This piece of rhodochrosite set in silver was another one of my finds from Beads, Etc. in South Lake Tahoe, California last November. The bands of deep rose, grey and charcoal caught my eye and the bail seemed ample for accommodating a kumihimo braid. (The fact that it was on sale at the time made [...]
Continue Reading →The polished agate pendant I used in this necklace was my favorite find from Beads, Etc. in South Lake Tahoe, California last November. I was concerned because the hole in the pendant is quite small for a kumihimo necklace, but I couldn’t leave the store without it. I love the way the artist allowed the [...]
Continue Reading →Designing a new kumihimo necklace requires a series of trade-offs. Would a matching or contrasting color better set off the pendant? Which fiber would be the most effective with the specific structure? Each choice – the color, the fiber, the structure, beads and findings – provides a number of opportunities to alter [...]
Continue Reading →Even when we’re making mistakes, we’re learning. This week there were far more “learning experiences” than successful projects in my workroom. Take the project in the photo at the left, for example. The first hurdle to overcome appeared when I needed to take the groups of threads off of eight of the tama and pass [...]
Continue Reading →This Week In My Workroom
Welcome!
Sometimes I work on specific projects, other times I'm just experimenting, but I am
always learning.
Here's what's going on this week.Artist’s Statement
I enjoy kumihimo precisely because it is not a mindless activity – it demands my focus and attention, engaging the problem-solving part of my brain. Whether the structure is one that I am braiding for the first time or a familiar one, I am required to concentrate on the way the threads work together to form that particular braid. It forces me to pay close attention to the process instead of hurrying or looking ahead. The individual moves lead one to another predictably, and the structure, once understood, tells me what should come next. This peaceful, rhythmic flow added to the pleasure of the color interactions and handling the silk is the joy of kumihimo for me.Project Categories
