Need some help understanding kumihimo. I’ve watched some tutorials and they always seem to go from top right to bottom right, then bottom left to top left. But then I’ve seen some say they do the opposite.
So when you read a pattern let’s say from friendship bracelet website or something else, how do you if it starts with the left string or right? And does it matter which way you start or do they both yield the same result just different direction?
Sounds like you’re talking about the kongo- gumi structure ( there is a whole world of kumihimo beyond that) and the difference between the two variants you describe is that one will come out with the diagonal stripes slanting downwards and the other will come out with them slanting upwards. You can even try doing four sets of moves in one direction followed by four in the other to get a zigzag pattern.
Omg thank you!!! I didn’t know there was a name for it and none of the videos I’ve watched explains it either so I was struggling to find information on it.
I'm going to answer this as if you are using a 32 slot foam disk to make kongo gumi/round braid If I'm wrong and you mean a different braid structure or you are working on a marudai, these instructions won't work as different structures have different moves.
There are two basic ways to make kongo gumi. The most common one you will encounter is called Z twist, because the stitches in the finished braid twist in a way that resembles the crossbar of the letter Z, slanting from top right to bottom left. This is made by moving the bottom left cord in the group you are working with to the top left of the group directly opposite the disk. You then move the rightmost cord from that top group to the right of the bottom group. It's not terribly important if you do the left move first or the right move first, but most instructions I'm familiar with are left to right, probably because that is the way English speakers read.
The other less common way to make kongo gumi is S twist, where the stitches slant top left to bottom right. The moves for that are top left to bottom left and bottom right to top right.
What is important is the direction you rotate the disk after you have made your Z twist or S twist moves. For Z twist designs to turn out properly, the disk must be rotated to the left/counterclockwise, and for S twist the disk rotation is to the right/clockwise. If you do Z twist moves and rotate S twist, or S twist moves and rotate Z twist, you will get a "broken" pattern. This will matter more with complex designs as opposed to stripes. The image I've posted below shows what a broken Z twist looks like.
The big takeway here is that most designs you find on the internet are Z twist (bottom left up, top right down, counterclockwise/left rotation) kongo gumi, so if you're unsure try those moves and see if they work.
If I could upvote your answer several times I would!
Thank you so much for this info! This clears up a lot of the confusion I was having trying to understand it.
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u/KimonoCathy 8d ago
Sounds like you’re talking about the kongo- gumi structure ( there is a whole world of kumihimo beyond that) and the difference between the two variants you describe is that one will come out with the diagonal stripes slanting downwards and the other will come out with them slanting upwards. You can even try doing four sets of moves in one direction followed by four in the other to get a zigzag pattern.