Featured are the cotton counter weight bags that we currently have in stock, they measure 4.75"/12.07cm wide and 5.75"/14.61cm long, they are $12.00 each. The bags are made by Anne Rock and are self-lined with enclosed seams so they are quite strong. They come with a simple cotton drawstring; you can make your own drawstring by following the directions below.

The easiest way to determine just how many ends to use for a braid is to take the thread that you are considering and double it back on itself until you get enough ends to twist firmly together. The resulting twisted cord will be about the size of your braid. Count the number of ends and divide by the number of tama that you are going to use. For instance - if you are going to use 16 tama and you have 32 ends then you will put 2 ends on each tama. If you were using 8 tama then you would put 4 ends on each.

Prepare a warp for 8 or 16 tama that is at least 34" (83cm) long, your finished braid will be about 17" (43cm) long. Use enough ends so that the braid is approximately 1/8" (3mm) to 3/16" (5mm). in diameter. Use about 50% counter weight and make a supple spiral (kongoh gumi) braid.