires from the disk,

Start adding the crystals. You will only add the beads on the upstroke

move. Add the crystal to the wire, and push it down through the hole so that it

sits snugly against the weaving. Use your left hand to hold it down while you

make the other cross over. Make sure that the crystal is held under the wire that

is crossing over to the inside left of the circle. Continue the same pattern until

you have reached the desired length. Weave about 1", or one more complete

rotation without crystals at the end.

and snip the ends.

Kumihimo Crystal Bracelet • Page 2 • More great projects available at shop.interweave.com/beading

9 Take the 18g wire, and cut it in

10 Insert the wire ends of the braid

11 Place the cones over the long

half. You should have two 3"–3 1 ⁄ 2 "

pieces. Wrap them around the fattest

part of the chain nose pliers two to

three times, forming a coil.

into the coil, and use chain

nose pliers to them squeeze the coils

closed. Snip the ends of the braid

close to the end of the coil.

ends of the 18g wire. Add jew-

elry cement to the inside of the cone

to hold it in place.

12 Make one end into a wrapped

13 On the other end, grasp the

14 Hammer the top curve of the

loop using the middle or the

base of the round nose pliers. The

loop needs to be big enough for the

hook to pass through.

wire about 1 ⁄ 4 "– 1 ⁄ 2 " from the

cone with the fattest part of the round

nose pliers, and bend it over the pliers

with your fingers to form the hook.

Roll up the end of the wire with the tip

of the pliers, forming a tiny loop.

hook for strength.

WIRE ujq

Keeping track of the next number to move to is not important. The

numbers are merely there for reference. What is important is to keep

up the same pattern, and to keep your wires across from each

other. You can use the numbers to check yourself every time you

come around one full rotation. All eight wires should be on one of

the numbers with dots.

Vanessa Blevins

has been crafty all her

life. A friend introduced

her to jewelry making,

starting with stringing, and then moving

to metalwork. After teaching herself many

techniques by reading or trial and error,

she began selling her creations. She is cur-

rently a teacher at On the Rocks, a local

bead shop. Contact Vanessa at

vlblevins@bellsouth.net.

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Kumihimo Crystal Bracelet • Page 3 • More great projects available at shop.interweave.com/beading

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