Kumihimo class

The Internet never ceases to amaze me. How people find things in particular. I had an email from a lady in MA asking about Kumihimo. Specifically, if I taught Kumihimo. As of then, I have only taught Chain Maille but would be willing to give it a try.

After many back and forth emails, we settled on a class for her here in my home. She was very pleased and I got started on some written instructions and materials for her to purchase. (Since I'm not a bead store, she would need to bring her own materials.) I gave her a list of possibilities and appropriate choices.

She came Friday morning and we got to work. It was fun getting to know her and the skills she already had. She is a knitter and crocheter plus she has many other craft skills. (Much like most craft people, she has more than one interest). I also found out she is a perfectionist. She didn't mind starting over when the first attempts were not quite right.

She had settled on making a bracelet like the one above. I had an extra focal bead and some center crimp end loops. The picture above has end caps and I have since learned that I prefer the crimps. (No gluing!) She finished half of the bracelet in our class and was very pleased with the result. It looked great. Nice work.

One thing I need to point out, however, is that she also taught me something in the process. One of those "Duh!" things. The kind of thing a new person is apt to notice; not just following the way shown, at least with out asking questions. The bobbins unwinding have always given me fits. Despite many different attempts, short of buying new bobbins, I still have a problem with them unwinding. The fear is that beads will fall off and go all over the floor. Plus the way the long strings hinder your movements are a bother, especially to someone just learning.

The thing I learned: tie a knot in the end of the thread so the beads can't come off if it unwinds. Well, "Duh!" She also suggested using a different kind of bobbin. Maybe like some of the knitting bobbins. That I'll have to look into but certainly worth the look.

Isn't it nice to learn something new, even if you are the teacher? What have you learned from someone else lately?

B