Kumihimo Bracelet Duo & Necklace Plus

Occasionally a new kit starts with a skein of yarn. 

I fell in love with the texture of the rayon boucle and its colors. 

It is a space dyed yarn with gorgeous colors, but would it work for kumihimo?

I started with the necklace...

Then tried a flat looking bracelet with beads only on the side - it is shown on the left.

It is made with the standard round braid but it looks like a flat braid.

Then I altered it by adding a ridge of smaller beads down it center… See bracelet on right. 

When I finished the first bracelet, I had lots of yarn left, so I added a second bracelet.

The second bracelet has a different bead placement. 

It makes it more interesting when both bracelets are worn together. 

Then I added a focal bead to the necklaces and Peyote sleeves over the clasps. 

This one is Black Starburst - a borosilicate glass with silver globs and dichroic chips inside. 

It is handmade in the USA. 

This one is Silver Moon. Not sure which one I like best… 

Here is what comes with the Bracelet Duo and the kumihimo tools that are needed. 

This colorway is Place Vendome > Get a kit or if you already have all the materials for this project, just the PDF of the instructions.  

Of course this process took some time. I got the skeins in two colorways in February and now it is August. And I still have to package the Necklace Kit Plus and finish the instructions for the Necklace Plus. Necklace Plus? Oh, that's because you can make two necklaces, or one long necklace and a bracelet with the kit.  

I brought this kit to my last show, last weekend in Portland. I only had the Bracelet Duo ready in the two colorways, Place Vendome and Santorini. Santorini sold out… Now, of course I need to post all the pictures showing the Santorini color way. See next post entry. 

Oh, why Place Vendome? The colors reminded me of Paris, the classy colors of the architecture and Place Vendome came to mind. I looked again at pictures of this beautiful square in Paris off Rue Rivoli and yes the colors are similar, with soft greys, soft rusts, some charcoal and some golds and bronze…