I have been meaning to put together a dedicated starter kit for my Prumihimo disk for a long time, but I just did not find the time to work through all the possibilities and decide what to include and exclude. The first lockdown this year gave me time to give it some serious thought. I wanted to put together a selection of materials to allow the purchaser to pick up the disk and get going right away, but I also wanted to be able to support further understanding of the properties of the Prumihimo disk. My first book and the original disk are perfect partners, so they form the basis of the kit. To them I have added the extra-thick disk, which is designed for thinner cords. This disk is only available directly from me. So that covers the equipment, but materials to work with are needed. I have included cords suitable for that first attempt on the disk, using contrasting colours so that any mistakes can be easily spotted. In addition I have put together a carefully curated selection of cords to teach the differences between various popular cord widths. Understanding what affects the structure of a braid is fundamental to learning to create your own designs and having samples of different widths makes it easier to purchase future supplies. I have also added in small bags of beads of the 2 most popular sizes of bead for Prumihimo braids. Having the correct materials makes learning so much easier. After all that learning it is important to be able to make something wearable and the bracelet kit is the perfect first project. It is great just as it is, but it could also be customised by using other materials in the cord kit. Finally I am throwing in a PDF for another Prumihimo project to make sure that the learning continues!
This kit is a great way to prepare for a Zoomihimo by Prumihimo workshop. These are proving to be very popular and loads of fun. A prerequisite of attending one of my virtual workshops is the ability to use the Prumihimo disk. The more you practise the braid structure the more you will get out of the workshop and the better your final braid. Understanding the different widths of cord available and their effect on the braid would be very helpful when selecting materials for a workshop.
The starter kit is now available in the shop on this website and I hope that it will encourage a new generation of braiders to try the Prumihimo disk, enabling them to further their kumihimo adventure.
