Perhaps most people would not consider a difference of 0.6mm as going from one extreme to another, but that is exactly what it is in beaded kumihimo! The second kit I demonstrated on Jewellery Maker this week contained 4 reels of the thick S-Lon (Tex 400), which at approximately 0.9mm diameter is a full 0.6mm wider than the cord used in the previous kit! Cord of this thickness is unlikely to pass through the drill holes of any gemstone bead of less than 6mm, but it does work up quickly into a beautiful braid with structure and flexiblity, so the gemstones can be used as features and focals, rather than being added into the braid as it is worked. Fine braids can be created by using the 4 cord braid and very chunky braids will result from using 2 or 3 cords per slot. It is particularly effective when used in a Half Round Braid and my favourite design from this kit is the Flower Necklace with the figure of eight at the front. I have not yet tried to use it for Hollow Braid or one of the flat braids made on a plate, but I would expect it to perform very well in these braids.
If you work with glass seed beads you will also find this cord very useful and versatile. It can be used successfully with most size 6 seed beads, Long Magatamas and any other beads with larger hole sizes.
The instructions for the designs can now be found by clicking here.
The show can be watched by clicking here.