Kumihimo Chevron Braid

Braiding Plate Instructions

Kumihimo tutorials for making flat braids on a braiding plate

These pages are freely available instructions for making braids on the kumihimo disk and plate. These are instructions of common generic braids. A printed version of these instructions is also available on this page.
Text and pictures by None Redmond, a weaver and kumihimo braiding teacher.

See Other Braiding Styles here:

Kumihimo Products

Chevron or Une-Gumi Braid

Here is a picture of what you need: silk or some other thread, the plate, and a weight. You can also use rattail, yarn or narrow ribbon.


Please cut 8 threads of about a yard long. If you are using embroidery floss you may like to use two strands of each color. Divide them equally into 2 at the middle and knot. I knotted mine in order to make a braid which would function as a book marker. When the braid is finished I shall make a tassel from this knotted end.

Please attach your weight to this knotted end with a Lark’s Head loop as shown. This end will hang below the central slit of the plate.

The threads will be arranged in the slots between 3 and 10, (3) and (10) as shown and the important thing to remember is that the colors MUST be symmetrical about a vertical axis. So above the rectangular hole it will be seen that the colors are dark green, grass green, light green and peach and then they reverse in order. Below that rectangular slot the colors are different – peach, light green, dark green and grass green, again reversing in order. The colors may also be the same above and below – this will make a stronger pattern.

The first move is illustrated below in the photograph. The thread on the left of centre at the top is moved across four threads at the top to end up at the side as shown. 6 to (B)

The second move is to take the thread on the right of center at the top and move it over 4 threads at the left side to the edge as shown. (7 to B) Please remember the order of this cross. Also remember that the threads are crossed, otherwise you will make a hole!

Please work on one side at a time. In this example the right side is being braided first. The thread on the right of centre at the bottom is brought up to the slot at the right of centre at the top. (7) to 7

The thread next door to the one just placed is now moved down to the vacant place at the bottom. 8 to (7) This leaves a vacancy upstairs at 8…

……….. so the next move is to take the thread at the bottom next door and to the right of the thread just placed and move it up to that vacant place as illustrated. (8) to 8

These up and down movements continue as will be seen in the following photographs, 9 to (8)

(9) to 9

10 to (9)

(10) to 10

Finally there are no more threads to go up or down from the upper or lower array and the side thread at (B) is moved down to the bottom at the extreme right. (B) to (10)

The braid is now to be worked on the left side in just the same manner as the right. Here (6) goes up to 6.

5 to (6)

(5) to 5

4 to (5)

(4) to 4

3 to (4)

(3) to 3

B to (3) This completes the cycle of moves and it will be seen that now the colours are once again symmetrical about the vertical central axis. This is a good way of checking that there has not been a mistake made in the moves.

This shows the cross made. 6 to (B) and 7 to B. Please be sure to start the cross with the left hand thread at 6 and be sure to cross the threads. The braiding will then continue as before making one side first before the other.

And here is the finished braid.

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