After the success of the first braid-along in my Facebook group during May I have been working hard to put together a new braid-along for the summer. I am now ready to give a few more details.
Start date – Monday 12th July
Projects – 4 bracelet projects, one per week
Duration – 4 weeks
Equipment – Prumihimo disk. The Prumihimo disk was designed by me and it is protected by design patent and trademark. Please respect this and be aware that no other type of equipment is permitted for this braid-along.
Materials – These are just approximate amounts to make all 4 bracelets. You might decide to make them all in the same colour/bead combinations or you might decide to make them all different. If you are not a bracelet person, you could make necklaces instead, which would require 2-2.5 times the bracelet quantities. If you use thinner cord you will need more beads because they will be more closely spaced. Look to see what you have in your stash and be ready to be flexible!
Cord – 10m (11 yards) 2mm satin cord and 12m (13 yards) beading cord (eg S-Lon 0.5mm/Tex210)
Beads – 250 size 8 seed beads, 150 larger beads approximately 4-6mm (eg long magatamas, 6mm top-drilled beads, 4mm gemstone rounds, 2/0 seed beads, pellet beads, 6mm mushroom beads, etc)
4 clasps, internal diameter 6mm
Skill level – Anyone who can make a basic braid on the Prumihimo disk. My aim is to make this enjoyable and informative for newbies and experienced braiders alike.
How it will work – Every Monday I will post instructions for a bracelet made on the Prumihimo disk and will give a link to a YouTube video for instructions for the technique. You will have one week to make the bracelet and post your work. Some people will probably want to stick close to the pattern I supply, while others will want to try something different. The designs will allow for lots of individual creativity, as well as the chance to use up items from your stash. It makes no difference if you are new to the Prumihimo disk or you have been using it for years, because it is all about joining in, sharing and having fun. We will all learn from this braid-along and I include myself in that. Seeing how different braiders make use of the same basic instructions will be so interesting and inspiring. Using up forgotten items from your stash will be so satisfying and cost effective. Seeing the progress made by other participants will perk up your mojo. What a great way to spend the summer and strengthen our braiding community.
What will I learn? – You will learn how to use beads on the Prumihimo disk using the single, double, triple and quadruple beading methods. These are the underlying techniques of all beaded designs on this disk. You will also learn how different beads can be used to achieve different effects. You will learn some great colour and bead combinations from your fellow braiders. These skills will allow you to experiment with your own designs with confidence. You will also gain the necessary skills to be able to attend my zoom workshops, which are all aimed at intermediate braiders. Most of all, if you didn’t know already, you will learn what fun it is to braid on the Prumihimo disk.
Can the braid-along be completed at any time? Yes it can, but the real fun is joining in when everyone else is at the same stage. The work-in-progress posts, the critique from me, the encouragement of other participants and the time frame are all part of the learning process and the enjoyment. After the 4 weeks of braid-along it will still be possible to work through the instructions on your own because the information will be transferred across to this website as a permanent record.
Preparation – Find your Prumihimo disk or order one if necessary. These are currently only available from the UK, so if you live in another country time to get one is now getting tight. If you order now it should arrive in time, but there is no guarantee! Gather your supplies. Practise the basic braid without beads on the Prumihimo disk. It is important to be able to carry out the braiding moves confidently and accurately. If there is a slight twist in your braid it is ok, but bumps, lumps and irregular stitches are not!
Where will I find the information? – I aim to post the information for each bracelet on Monday 12th July and on each Monday for the next 3 weeks. The posts will be found in the Kumihimo by Prumihimo and Friends Facebook group. Look out for the posts on a turquoise background and they will be tagged #braidalong2 to make them easy to find. The information will also be available in the blog posts on this website and once the braid-along has finished they will be transferred to the Resources section of this website.
Let the fun begin!