Craft Design Online

We decided to start Craft Design Online when one of our children was given a "friendship wheel" kit for a Christmas present. We wanted to be able to make more designs than the ones printed on the wheels with the kit. We experimented and discovered you could make patterns with more threads using the same wheels, and eventually discovered that it was a form of Japanese braiding called Kumihimo.

We realised that this sort of thing could be useful for other creative projects where it is difficult to directly change an idea for a pattern into an arrangement to get started on making it. As we think of new craft techniques (and learn how to do them), we will increase the range of tools available to free your creativity.

We have a Kumihimo designer (for making round patterns with 8-32 threads) and a plaiting tool for designing plaits with up to 16 strands. This has given some ideas for doing hair (see our plaiting gallery) – although it becomes very tricky to handle more than three sections of hair at a time. We have just put up a design tool for marudai braids. Some of the braids can be made on a kumihimo disk or even a square kumihimo plate, such as Warp 8 7. We'll be adding a new braid every few weeks, and if there is one you would particularly like to see let us know.

We would love to know what you have made using these tools. If you can send us a photo of your finished design, and if possible a picture of the pattern on the tool, maybe we’ll add it to one of our galleries.

Do you have a craft that is tricky to design for? Send us your ideas and maybe we’ll do a tool for them.

Happy making