Kumihimo With Hemp and Beads – John Bead Corporation: Beads, Crystals, Components and Carnival

This adorable bracelet is the result of a new experiment.

I have been wondering how a kumihimo braid would look if it was part beaded and part hemp cord.

The Dazzle-it Hemp collection has a number of great colour options, but this month I have been very attracted to the Vintage Colours collection in the thinner 10lb cord.

My first thought was to use a twisted needle to help me add all my beads to the hemp cord.

However, I realized that the hemp cord didn’t need the help. It is stiff enough to pass through the beads without help.

I prepared my circle kumihimo disk with the standard 8 cord setup.

I learned very quickly that the hemp with the beads on it would get very stiff as I braided. I needed to add some extra slack…so on the open end I used a bead stopper which I could move to give the beads a little more space.

When my braid was a good length I knotted one end.

Ordinarily I use string to finished a kumihimo cord before I cut it and then glue on an end cap. In this case the beads would all unravel, so I glued a section of my kumihimo cord before I cut it.

I really like this effect.