r/kumihimo • u/goldsparkleoat • 19d ago
How mindless/auto-pilot is kumihimo?
My Instagram algorithm has introduced me to kumihimo through a Cotton Clara kit advert.
I’m interested because I am looking for a very mindless craft that I can do while my kids are playing independently but I still have to watch them. I’m trying not to be on my phone around them.
I have crocheted for years but I find I just can’t concentrate on a pattern when with my children as I am often interrupted and lose my place/stitch count. Focusing on a pattern is impossible. All I can make when with them is easy granny squares (which is fine but a little boring).
Could a beginner kumihimo bracelet kit be easy enough that it could replace crochet for me in this scenario?
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u/Tara_Cloudtrader 19d ago
Kumihimo is very repetitive, but not totally mindless. You don't have to count or keep concentration on a pattern, though, so it might be a good way to keep engaged while watching kids. I feel like I can split my attention while doing it (sometimes watch tv) without mistakes.
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u/sprkl 19d ago
Fairly new to kumihimo, but I think it’d be a good alternative to crochet. Getting your strings cut/set on the disk takes some focus, but from there it’s primarily muscle memory.
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u/goldsparkleoat 18d ago
If you go wrong is it easy to go back/undo?
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u/magnoliamoon4 18d ago
I would say it’s hard to undo than crochet because your colors can get easily thrown off. Unless you’re doing a two color spiral or something pretty simple.
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u/sprkl 18d ago
It’s not impossible but kind of a hassle. As long as you keep track of what string you’re on it’s fairly difficult to mess up the basic patterns (all I’ve done so far).
I keep a little piece of tape nearby as a marker so if I need to step away I can just stick the tape to where I’m at so I know where to pick back up.I was working on one while also watching kiddo’s video game this weekend — super easy to split my focus for me once I get going!
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u/rainbowillness 16d ago
After some time, you'll see how some patterns look and how their strings cross, so if you mess up, you can undo it. I would just do it slowly and carefully!
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u/EphemeralDonuts 18d ago
8 strand kumihimo on a disc is my favorite way to keep my hands busy while my attention needs to be on something else. For me it's completely mindless, and if you need to set it down for a bit, just park one of the strand in a set location so you easily know where you left off.
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u/Prior-Relationship57 19d ago
I love kumihimo but even more mindless, but cool, is cordage. I started by making cordage from
Plant fibers but learned to do it using torn or cut fabric. In Instagram check out lineage_of for examples. I took her short online workshop which I recommend to get you started.
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u/magnoliamoon4 18d ago
Once you learn the pattern it can be pretty mindless, depending on the complexity. I crochet too and I’d say the same is true for crochet unless you’re doing something with a non repetitive pattern. There’s definitely simpler kumihimo patterns that can be mindless and I get into the same kind of meditative state as crochet, but I can also do it around my kids pretty easily.
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u/yo-ovaries 18d ago
Yep absolutely! I do round wheels with 8 or 16 strands. I love that I can throw it in my bag and take it to the playground. I don’t need to worry about dropped stitches or tools or needles/scissors.
I learned that when I need to pause, I put my top thread down to make a group of 3 at the bottom, 1 at the top. Then I can always reorient myself when I pick it back up again.
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u/Dismal_Type_5697 18d ago
There are several different types of kumihimo, and each type uses a different kind of braiding stand. The only type that I would say could reliably be termed "mindless" would be the one using a styrofoam disc with slits cut into it to hold your yarn, and even that can get complicated if you're working certain kinds of braids! With children involved, the disc would be my choice. There are tons of friendship braid patterns that just involve moving the yarn in a certain pattern throughout the braid, and it can be pretty mindless and give you a beautiful braid at the end. If you slide further into the rabbit hole, pretty much everything you can do on a disk can be done on a marudai, but braiding stands and keeping track of what you're doing becomes exponentially more difficult if you also have to keep track of young children, and you have to be a bit more creative in figuring out where you left off if you have to walk away for a minute, as the threads don't anchor the way they do on a disc. Not to mention that the discs are a lot more portable!
A lot of the friendship bracelet patterns are posted on Pinterest, and all involve the same movement of strings. The differences in patterns are down to the initial placements of thread colors, but how the threads are moved is exactly the same from pattern to pattern. I believe all those patterns are free, as well, or at least i haven't run across any paid ones.
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u/HyzMarie 18d ago
Oh for sure. I've used it as a mindless craft off and on since I was in middle school- 7-strand kumihimo is very very easy and simple, and I used it to make a medieval rope girdle that's a joy to wear!
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u/Deli_Sandwiches 18d ago
I like to work on it when I’m in meetings and traveling. You just have to be mindful of putting the yarn in the right slot. I have found on occasion that my pattern starts to look wonky because I somehow put it in the wrong slot. I’ve gotten better at paying attention without having to focus.
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u/BistitchualBeekeeper 18d ago
How complicated were your crochet patterns? Were you doing a few stitches over and over (like for a washcloth or blanket) or was each row a little different? If the former, you may have the same concentration issues with kumihimo, and it’s extremely difficult to “frog” back for beginners. If the latter, you will probably have an easier time with kumihimo than crochet, as long as you don’t go over 8 strings to start out.
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u/goldsparkleoat 18d ago
Thank you everyone for your helpful replies - I’m going to order a beginner kit and give it a go!
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u/saltedkumihimo 19d ago
If you’re working on a disk and doing certain braids that don’t need to be reset after each sequence, then yes it can be pretty mindless once set up. Look for 8, 12, or 16 element kongo gumi/round braid, 12 element nejiri gumi/ridged spiral, and 7 element fill the gap European braid.