Just beautiful! I have to confess that this is not a craft I've tried--yet. Your descriptions make me want to though.
If you want to give it a go, then the entry-level thing to do would be to buy a Kumihimo platform -- disk (round) or plate (square) -- because they aren't expensive. There are advantages and disadvantages of a platform versus a Marudai.
* A platform is cheap, a Marudai is expensive. * A platform is extremely portable, a Marudai is not. I've done braids in the bus with my disk. * Tension is easier to control with a Marudai. I think. I could be wrong. And tension is more important for flat braids than round ones. I think. * A Marudai can be a lot faster, because (a) you can move two spools (one in each hand) at a time rather than one strand on a platform (because one hand is holding the platform and the other hand is moving the strand), and (b) it is quicker to reposition strands on a Marudai than on a platform, but only some braids require the strands to be repositioned. * There are lots of video tutorials on YouTube using a platform; not so many using a Marudai (at least not in English).
Yep. That goes for pretty much any sort of thread-craft, doesn't it?
True, but I've never seen such a massive difference before. Then again, most of my thread-craft apart from this has been something where the tension is entirely in the hands (literally) of the crafter, such as knitting or crochet, and generally unconscious on the crafter's part, and thus not as easy to vary deliberately.
If you want to give it a go, then the entry-level thing to do would be to buy a Kumihimo platform -- disk (round) or plate (square) -- because they aren't expensive. There are advantages and disadvantages of a platform versus a Marudai.
* A platform is cheap, a Marudai is expensive.
* A platform is extremely portable, a Marudai is not. I've done braids in the bus with my disk.
* Tension is easier to control with a Marudai. I think. I could be wrong. And tension is more important for flat braids than round ones. I think.
* A Marudai can be a lot faster, because (a) you can move two spools (one in each hand) at a time rather than one strand on a platform (because one hand is holding the platform and the other hand is moving the strand), and (b) it is quicker to reposition strands on a Marudai than on a platform, but only some braids require the strands to be repositioned.
* There are lots of video tutorials on YouTube using a platform; not so many using a Marudai (at least not in English).
Yep. That goes for pretty much any sort of thread-craft, doesn't it?
True, but I've never seen such a massive difference before. Then again, most of my thread-craft apart from this has been something where the tension is entirely in the hands (literally) of the crafter, such as knitting or crochet, and generally unconscious on the crafter's part, and thus not as easy to vary deliberately.
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