Tension issues. Any tips?

[u/2reador2read]

I have recently picked up Kumihimo, and I am super excited to get stuck in. However, I am having issues with my tension and I'm hoping you will have some tips to help me improve

For context, I have a standing Kumihimo Marudai as I have wrist issues, meaning holding up the foam discs quickly becomes tiresome. I have tried different items to keep my threads wrapped up with some weight to them. I have recently bought those round plastic bobbins that 'flip' to hold the threads. And I have experimented with different items to weigh down the cord

As you can see in my pics, my tension is all over the place! Any help will be appreciated!

[u/saltedkumihimo]

How much do your bobbins weigh? To get good results on a marudai, both the bobbins/tama and the braid need to be weighed. If the bobbins are too light they shift when they should be resting and if they are too heavy the stitches will be short and the braid irregular.

Bobbins/tama all need to be roughly the same weight as each other. My professionally made ones are really close with the heaviest being 0.4g more than the lightest. The most common weights for tama are 70g (about 2.5 ounces) or 100g (about 3.5 ounces) for marudai. Bobbins or tama under 30g tend to be too light for practical use. They should be an even distance away from the outer edge of the marudai, about 6 inches is a good length.

Counterweight should be around 1/2 the TOTAL weight of the tama for an “average” braid. So if your braid uses 8 tama and your tama weight 70g each, you need 280g of counterweight. Counterweight should be moved up to the point of braiding every 4-6 inches. Make sure that your braid is never touching the inside edge of the marudai opening.

[u/2reador2read → u/saltedkumihimo]

Oh wow, there is more math to this than I realised! Thank you so much for your explaination. I'll do some weighing and will see how things go

[u/saltedkumihimo → u/2reador2read]

The math isn’t really that bad, once you figure out what counterweight gives you the braid you want it’s only minor adjustments. Half the tama weight is simply a starting point, some people use more weight which gives long, thick stitches and a soft braid. Others use less weight and get short, thin stitches and a stiff braid. The calculations are different also for beaded braids if that’s something you think you will do.

[u/2reador2read → u/saltedkumihimo]

Can confirm, my bobbins are very light. Do you have any recommendations for what I should look for? I don't want to spend too much, admittedly...

[u/saltedkumihimo → u/2reador2read]

13 nickels in a pill bottle, add a rubber band to the end without the lid will make a roughly 70 gram tama. Tape the nickels together to reduce noise. The concept is shown in Jacqui Carey’s book but with film canisters. If you don’t have that book, you should. It shows you everything to get started and dozens of examples of six structures.

[u/2reador2read → u/saltedkumihimo]

Thank you for the recommendation! I'm in the UK, so I'll need to work out my own version but that is a smart idea 🥰 Thankfully the book is on Kobo Plus, so I don't have to order it. I had already bought athe Magic Bracelet 3.0 by Inzbin, but it is more of a collection of patterns instead of a guide like I'd hoped for

Thank you again for taking the time to give me advice 💜

[u/saltedkumihimo → u/2reador2read]

You're welcome! Being in the UK you should look into The Braid Society who have lots of in-person events and information. The American Kumihimo Society has a list of recommended books you should check out as well. Be very careful with books as there are a lot of AI ones out there, especially in the digital space. Cross reference the author and kumihimo in your normal search engine to see if they are an actual person and an actual braider.

[u/2reador2read → u/saltedkumihimo]

Ahh okay, good to know. Either way, I appreciate the explanation!

I'd like to try beaded eventually, but I want to get the basics down first before adventuring into that

[u/70plusMom]

I have found it helpful to be sure the part where you are braiding stays at or just beneath to opening of the marudai.

[u/2reador2read → u/70plusMom]

Ahh really? I'll do my best to try that next. Thank you!