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Where creativity & imagination go hand-in-hand... |
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Monthly Newsletter October 2012 |
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Dear Knitters and Kumihimo-ists! | |
Greetings!
It's almost October and Fall is here! I looked at my window the other morning and thought my front yard was on fire! One of our Maple trees turned bright red overnight and the Aspen trees turned yellow the next night. I love the change of seasons!
This month I am introducing the Edge Bead / Focal bead Necklace Kit in 9 color ways. This is a great opportunity to learn two techniques or at least learn how to combine techniques! This kit uses the "edge beads" along with "starting in the middle". Super fun, super easy and quite fast. These make great holiday gifts - give them already made or give a Kumi Kit to a friend!
As I mentioned last month, I will be away October 7th through October 13th participating in a Kumihimo Festival taught by Rodrick Owen. As a result, my Kumihimo Shops will be closed while I am away. You may place orders and I will ship them when I return. I will ship orders through Saturday the 6th and I will resume shipping on the 14th.
Happy Braiding,
Karen
P.S.S. Got something you want to share? Send me an email. I am looking for more Kumihimo Artists for our showcase. Email Karen
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| New Stuff! |
Edge Bead / Luster Bead Necklace Kits - Nine Colors Just in Time for Fall!
The Edge Bead / Luster Bead Necklace Kit is great because it combines the techniques of "starting in the middle" and adding "edge beads". The main focal bead is a lustrous bead surrounded with faceted rainbow crystal beads on either side. The necklace, as packaged in the kit, will make up to a 20 inch necklace. I prefer it around 17 inches. If you want to make the necklace longer you can order an additional package of satin and 6/0 seed beads.
Kit Includes:
10 yards Petite Satin Cord
1 Tube Miyuki or Toho 6/0 Seed Beads
3 Focal Beads
1 Set 6mm All-in-One Magnetic End Caps
Instructions with color photographs
Cost: $24.00
Colors from bottom to top:
- Plum, Gold w/ Crystal Gold Lined Beads
- Caramel, Amber w/ Jonquil Hyacinth Beads
- Coffee, Amber w/ Metallic Dk. Bronze Beads
- Navy, Chartreuse w/ Aqua Yellow Beads
- Antique Gold, Gold w/ Crystal G/L Beads
- Dk. Olive, Amber w/ S/L Slate Beads
- Black, Mauve w/ S/L Tanzanite
- Turquoise, Emerald w/ Jonquil Apricot Beads
- Pink, Amethyst w/ Crystal AB Beads
Click here to view ALL 9 COLORS of Edge Bead / Luster Bead Necklace
Miyuki "Picasso" Seed Beads
These Miyuki "PICASSO" seed beads are itty bitty works of art - they are beautiful.
10 grams $4.50
Two New Colors - Picasso Chartreuse and Picasso Yellow
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Kumihimo Artist of the Month - Ro Simpson |
 Ro SimpsonOmaha, Nebraska
Ro puts a big smile on my face when I receive pictures of her Kumihimo creations. Recently she sent me 20 pictures. They ranged from Cluster Bead Necklaces to Furnace Glass Focal Bead Necklaces to 12 strand Ridge Spiral Necklaces and Bracelets. All of them are works of art. Interspersed in these pictures was one of Suki, her very sweet dog, who probably gets alot less walks when "mom" is so busy braiding. My question is, why isn't Suki wearing a Kumihimo collar?
12 Strand Ridge Spiral Necklaces & Bracelets - Color combinations from left to right: Caramel & Turquoise satin with Aqua Jonquil Beads, Caramel, Black & Turquoise satin with Terracotta Beads, Teal and Purple satin with Metallic Purple Beads, Tan & Peach satin with Salmon Alabaster Beads, Turquoise & Purple satin with Rosaline Purple Beads.
To add beads to the 12 Strand Ridge Spiral, simply put the beads on the "ridge" strands and, in the section of the braid where you want beads, drop a bead each time you work that cord.
Click on this link for Toho and Miyuki Seed Beads.x Cluster Bead Necklaces - Color Combinations from Top to Bottom: Black satin with Matte Metallic Dk. Bronze/Milky White/Terracotta beads, Grey & Silver Satin with Galvanized Silver beads, Red satin with Opaque Black beads, Light Blue & White satin with Galvanized Silver Beads and Black satin Milky White and Galvanized Silver Beads.
The Cluster Beads necklaces also make up nicely in the C-Lon Tex 400. You can also make your clusters large or smaller and you can intersperse different size clusters on one necklace. Have fun with your imagination!
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Candy Cane Kits | 
The Candy Cane Kit is alot of fun and great for the holidays. These Candy canes look spectacular hanging on the Christmas tree, they look great as package toppers, they make unique gifts for ornament exchanges, etc. There is enough satin in each kit to make three candy canes. You learn how to braid around a wire core and there are three different spiral variation patterns for you choosing.
Cost of Kit: $14.00
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Kumihimo Tip #14 |  Did you know that you can make your braids look alot nicer if your steam them when you are finished? It can make a big difference. Steaming and rolling your braid makes for a more even braid and sometimes works out any kinks that might be the result of uneven tension. What I have found that works best for me is to steam my braid on the ironing board. First, I straighten and pin the braid to my ironing board and then I steam the braid. I "hover" the steam iron over the braid being very careful not to make contact. Then, I carefully un-pin the braid and I gently roll it back and forth on the ironing board. Then I re-pin it and let it dry. This doesn't take long and it sure makes a difference. I don't do this with full beaded braids although I do steam my Edge Bead braids very carefully. Give it a try and let me know what you think! |
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Fun Kumihimo Resources... | |
I just thought I would share some of my FAVORITE Kumihimo Books...
1. Comprehensive Treatise of Braids VI: Kumihimo Disk & Plate by Makiko Tada
2. Comprehensive Treatise of Braids 1: Maru-dai Braids by Makiko Tada
3. Beads & Braids by Jacqui Carey
4. Braids 250 Patterns from Japan Peru & Beyond by Rodrick Owen |
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Shopping |
I have 5 "Kumihimo Shops" to meet all of your Kumihimo needs. All orders are through PayPal (or use the credit card option) and I ship orders via USPS First Class Mail. This has been amazingly reliable and incredibly fast. Most orders are shipped the same day I receive them.
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WHAT A KNIT ! Newsletter Archives |
For those of you that are new to What A Knit, you'll find some good info in the archived newsletters. If you have any friends that might be interested in receiving this newsletter, make sure you forward them a copy. Click this link to |
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