Traditional Japanese Kumihimo braids are made on wooden stands, the most common being the Marudai and the Takadai. Wonderful though these devices may be, they are also expensive. So a wonderful lady called Makiko Tada invented the foam disk, an inexpensive and easy to use device, which opened up the world of kumihimo braiding to a much wider and very receptive audience.
I want to introduce you all to my first kumihimo disk. It is a little battle weary, but it is still very much in use. It is discoloured and a bit grubby. Extra markings have been scrawled on here and there and the original numbers are fading away, but for certain uses it is still the first disk I reach for. It has even survived a battle with my cat and the holes here and there are the scars from this feline jealousy. Perhaps I should think of retiring it soon, but it is like an old friend, who has been with me through thick and thin and travelled as far as Australia with me. Sadly, it can no longer grip the finer cords, but it is unsurpassed when it comes to ribbon and wider yarns, so I think it will be with me for a while longer.