There are few things more satisfying than finding just what you need in a forgotten corner of your crafting stash. I was sent an amazing array of magatama beads by the lovely Jamie North and couldn’t wait to get started on them. I wanted to make something to go with a particular top so I picked out some delicious beads in tones of lilac and purple. I would have liked a dark lilac shade of satin cord to set them off, but I only had black, gold and grey. I decided to use the grey, but thought it might be a little ‘flat’ so I hunted through my knitting yarns and found some shiny silver yarn. The bracelet worked up well, but I still wasn’t completely satisfied. My thoughts turned to fabric paints and I hunted around for some silk paints I had bought over 10 years ago. I expected them to be totally dried up, but not a bit of it! They were still in great condition and few dabs here and there on the central, exposed part of the braid just brought all the elements of the design together in the way I had hoped.
I think I might experiment further with dying the cords and yarns for Kumihimo. It makes so much sense and will help to achieve a personalised look.