Weaving away!

I love turquoise and gold and that's the combination I went with for this Kumihimo weave necklace.  I wanted to incorporate some beads into this design and these Kazuri ceramic beads were perfect.  They have a base of turquoise with gold accents.  It takes a bit more work to include beads during the weave but adds such a nice little umph! to the design.  Here's a quick summary of what's involved in the process:

• Cut all the cords
• Thread the beads onto the cords.  Normally you thread on the beads for the entire necklace but since I was adding beads I only added the beads for the necklace section before the bead
• Set them up on the marudai (the wood weaving apparatus)
• Start weaving!

Here are some shots as I worked.

As you can see I had to add a bit more weight (my tools) to keep the weaving balanced :)

And here is an upclose shot of the necklace in its beginning.


And many hours later the beads are incorporated into the design and weaving continues.

At this point I have to add in the rest of the beads to complete the necklace.  So off I go to string them on and finish the weaving.  I'll be back when I'm done.

The weaving is done and now I just have to add the clasp.  I love this color combo!