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BRAID 1: Kongo-gumi, or spiral braid
Here is a picture of what you need to make the spiral braid called in Japan, the Kongo-gumi. The traditional silk in 4 different colours is shown in the top picture.
You can also use a single strand of a thicker thread, such as silk embroidery floss or pearl cotton shown in the second picture. You can also use rattail, yarn or narrow ribbon. The possibilities are endless!
Weighting the thread where it hangs down in the center hole keeps the braid more even. You can buy a weight like the one pictured or use an old film canister filled with a few pennies.
To prepare the threads, cut 4 lengths about a yard long of each colour (16 total), and knot them all together at one end. Attach the weight next to the knot by means of a larks head knot (a half hitch) as shown in the next picture. As you braid, slip the weight as you go up the braid to keep it within a few inches of the point of braiding.
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The Lark's Head knot (half hitch) is shown securing the knotted end of the threads. This knot can be easily loosened, moved up the braid, then snugged back down as the braid progresses.
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The weight hangs below the central hole and the threads are inserted into the slots around the edge of the disk as shown in this picture. Each pair of threads in a given colour are opposite one another across the disk.
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When the threads are arranged around the disk as shown in the previous picture with the weight securing the threads under the disk and maintaining a uniform tension the braiding may begin.
You may start with whatever colour you choose but for illustration purposes I started with the brown. Holding the disk so that the four brown threads were in a north - south direction I moved the north thread on the right to the south to the right of the 2 brown threads already there.
The brown thread at the south on the extreme left of the three brown threads there is now moved to the north and placed in the slit to the left of the single brown thread there. This completes the first move.
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The disk is then rotated anti clockwise for the beige threads to take the north - south position and the same exchange is performed with them.
North Right to South Right
South Left to North Left,
and then the anti clockwise rotation to the next color. Proceed to exchange each color in turn as you rotate around the disk.
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This picture shows the Kongo gumi in progress.
Note: braid is shown using the traditional silk threads, which are very fine, using 10 threads per slot.
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Here is the finished braid.
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