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Japanese braiding (kumihimo) is becoming increasingly
popular around the world. The multiplicity of patterns and the
different shapes of braid make it a fascinating craft. Both decorative
and useful, these braids can either add that special finishing touch to
handcrafted items or just be beautiful on their own.
Braids are made using a stool or a loom and a number of
weighted bobbins, the number of bobbins varying according to the style
of braid to be made. (A braiding style dictates which order to move the
bobbins in and where they are moved to.) The most versatile piece of
equipment to use is the marudai (pronounced MAroo-DA-ee), a
round-topped stool with a hole in the centre. With just eight bobbins
you can make quite an amazing variety of braids even using one simple
braiding style simply by changing the layout of the strands or by
varying the colours of the strands.
 
Examples of Kumihimo loom and stool [marudai]
Christmas braid
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