It has 32 notches for holding your braiding cord firmly, providing the necessary tension for good, tight braids.

One great and unique design is that it is 8-sided. This allows you to easily find your place, is convenient to hold, and the 8 corners are labeled with compass directions, making some braiding directions easier to give and understand.

BONUS! On the back side, we’ve printed “quick start” directions for the basic braid, so this disk is all you need (other than cord) to get started! You can partially complete a project, set the Kumi Loom down, and come back later – the directions will help you find your place.

Once your appetite is whetted, we know you’ll want to expand your knowledge of this craft - and what better way than our book on Kumihimo braiding, the best one available!

Designed by Kathy James, an experienced teacher and author of Kumihimo braiding on small, personal looms and disks, we think this is the best product of its kind on the market.

(You are purchasing the KumiLoom alone; the bobbins and cords shown in the picture are sold separately.)

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This kit also contains the fantastic KumiBob cord-handling bobbins, making the work much easier and faster; a set of practice cords; and a 12-page booklet of instructions for the round braid!

In the early 8th century, when the Buddhist religion spread in Japan, people began to use decorative braids in ceremonies. The making of these beautiful, usually silk, braids became an art, and later, people used colorful braids to decorate their clothing, hang ritual banners, lace samurai armor together, tie robes, and decorate weapons. Braids can be found in many cultures, but the Japanese developed the highest order of braiding techniques and complexity.

Today, you can create beautiful Kumihimo with the KumiLoom, the modern braiding disc. The notches provide the correct tension, so you don’t need hanging weights. The cord winds up into the individual flexible bobbins, so you keep a compact workspace, but easily and quickly feed cord as you braid. There are 8 bobbins in this kit; if you decide you want more (both for more involved Kumihimo projects as well as great cord storage devices) they can be purchased separately.

So many uses! Your braids can be used to hang jewelry, for coiling on gourds or baskets, or as a purse handle. Braided cords are also used for eyeglass cord, cell phone loops, lanyards, light pulls or curtain ties, clothing, key chains, leashes, zipper pulls, binding, decoration, costumes…there’s no end to uses for intricate braided cords.

You will get a kit that includes:

• KumiLoom: 6 inch diameter, 12mm (about 1/2 inch) thick, the best Kumihimo disk available!
• 8 plastic cord bobbins (these are the well known EZ bobs)
• 12-page booklet of instructions for the basic round braid (both 8 and 16 strand), finishing instructions, color pattern setup suggestions
• Practice cord, enough to get started (colors vary)

Check out our Specialty Yarn