Every braid has to start somehow! The two most common ways to start a braid are either with an overhand knot or a Lark's Head Knot. Another way to start your braid is with an "interlaced" end; basically a finished end that won't come apart. 

Overhand Knot: If you are using an odd number of differen t color strands, you will tie the cords  together with an overhand knot. If you want to to hav e a

tassel on the end of your braid, an overhand knot can be used to your advantage. If you  want to attach an end cap to the end, you will have to finish the end of the braid and remove the knot. 

Lark's Head Knot: If you are using an even number of strands of each color, cut double the length required, fold the strands in half and use a Lark's Head Knot to secure the mid-point. When starting with a Lark's Head Knot, the end of the braid will have a finished "look". However, it is possible when you remove the Lark's Head Knot string, the end of the braid can come a part a little. This is a good way to start if you know the end of the braid will eventually go into an end cap. 

Interlaced End: An interlaced end is like starting with a nice finished end that won't come apart. Following is the method that I figured out for the disk and I like the way it works. The strands are positioned on the disk in an interlaced fashion before braiding begins. The diagram below is for the Kongoh Gumi braid structure (i.e "left bottom up, right top down OR right top down, left bottom up"). You can see that the strands are positioned in a progressive and "interlaced" manner. After all the strands are in position, it is time to braid. When you start braiding, you start with the "lowest" strand or the first strand you positioned (i.e. the Pink strand in this example). 

 

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There is so much to discover if you trust your own creative instincts and think out of the box. This is probably the most valuable lesson I learned at the Braids 2016 conference. My teachers at Braids took "ordinary" braids and made them extraordinary with very simple tweaks and changes. While some of you may not be ready yet to start playing with different braid structures, you can certainly 

discover some fun things t rying new fibers,
combining fibers, etc. 

	Edge Bead Necklace with Petite Satin Cord

For example, The Edge Bead Necklace™ Kit has always been done in Petite Satin Cord. Using the variegated Kumihimo Rayon Gimp gave it a whole new look. Both are wonderful and very different.

	All Petite Satin (smooth)

Other examples include the 

	Petite Satin w/ Frilly (texture)

16 Strand Super Spiral Bracelets

my mom made. The original

16 Strand Super Spiral™ Bracelet Kit  pattern is written for Petite

Satin Cord. My mom, who loves

to create "out of the box" tried something new. The turqu oise /green bracelet is a combination of Petite Satin Cord with Gala Ribbon and the pea ch bracelet is a combination of Frilly with Petite Satin. Both of these bracelets have texture while the all Petit e Satin version (far right) has a smooth appearance.
 

Here are Jen de Jung's two examples of combining different fib ers i n the
20-Strand Round Bracelet Kit . In the first sample (left) she used 14 strands of Gimp and 6 strands of Frilly and in the second bracelet (right) she used just the opposite allocation of fibers; 14 Frilly and 6 Gimp. You can see that the bracelet with more Frilly has more texture. 

Suzanne Woodhead, Truckee, California

Suzanne, a multi-talented and meticulous artisan, has been really zipping' it up. She started making the "Zip it Up™" Bracelets and she really went to town. She started out with the "Zip it Up™"  Bracelet Kit and then went on to choose her own color combinations. Her combinations are spectacular.

Thanks Suzanne!


P.S. You should want to be one of her friends, as almost everything she makes, she gives away. 

Do you have something you would like to share? Maybe you'll be the next Kumihimo Artist of the Month. Just send me an email at [email protected]. 

Sharon Gardner, Livermore, California

Sharon is another multi-talented artist and has been on several of our Knitting & Kumihimo Trips. Last year in San Miguel de Allende, the knitters worked with mitered squares. 

It was a wonderful surprise when Sharon sent this picture. She has used the mitered squares technique, taught by Irene York, to design her own absolutely handsome baby blanket. She trimmed the edges with knitted i-cord. 

Great job Sharon. Thanks for sharing. 

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