Kumihimo Bracelet Duo & Necklace Plus Continued - Santorini Colorway

In the previous post, the colorway featured was Place Vendome. 

Here are the photos of the kumihimo bracelets and necklace done with the Santorini colorway.

Oh, and why Santorini? The colors reminds me of the Minoan murals in Crete. Then I thought of the lost Minoan civilization of Atlantis, but the Atlantis has a bit too much attached to its name, so Santorini seemed much more appropriate as a name as it is the island where Atlantis may have been, before being destroyed when its volcano exploded… 

Here is the materials for the Kumihimo Bracelet Duo…

The start of bracelet #1

Bracelet #1

Left shows the back side of the bracelet, nice a soft against the wrist with no beads.

Right shows the front side with the small bead ridge in the center. 

Here are the two bracelet done with this kit. 

Bracelet #1 on the right; bracelet #2 on the left. 

What's intriguing is the texture and color differences between these two bracelets. It is also possible to switch and start with bracelet #2 first, then the color arrangement would be changed. 

Bracelets stacked

The Necklace Plus makes a long necklace and a bracelets, or two necklaces, your choice. 

A handmade glass bead can be added. 

 

The large bead can sometimes slide on over the clasp and beads. 

Other times, depending on the actual diameter of he inside hole, the beads needs to be integrated into the braid. Each bead is handmade one at a time, so inside diameter are not exact. 

The borosilicate bead contains silver globs and dichroic fragments within, giving it life when it moves. 

This pieces were braided with Rayon Bouclé that is space dyed, C-Lon Bead Cord, 4mm Magatamas, these beads are in the form of a droplet, Size 8 seed beads for bracelet #1, gold tone magnetic clasps covered by Peyote Sleeves. The focal large glass bead is an optional add on to the kit. > Get a kit

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… 

DIY Silk Tassels for Jewelry

One of the latest trend in jewelry is tassels. They are featured everywhere on malas, attached to bracelets, earrings and more... In fashion you can find them on clothing, belts, shoes, purses along with lots of fringes. Tassels can be made out of many different type of materials depending on their final use. They can be simple or complex. 

Here is a tutorial for a silk tassel well suited for jewelry. 

I found filament silk best suited for tassels. The weight and flexibility of the silk makes gorgeous tassels. Kanagawa 100 Denier Silk and Fujix Tire Silk come in an amazing array of colors. Kanagawa 1000 Denier Silk comes in 162 colors; Fujix Tire Silk in 121 colors; Griffin Jewelry Silk in 11 colors. The following tassel was made with Kanagawa color #5. The two Japanese brands, Kanagawa and Fujix Tire, are comparable and they are as far as I know the best filament silk available. Griffin Silk, a beading silk is also a very high quality silk suitable for tassels. 

1. Cut a folded piece of cardboard a bit longer than the desired length of the tassel.

2. Insert the thread in the cardboard fold and wind the thread around. 

This one was wound about 45 times around the card. 

The more you wind the thread around the cardboard, the fuller the tassel will be. 

3. With separate thread, bind all the tassel thread on one of the end.

I go around the bundle twice, then tie the two ends into a flat knot.

4. Cut the thread along the other end of the cardboard while holding the bound end. 

Continue holding the bound end for next step. 

5. Run the thread under lukewarm water to remove the folds and to make it easier to cut the ends. 

Blot the tassel with a towel to remove excess water. 

This step can be skipped with Griffin Silk, and with silk coming off of spools, but cutting wet silk is easier than cutting dry silk. It is just like getting your hair cut wet rather than dry...

6. Continuing while the tassel is wet… 

With a separate piece of silk, wrap the tassel neck. 

Stitch the ends back toward the tassel ends. 

7. To trim the tassel, wrap the tassel in a piece of plastic shed.

Use your sharpest scissors to trim the ends.

Here is the finished tassel.

The finished length of this tassel after trimming is 4.5 cm long.

The head is about 5 mm in diameter. 

The bottom of the tassel skirt is about 18 mm wide. 

Tassels made with Kanagawa 1000 Denier Silk and Fujix Tire Silk.

Some are longer, fatter… The fattest one on the right was made with the full card. 

Tassels made with filament silk.

The two on the right are made with Griffin Jewelry Silk Size 6. 

The Kangawa and Fujix Tire silk tassels have a bit more sheen than the Griffin ones. Griffin Jewelry Silk is another filament silk often used for stringing beads. It is less sheen and more grip, so a bit easier to handle than Kanagawa & Fujix Tire. It is available in 12 colors at this time. Griffin Jewelry Silk comes in spools. Size 6 has 65 meters per spool.  

> See earlier blog on Griffin Silk - it comes in spools and in cards… 

Tassel made with Madeira Silk

This tassel is soft and fluffy, but the floss does not have the weight of the filament silk, so it does not hang quite as nicely. It might make a good tassel, but it would not be my choice for jewelry. Madeira Silk Floss come in 108 colors. It is made in Germany with spun silk from Switzerland.  

Tassel made with C-Lon Micro Cord. 

This tassel skirt is bit stiff. I may attach this ones to my keys or a purse, but I would not attach it to a strand of beads, nor wear it as a jewelry charm… 

I am now experimenting with tassels made with Chinese Knotting Cord, so far I really like the results with Micro Size E. > Read New Post on Tassels 

See latest post on tassel HERE. 

Silk - References

All these fine silks are available at Jewels in Fiber online store

Here are the silks, I tested for tassels. I made the same types of tassels growing up in Geneva, Switzerland. I came up with a few improvements while making them this past week… Oh, I was told at the show I just attended that books are good to wind the thread around to make the tassels. I will try this next. 

I have several books on tassels, but I have yet to make one of the fancy tassel featured in them. If you are interested in further research in the art of passementerie, that is the French word for fancy decorative trimming such as tassels, braid and fringing, check books on tassels and look for future posts on the subject!

Chinese Knotting Cord - Compare Sizes

Chinese Knotting Cord is a braided nylon cord with a central core. It is available in many sizes and  quality. Sometimes braided polyester is sold as Chinese Knotting Cord instead of nylon, but polyester is more slippery and it has more stretch, but it is easier to dye than nylon. 

All the cords we carry are braided nylon, with a central core also made of nylon. This way the cord is fully fusible and the ends can be melted using a thread burner. All our cords are tested and only cords with proven record are carried. > Compare Thread Burners

Larger Sizes

The 10 yd length are wound on EZ- Bobs. We used to wound them on cards, but we switched to EZ-Bobs. The medium size EZ-Bobs are used for the 2mm, Medium Weight, HDQ (High Density Quality) size and 1mm size. 

2 mm Size

~ 2 mm diameter.

Available in 5 yd/4.5 m or 10 yd/9 m bobbins, and in 110 yd/100 m spools. 

Jewelry quality cord, braided evenly with a matte finish.

Many of the colors match the HDQ, NewFine Weight and H Size. 

Made in China. 

HDQ Size

~ 1.5 mm diameter.

Available in 10 yd/9 m bobbins, and in 158 yd/145 m spools.

High Density Quality = high count of braiding elements per inch. 

Matte finish with a good grip. 

Many of the colors match the 2mm, NewFine Weight and Micro Size H. 

Made in China.

Medium Weight

~ 1.2 mm - 1.5 mm diameter.

Available in 10 yd/9 m bobbins, and in 82 yd/75 m skeins.

A classic weight for shambhala bracelets with beads diameters of 10-12 mm.

Colors matches the Fine Weight other than for dye lot shifts. 

Made in China.  

Both the Medium Weight and HDQ knot to about the same size. 

1 mm Size

~ 1 mm diameter. 

Available in 10 yd/9 m bobbins, and in 130 yd/119 m spools. 

Dense and tightly braided. Low sheen finish. Good grip. 

Many of the colors match the Extra Fine and Micro Sizes E & F.

Made in Taiwan. 

FAQS

Why are the diameter approximate and why do some have two sizes? 

The first number is often found by holding the cord above a ruler, and second smaller one 1.2mm when it is squeezed… 

Grip? 

Will hold knot tightly, but may not slides as well as lower grip cords… 

Why are some of the Medium EZ-Bobs holding the cord more transparent than others? 

We used to carry EZ-Bobs made in China, but we have moved back to US production. The mold for the Medium EZ-Bobs is polished to a very smooth surface making a final bobbin that is more transparent.

All the sizes above are wound of small EZ bobs, shown thinnest to thicker from left to right. The largest three on the right are shown below. The 1mm is shown as reference. 

Smaller Sizes

Fine Weight

~ 0.8 mm in diameter.

Available in 10 yd/9 m bobbins, and in 82 yd/75 m skeins.

It is a great weight for cording going through beads for shambhala bracelets.

Additional colors of similar weight can be found in the NewFine Weight listed below.

Colors matches the Medium Weight other than for dye lot shifts. 

Made in China.

New Fine Weight

~ 0.8 mm in diameter. 

Available in 10 yd/9 m bobbins, and in super large 328 yd/300 m spools.

Even braid quality, just a dash denser than the Fine listed above. Matte cord finish.

Many of the colors match the 2mm, HDQ Weight and Micro Size H.

Made in China.

Extra Fine Weight

~ 0.7 mm diameter.

Available in 10 yd/9 m bobbins, and in 90 yd/82 m spools. 

Low sheen. Holds knot well.

Many of the colors match the 1mm and Micro Sizes E & F.

Made in Taiwan. 

Skins

The Medium and Fine Weight Size come in skeins. Buying Skeins? > Read Tips on How to Unwind Skeins

The 2mm, HDQ, 1mm, New Fine & Extra Fine come in spools. It is easier to work with than skeins. 

Micro Sizes

The next sizes are Micro Size E, F, G & H. The Extra Fine on the right is shown as a reference.

Micro Size H

~ 0.6 mm in diameter.

Available in 10 yd/9 m bobbins, and in 110 yd/100 m spools.

Just a tad thicker than most Size G, with very smooth fine texture and even braiding.

Most colors are fairly matte, but some have iridescent strands. They are marked with *.

Some colors match the 2mm, HDQ & New Fine.

Made in China.

Micro Size G

~ 0.5 mm in diameter.  

Available in 10 yd/ m bobbins, and in 135 yd/125 m spools.

Expect thickness, texture and dye lot variations in this size. 

Made in China.

Micro Size F

~ 0.5 mm diameter.

Available in 10 yd/9 m bobbins, and in 100 yd/91 m spools. 

A tad thinner than Size G. Even in thickness and texture.

Many of the colors match the 1mm, Extra Fine and Micro Sizes E.

Made in Taiwan. 

Micro Size E

~ 0.4 mm diameter.

Available in 10 yd/9 m bobbins, and in 270 yd/247 m spools. 

Even in thickness and texture.

Many of the colors match match 1mm, Extra Fine & Micro Size F.

Made in Taiwan. 

 I hope this will help you choose the best braided nylon for you next project.

Still confused or interested in trying this cord out? 
Order a few 10 yd bobbins to try out or order some sample cards at > Chinese Knotting Cord

New C-Lon Bead Cord Colors - July 2015

C-Lon July 2015 Colors: Aurum, Medium Brown, Green Olive, and Venetian Red.

Compare C-Lon Bead Cord Aurum to other Gold Tones

Aurum, the Latin name for gold, is the new gold tone. It is a great addition to the gold tones and yellow range. Here it is, surrounded by Lemon and Golden Yellow (at bottom), Light Maize & Marigold (on left), Gold (on right), Tan & Antique Gold (on top).  

Medium Brown, in the midst of the other brown tones, with at top: Latte, Sable and Brown, then continuing in a clockwise fashion, Chocolate, Sepia, Antique Brown, then Cocoa, more of a grayish taupe… and finally Mahogany, a reddish brown. 

Here is Medium Brown, next to Sable. It shows the tone and value difference between the two. 

Green Olive, the newest olive green addition, is greener than Olive and darker than Olivine… Compare it to Myrtle Green (at top), Chartreuse (left), Peridot, Fern, and Green (above) and Forest Green (on right), and Olivine and Olive (below).

Venetian Red, a perfect lower saturated red that reminds us of natural earth clay tinted by iron oxide, the interior of palaces in Venice, or the murals of Pompeii… is surrounded clockwise starting on left with Black Current, Sienna, Copper Rose, Chinese Coral, Shanghai Red, Red-Hot and Red.

I am truly amazed to have so many colors to work with!

> Shop for C-Lon Bead Cord

> See the New C-Lon Bead Cord June Colors

Beading Thread - Comparing Fireline, Power Pro, WildFire, C-Lon Bead Thread, KO and Miyuki Beading Thread

Choosing beading thread can be complex as each of them has their pluses and minuses, and of course it all depends on the type of beads and the beading technique you are using, as well as what you are making.

Here is a chart and some notes on the best beading thread available. All fit onto beading needles Size 10-12 and can be melted with a thread burner.

Brand Names
KO and Miyuki Beading Thread must be made by the same factory. The thread quality, spools, and colors are exactly the same. The labels are the only differences.

C-Lon and S-Lon or Superlon are also, as far as I know, made in the same factory for different producers. They may have yardage difference in the D size and C-Lon has 3 additional colors of the AA size.  - More in post about C-Lon vs S-Lon


Thread Type & Construction

Nylon Monocord
Nylon was invented to replace silk for silk stocking. It is strong, can be pulled and has a bit of stretch. The original nylon stocking were so strong that they did not need to be replaced… and guess what, over time the quality was lowered on purpose so they would snag and need replacing… Back to nylon, the nylon filaments can be twisted into a 1-ply, 2-ply or 3-ply cord, or braided. C-Lon Bead Cord is a 3-ply bonded nylon. Chinese Knotting Cord is a braided nylon.

For the KO, Miyuki and C-Lon Beading Thread, the filaments are lightly twisted into a 1-ply cord, known as a monocord, not to be confused with monofilament, that's the original fishing line.  In addition to its good abrasion resistance and excellent strength, the monocord has a flat, ribbon-like cross section and it flattens against beads making this type of thread great for doing multi pass through the bead holes. The thread is either waxed as in KO & Miyuki, or lightly bonded in the C-Lon Beading Thread to hold the filaments together. The multifilament monocord was originally designed as a low profile sewing thread.

Dyneema & Spectra
Both are Ultra High Molecular Weight PolyEthylenes. Dyneema is made by DSM in the Netherlands and Spectra by Honeywell in the USA. UHMWPE, for short, is know for its strength, low stretch and low weight. As a fiber, it is used for fishing lines, parachute cord, sailing lines, personal armor, puncture resistant clothing for fencing and more.

As to the differences between 6 lb. Fireline, 10 lb. WildFire and Power Pro, FireLine and Power Pro are braided whereas WildFire has a monocord thread construction. The 6 lb. Fireline has a thinner fiber braided core and a very thick thermally applied bonding. The bond material coats the fiber core, and the texture of the braid is non existent, whereas Power Pro has some texture, even through the bonded coat.

Thread Size or Diameter
Many beading techniques require multiple passes through the same bead hole, so the thread diameter is very important. The number on the chart represent the official diameters, but here is my list done by touch. The diameters are too thin to measure with a ruler or a caliper.

Thinnest to less thin:

1. KO - Miyuki Beading Thread
2. C-Lon Bead Thread Size AA ~ by just a tad, maybe… 
----------------------------------------
3. C-Lon Bead Thread Size D
----------------------------------------
4. 6 lb. FireLine
5. WildFire 006
6. 10 lb. Power Pro ~ maybe by a tad, or the thread texture might makes the thread feel thicker… 

I separated them in groups to delineate clear diameter size differences. Please note that FireLine, WildFire and Power Pro come in larger sizes, but they are a bit too thick to allow for multiple passes and they become harder to thread on the needles Size 10 or 12. 

Ease of Threading onto a Needle
The thinner thread are easier to thread on a needle. I use beeswax at the end of the nylon thread to keep the filaments from separating. The hardest thread to insert into the needle are the braided ones, as they need to cut nice and clean and threaded immediately before the braid starts separating. PowerPro is the hardest one to thread into the needle, but once in, because of its texture, it stays in place, whereas the other threads, being more slippery, fall off the needle more easily.

Easier to Hardest to Cut 
The nylon threads are easy to cut with sharp scissors. The Dyneema & Spectra thread are hard to cut, with FireLine being the easiest of the three, and PowerPro being the hardest. I tried regular embroidery scissors, wire cutters, and a thread burner, but that left a small bead at the end of the thread. A pair of titanium scissors worked best, especially when holding the thread taut when cutting.

Breaking Strength
See the chart, the thread lines up the following way, from lowest to highest:
4 lb. - 1.81 Kg - KO - Miyuki, C-Lon Bead Thread Size AA
----------------------------------------
6lb. - 2.72 Kg - 6 lb. FireLineC-Lon Bead Thread Size D
----------------------------------------
10 lb. - 4.53 Kg - WildFire 006, 10 lb. Power Pro

Colors and Notes on Thread
I have been told repetitively that with most beading techniques, the thread color does not show, but with peyote for example, the thread shows up on the edges… I can see it!

KO - Miyuki Beading Thread has 18 colors. Some of the colors are perfect. The Gold for example is absolutely perfect for gold seed beads. The Lilac, Denim, Light Grey, and Apricot are fabulous choices… 

The thread is pre-waxed, making it easy to use. It is thin, easy to cut and threads easily onto a needle. The breaking strength is the lowest, but for pieces that are not structuraly under stress and for beads with smooth edges, it is very nice to work with. It flattens against the beads, making multiple passes easy as long as you hold the thread that is already in the beads taut while you insert the needle back in. 

C-Lon Bead Thread Size AA & D come in 39 and 36 colors respectively. Many of the colors are amazing. I love the Light Brown, Purple, Chocolate, Grey, Burgundy, Seafoam, Turquoise & Teal, and it doubles up as a great thread for leather wrap bracelets/ladder bracelets especially in Size D.

Size D has a higher breaking strength and would be my first choice between the two. It functions very much like KO/Miyuki Beading Thread as to ease, especially with a light addition of beeswax. But stay away from low quality wax that is sticky. A good clean hard beeswax is what's needed here. Another thread conditioner option would be a light coat of Fray Block, not Fray Check that is too thick. 

The colors on the nylon beading thread listed above are colorfast, washable, but may bleach with long exposure to sunlight. The Dyneema and Spectra beading thread listed below are basically white and cannot be dyed. The color is added to the bonding material. If you peel the bonded coat, the fiber underneath is white… 

FireLine comes in two colors, Smoke and Crystal. Crystal is white. It seems a bit translucent, but when placed on a dark color, it does not change. Smoke is dark grey. The thread is quite strong, it can be pulled on and it will flatten somewhat against beads, but not as much as the nylon beading thread. FireLine and WildFire are fairly slippery, so watch the thread tension.

WildFire comes in 3 colors: Frost, Black and Camouflage Green. I nicknamed it Camouflage because the green seems to blend with many other colors somehow and it is also a color used in the military and for fishing…. For some strange reason I think I like WildFire better than FireLine, but that may be just this week… 

And last but not least, Power Pro has just 2 colors. It has a few more colors, available in fishing stores, like a bright yellow, blue, red… but none have made it into the beading world yet, so try your local fishing store… This thread is strong and has a bit of a texture, so the needle does not fall off, but it also tends to stay rounder; it does not flatten much. 

Consideration about Beads

The type of bead used is a major consideration. Check your beads, make sure that the bead edges are nice and smooth, or as smooth as possible. I found along the way that some beads are simply not suitable for cord and thread, and maybe not even wire. Some beads are simply not well cut enough to be used in any project. With natural materials such as gemstones, often the difference between an inexpensive strand and a more expensive one is the quality of the bead edges.

With any beads that have a sharper edge, I would stay away from any of the nylon thread, as the sharp edges may abrade the filament one at a time. The heavy bonds on the Spectra and Dyneema thread will hold up better over time.

Structure or Drape?
I have read that drape or structure is based on the thread you use, but I have not found it to be the case. The thread tension is responsible for the drape or tight structure. In peyote stitch, for example, adding extra turns around beads can help hold the thread tension. It takes practice to hold the tension even. So yes, with your first piece, regardless of which thread you use, you may not have total control over the tension, but over time it gets easier.

Other Stress Factors
Consider what the end use will be and how much stress will be put on the piece you are making. In conventional jewelry, rings, for example, are considered more at risk than a pendant, bracelets somewhere in between… One should also consider how much pull there will be on the piece. If it is a bail, it will need to be able to hold up some weight and movement over time… So yes, the more stress, the higher breaking strength…

Personal Preferences
Some beaders are adamant about their preferences. For Peyote, I run into entrenched camp of FireLine vs PowerPro… I am still in the process of discovering and playing around. Color is a great consideration for me, and I have worked with C-Lon Bead Thread for a long time on leather wrap bracelet, so I am used to working with it. Cost is also a consideration as nylon beading thread is a lot less expensive than Spectra and Dyneema bonded thread. Well that is for another post… This one is already way too long!

–> Nylon Thread & Cord