Wearable Tools
Portable Tools
Kumihimo: The word Kumihimo means the coming together or gathering of threads in Japanese. .(.Kumi=braid, Himo=cord) The Kumihimo is a very enjoyable and portable craft, with endless ways to braid using multiple cords The basic braid uses eight cords and is very quick and easy to learn. When braiding on a Kumihimo, you are working on a round disk that has a center hole. Single fibers are held on floating bobbins around the perimeter of the disk. The cord is formed down in the center hole. In the center where the threads gather, a weight is attached to keep the cord taut and even. Different weights and weight positions help maintain the evenness of the braid. We carry Kumhimo, Marudai Stands, bobbins, weights, ceramic boxes and caring cases, and kits.
Marudai (Kumihimo Stand): The traditional method for making Kumihimo braids is done on a Marudai which is circular stand. The top face of the loom is called a mirror and has no numbers. Our Kumihimo stands are a modernized version of the Marudai. They can be used alone in the traditional manner with our Kumihimo, the hole size pairs with the stands. The 4"and 5" fit our smaller beading Marudai, and the 7"and 9" on the Large Marudai. We have added a spinning mechanism on these looms and curved the legs so you can turn the loom and carry
Heddles: Heddles are hold a set of parallel fibers( warp) to weave across.Sometimes referred to as rigid heddles and date back to ancient times weaving tools called tape/box or band looms.
Our small heddles are designed for band and Back Strap looming. This simple loom set up allows you to weave just using a heddle, a shuttle, and the support of either a small stand or with a strap around your back.
Shuttle: A shuttle hold fibers like a long weaving bobbin that carries the fiber across and through Warp (horizontal threads) creating the weft (vertical woven threads ).We make large shuttles for Navajo and Tapestry looms as well as Mini Shuttles for small looms, Heddles, Back Strap, and Inkle Looms
Circle Weavers: These looms are for weaving in the round.. The warp threads instead of being horizontal they extend out
from the center of the loom like rays. Weaving over and under between these threads creates the weft, just as it does on square and rectangular shaped looms.
Diz: A Diz is for preparing fiber to be ready for spinning. By feeding the fiber through the holes it creates long uniform roving.
Shed Stick: Is a flat stick used to temporarily separate the upper and lower warp threads allowing the shuttle travel across creating the weft of the weaving
Weaving Comb: The weaving comb is a tool to push or pack down firmly the weft threads while weaving.
WPI tool: WPI stands for wrap per inch. By wrapping the yarn around this tool you can measure the thickness of the yarn by how many wraps it takes to fill the inch. There is a chart on the tool that calculates the appropriate weight of yarn by the number of wraps
Needle Gauge: This tool measures the size needle needed for knitting. Note that different countries have different ways of marking their needles
Stitch per Inch: Lay this tool on top of your knitting to see how many stitches there are in one inch. This lets you understand how tight you knit
Corner Ruler: This ruler has measurements for the distances of 90 degree angles- great for quilting or textiles where you want to measure corners
Knitting Spools: This tool is for making cording. You braid through the middle of a tube using pegs, found on the perimeter,
using a pick to lift the loops over the tops of the pegs.
Backstrap Loom and Box Looms: This loom uses a heddle a shed stick and shuttle. The warp strings are either stretched
between your body ( a strap around your back) and an object in front of you so that you are the part of the loom, or the warps can be stretched between to fixed point like a box or stand. Either way the heddle is suspended in the warp threads allowing the warp threads to travel up and down.