Braiding Books

Kumihimo

200 Braids to Twist, Knot, Loop or Weave - $25.00
Jacqui Carey. Hundreds of sumptuous braided designs are arranged by structure, from twisted and knotted pieces to more elaborate looped and woven examples. Each braid features a beautiful close-up photograph, materials list, step-by-step instructions, and easy-to-follow color illustrations to guide crafters along. Each technique is explored indepth, followed by tips on starting and finishing braids and advice for incorporating braids into other textile projects. 256pp. Pb.

Beads & Braids - $45.00
Jacqui Carey. The variety of possibilities with kumihimo are endless just using color and thread. This author has just transcended the color/thread dimension and gone on to a new, previously unexplored area of braiding. After a basic overview of some of the standard braid moves, she introduces a series of bead embellishment techniques, each with a full page, color gallery of examples. She sews on beads, she braids with strands of beads, she drops beads down into the braid, she braids off pendants, etc., and she has some beaded braid endings that will delight even old braiders with their elegance. Pb.

Braids and Beyond: A Broad Look at Narrow Wares - $19.00
Jacqui Carey. Subjects covered are; Braids, Twisting, Knotting, Knitting, Lucet, Weaving, Tablet or Card Weaving, Kumihimo or Bobbin braiding, Sprang and Ply-Split just to name a few. 56pp. Pb.

Braid: 250 Patterns from Japan, Peru and Beyond - $35.00
Roderick Owen. The ancient and fascinating art of rope braiding, is presented in this marvellously straightforward explanation of the techniques. The book looks at two families of braids: Peruvian braids, traditionally used as slings for hunting or in war; and Japanese braids, known as kumihimo, and shows more than 50 braids. Drawings, beautifully photographed examples, and the author's diagrams give you all you need to explore endless variations of colour and texture. 159pp. Pb.

Creative Kumihimo - $31.00
Jacqui Carey. The key word to this book is "creative." Clear presentation of the basic information for braiding leads the braider to a new "creative" development. This author presents a braid structure not only in movement diagrams, but also a structure diagram that can be used to develop a colour arrangement and the colour set-up. There are some new 16 bobbin structures and a multitude of variations. Many finishes, bead applique, and colour gallery round out this important braiding book. 100pp. Pb.

Japanese Braiding - $24.00
Jacqui Carey. The traditional Japanese craft of Kumihimo, as done on a marudai, is clearly explained in this hands-on resource that is suitable for beginners but also offers enough complexity for seasoned braiders. Kumihimo braids are made of silk threads and were originally used as ties, cording, and belts for clothing and closures for Samurai warriors. Detailed step-by-step photographs present six projects to make a variety of braids, and tips on equipment and advice for developing the projects are included. By using a variety of patterns, colors, and textures, more than 70 other braids can be used to make a range of stunning necklaces, bracelets, cords, and other fashion accessories. 96pp. Hb.

Kumihimo: The Essence of Japanese Braiding - $33.00
Aiko Sakai & Makiko Tada. The confluence of spirit and thread defies the complexity of Kumihimo, the traditional Japanese braid. As an object of beauty as well as honour, the braid also has a role in utility and fashion. In this advanced work, braid construction is explored using the instruments for creation, the Marudai, the kakudai, and the ayatakedai by stepped diagrams and basic instructions. 130pp. Pb.

Necklaces Braided On The Kumihimo Disk - $25.00
Karen DeSousa. This book is a step-by-step instruction book that tells you how to make and finish a stunning array of necklaces, whether you are a beginner or advanced braider. It includes move by move instructions for four braids. The section on braiding with beads shows you how to add beads of all sizes to your necklaces without ruining your disk. Fancy finishes shows you how to dress up the closures. From project inception to the final touch, this book will inspire you to create your own stunning necklaces. 34pp. Pb.

More Necklaces Braided On The Kumihimo Disk - $25.00
Karen DeSousa. This second book has more of everything. More braids. More patterns. More necklaces. More great tips for making and finishing beautiful braids. It's suitable for beginners and challenging enough for more experienced braiders. The book revisits the round braid (for beginners) and then pumps it up by adding seed beads and finishes without findings. The book includes the Laramie twist, the 16 bobbin Roundabout, a different round braid called the Top and Bottom Tango that lets you evenly space out beads and crystals, and the Color Tipped Swirl which puts an edge of color to a fabulous twist braid. If that weren't enough, the book then tells you how to turn these great braids into beautiful necklaces. Fun, elegant, artistic, great for all ages. 34pp. Pb.

Round the Twist: Creative Cordmaking - $15.00
Jacqui Carey. Decorative cordings can add such a rich finishing touch to so many projects. Unfortunately, cording is often expensive, even prohibitive in cost, especially if you need any great length. I think this book has the answer. It gives the know-how for making your own unique cordings, and includes pictures of several samples to show the effects of combining some of the many novelty threads and yarns. This book gives the freedom to make cordings to coordinate with any color/texture combination chosen. Pb.

Sling Braiding of the Andes - $20.00
Adele Cahlander. This book remains a classic. The author, with the particular help of Elayne Zorn and Anne Pollard Rowe, analyzes the 4-sided braiding techniques used for herding and ceremonial slings in the Pre-Columbian Andes. The method of construction of the intricately patterned cords and bands had remained a mystery to contemporary textile scholars until the late 1970s. This book presents a classification system of braiding techniques and gives the steps for making hand-held "braids worked downwards" and "braids worked upwards" with clear photos and drawings. Directions are then given for making specific patterned braids with charted designs and easy-to-follow diagrams of the crossings. PB.

Kumihimo Braiding Board - $19.00
Includes a 6" high density foam Kumihimo disk, some cotton yarn, and instructions. Instructions are in Japanese, but with very clear, instructional charts, there is no problem for non-japanese readers.

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Lacemaking

An Early Lace Workbook - $45.00
Rosemary Shepherd. This book was written for lacemakers, particularly those who have an interest in the techniques, materials, and working methods of the earliest bobbin laces. The author has spent many years studying and researching lace in public and private collections, in Australia and overseas. In the book there are 21 reconstructions of surviving 16th and early 17th century lace, and 9 interpretations of lace in paintings. All have patterns and instructions. Most of the pieces are easy and interesting to work and because of their scale they are more than suitable as modern trimmings. 86pp. Pb.

Bobbin Lace Fantasy Flowers - $18.00
Rosemary Shepherd. Fifteen different three dimensional flower forms with the emphasis on imagination rather than reality, and with the challenge of creating the form from a single flat piece of lace. Some of the shapes are simple, others more complex. Some knowledge of braid lace techniques is desirable, but not essential. For basic bobbin lacemaking skills refer to Introduction to Bobbin Lacemaking. All the flower ideas are simple and bound to suggest other possibilities. Having fun with your lace should be the main aim. 28pp. Sb.

Introduction to Bobbin Lacemaking - $26.00
Rosemary Shepard. This author goes beyond technique and into art. Use this detailed book to teach yourself at the basic level or to use in the schools; work your way through to the more advanced exercises. Patterns are large scale and you can make your own pillow and bobbins with directions here. Instructions and diagrams are quite detailed including how to wind bobbins and making your own prickings. Work 7 braids, 3 edgings, spiders, diamonds, fans, chevrons, scallops. Starting and finishing edges are reviewed and decorative ends are also shown as well as attaching lace. This is an easy-to-understand book. 112pp. Pb.

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Tablet Weaving

A Tablet Weaver's Pattern Book - $48.00
Mullarkey, Holtzer, Hoffman, Treumann & White. This is a book containing a collection of threaded-in tablet weaving patterns. This is not a How-To book. On each page is a draft, and a graphic of how the band will look when woven. All of the drafts have one or more graphics of variations that can also be woven by changing the turning sequence or threading of the cards. The book begins with patterns with just a few cards and continues to patterns with more than 50 cards. The book includes more than 200 patterns to explore and weave with some full page photos of actual woven bands. 87pp. Pb.

Anna Neuper's Modelbuch: Early Sixteenth-Century Patterns for Weaving Brocaded Bands - $15.00
Nancy Spies. Transcription into modern charts of forty-five patterns for gold brocaded tabletwoven bands. Written by Anna Neuper, a seventy year old num in the St Clare Convent in Nurnburg, Germany, in 1517AD. 56pp. Pb.

Card Weaving - $14.00
Russell E Groff. Make or buy yourself a set of "cards," read this book, and you are ready to have some fun. The author gives a brief history of card weaving and provides clear detailed instructions for preparing a warp, setting up the cards, making a drawdown, and the weaving itself. The book includes drafts and instructions for 53 patterns, each one of which is photographed. Included are a large number of very pretty designs and some novelty ones of Santa Claus, cowboys, pumpkins, and jack-o-lanterns. Pb.

Ecclesiastical Pomp & Aristocratic Circumstance - $45.00
Nancy Spies. Brocading of precious gold and silver thread in tablet weaving, with essays on the history, reproduction of extant samples, a catalogue of known pieces, and some illustrations of tablet woven fragments. This is for the serious tablet weaver. 314pp. Pb.

On-Loom Cardweaving - $15.00
Herbi Gray. A loom, any size, is used to hold the cards, and narrow as well as wide widths may be woven. Within one piece you may do plain weave, leno, log cabin, double weave and double weave pick-ups, conventional cardweaving, cross warp ends, and more. A sampler is designed to teach these techniques. Pb.

Tubular Cardwoven Neckpieces - $21.00
Linda Hendrickson. This is a book slim in size, but chocked full of inspiration. For the jewelry/fiber artist, this book guides the cardweaver through designing, preparing the warp, weaving, and attaching findings to this mode of adornment. There are some basic designs and some ideas for Fimo clay and bead decorations for the neckpieces. 6 pages of color photos and many black and white photos and illustrations. Pb.

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General Braiding

Celtic Knots for Beaded Jewellery - $24.00
Suzen Millodot. Learn how to make beautiful, necklaces, bracelets, rings, brooches and earrings using real, three-dimensional Celtic knots combined with beads and pendants. Eighteen stunning projects using clear step-by-step photographs show how to create original, stylish designs. 80pp. Pb.

Chinese Knots for Beaded Jewellery - $23.00
Susan Millodot. Learn how to make beautiful, original necklaces and bracelets using decorative Chinese knots, beads, pendants and semi-precious stones. Sixteen stunning projects using clear step-by-step photographs show how to create original, stylish designs. 80pp. Pb.

Ornamental Knots for Beaded Jewellery - $23.00
Susan Millodot. Packed with diagrams, step-by-step photographs, and a wealth of ideas for necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, this portfolio of inspirational projects shows how even the simplest beading can result in a stunning, unique design when embellished by the proper knot. Showcasing a love for tradition while utilizing innovative skills that are easily mastered, the projects require no specialist equipment at any degree of complexity. 80pp. Pb.

Friendship Bracelets - $21.00
Veronique Follet. You do not need any weaving equipment to make these vibrant Central and South American bracelets. Just learn two basic knots, use a safety pin to keep your work taut, and then knot colourful cotton threads into a host of different patterns. This book shows – row by row in coloured easy-to-follow diagrams – how to make twenty-two different designs of bracelet. Using eight to twelve threads per row, create chevrons, stripes, diamonds and many other patterns in a carnival of colours. When you have made your bracelet, tie it on your friend's wrist – he or she will not be able to fasten it without your help – as a lasting token of regard and affection from one person to another. 64pp. Pb.

Lucet Braiding - $18.00
Elaine Fuller. The "lost art" of lucet, uses a wooden tool something like a wishbone. The braids resemble Celtic knots and knitting plaits, and can be made in a variety of thicknesses as well as colour patterns. It can be thought of as cat’s cradle over a big fork. 32pp. Sb.

Manual of Braiding - $57.00
Noemi Speiser. This is a most comprehensive book on braiding. In fact, it is a course of instruction. Starting with the simple three-strand braid, it gradually advances to larger flat fabrics in plain, ribbed and twill interlacements, then to tubular, two-layer and solid braids reaching, finally, such complex forms as have never been dealt with before. Instructions, with accompanying diagrams, demystify the process of making the braids. Profusely illustrated. 148pp plus 15 Plates. Sb.

Nalbindning: The Easiest, Clearest Ever Guide - $34.00
Nalbindning is an ancient technique used to produce hats, socks, mittens and other woolen goods using a single short needle and lengths of woolen yarn. Although later superceded by knitting, a tecnique that uses 2 needles instead of one, nålbindning produces garments of a superior quality with stitches that do not run if snagged and a weave that is more dense and therefore easier to felt, providing maximum protection from cold or moisture. It is for this reason that the nalbindning tecnique was still used until very recently in some parts of Scandinavia. This instruction book has full colour pictures throughout and step-by-step instructions in both English and Swedish designed for the absolute beginner to learn this ancient tecnique. 19pp. Pb.

Sprang Unsprung - $29.00
Carol James. An illustrated guide to interlinking, interlacing and intertwining. A step-by-step manual that is well illustrated and untangles the technique of the little-known art of sprang. Beginners and practitioners at all levels will find James’ richly-illustrated user-friendly style of presentation a welcome addition to the literature on the textile arts.80pp. Pb.

Twenty to Make: Micro Macrame Jewellery - $11.00
Suzen Millodot. Using braids, cords, and beads, this illustrated guide examines the versatility of a few simple techniques and applies them to 20 imaginative designs for macrame projects. Patterns for two easy knots — the square knot and the lark’s head knot — are easy to follow and show how tying them in different ways can be combined with beads to make stylish necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Crafters will discover how repeating one knot and complementing the cord with contrasting beads further expands the possibilities of macrame. Interweaving cords of different colors, creating trendy necklaces, or by varying the position of the knots for an original look offers crafters and jewelers fresh, alternative ideas while taking an exciting look at a traditional craft. Step-by-step instructions are accompanied by close-up photographs of all the designs, and material lists provide all the information needed to create beautiful jewelry. 48pp. Pb.

The Weaver's Inkle Pattern Directory - $35.00
Anne Dixon. Inkle weaving is a simple technique that offers ample opportunity for experimentation by beginners and experienced weaver’s. This book provides 400 patterns and includes: an overview of inkle weaving’s history and traditions; instructions for loom set-up and simple techniques; charts provided throughout the entire guide. Inkles can be used for a variety of projects ranging from belts and braces to trims and neckpieces. They can be stitched together to make bags, mobile-phone purses, cushion-covers, table-mats, and much more. 176pp. SB.

Lucet - $12.00
Here is a neat hand-sized tool for constructing lucet braid. Made of varnished wood.