"The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery" — Mark Van Doren

Now a days these cords are mostly made by members of the populace in a variety of techniques.

There are some requirements regarding size and, for a few awards, the color / pattern of the cord. Some of which are:

• No wider around than 1/4" -- to fit through the medallion's jump rings
• At least 36" long -- to fit most adults
• One long cord is better than several 36" cords -- so it can be cut to the size needed for kids and adults
• More info can be found at the Caid Award Cord page on Compendium Caidis (the Caid Wiki).

• Finger Braid (Zipper Sinnet)

  What is it?: Finger Braid is a method of braiding threads together by using your index fingers to repeatedly create loops and pull them through other loops. It is actually the same technique as this ribbon braiding method.

  What is the cord like?: It produces a fine flat cord. It can be made using one or more colors.

  Is it portable?: Yes, very much so, it has the advantages of needing no tools and no premeasured threads. The threads that you are braiding can be either worked off the ball / skein, or wound onto bobbins.

  How to: Finger Braid Webpage




• Fingerloop Braiding

  What is it?: Fingerloop braiding is a type of braiding known as loop manipulation. The braid is made from loops of thread, attached at a central point, the loops are placed over your fingers and interlaced in different ways.

  What is the cord like?: It produces a somewhat square-ish flat cord. It requires premeasured threads with multiple color combinations.

  Is it portable?: No, the threads you are braiding need to be attached to a fixed point and so you are attached to the fixed point.

  How to: Fingerloop Braiding Webpage




• Kumihimo Braiding

  What is it?: Kumihimo is a Japanese braiding technique that encompasses many types and shapes of braids done in many different methods with the aid of many different tools. When folks reference kumihimo they are most often referring to cords made on a marudai (braiding stool) or it's portable equivalent a handheld braiding disk.

  What is the cord like?: It can produce any number of cord shapes, most often square, round, or flat. It requires premeasured threads and a braiding disk or stool.

  Is it portable?: Yes, if you use a braiding disk it is very much portable. The disk is smaller than a dessert plate and the threads you are braiding are wound around bobbins.

  But the maurdai is not portable, the braiding device is the shape and size of a stool, you can take it from place to place but you do the braiding seated, kneeling, or standing at the stool.

  How to: Kumihimo Braiding Webpage




• Lucet Cord Making

  What is it?: A lucet is a two pronged tool used to braid cords.

  What is the cord like?: It produces a square, strong, and slightly springy cord. Lucet cord can be made from one thread or several threads which allows different color patterns.

  Is it portable?: Yes, the lucet is a bit bigger than a dinner fork and can be carried around as you work. The threads that you are braiding can be either worked off the ball / skein, or wound onto bobbins.

  How to: Lucet Cord Making Webpage




• Spool Knitting & Knitting Looms

  What is it?: Spool knitting, corking, or French knitting is a form of knitting that uses a spool with four or more nails, or pegs, around a center hole.

  The technique is to wrap the yarn around the spool's pegs. The yarn is then lifted over, thereby creating stitches. This process is repeated continually until the project is complete.

  What is the cord like?: It produces a narrow tube of fabric if you use it in the traditional method where you work around the pegs circling the center hole.

  But it can also be used as a double lucet where you braid opposing pegs with each over, crossing over the center hole. This produces a VERY solid and firm square cord.

  Either method can use one or more threads to create a variety of patterns.

  Is it portable?: Yes, the spool knitter is a bit larger than a spool of thread and the threads that you are braiding can be either worked off the ball / skein, or wound onto bobbins.

  How to: Spool Knitting & Knitting Looms Webpage




• Whipcord Braiding

  What is it?: Whipcord braiding is a cord making method that involves braiding threads that hang down from above with the braided cord being created above the braiding threads.

  The threads to be braided are wound around bobbins that are swung from one position to another to create the braiding crosses.

  In one method, two or more people are required to make these cords. Each holding a pair of bobbins that they swing back and forth between the other braiders. This can be quite the enjoyable exercise as you get into the groove of throwing and receiving bobbins.

  However, there is another method that suspends the bobbins from a stick that is tucked under your arm or stuck in your belt. This allows one person to manipulate the bobbins on their own.

  What is the cord like?: It is very much like kumihimo cord, in fact kumihimo patterns can be used to create whipcord braid.

  Is it portable?: Yes, the one person version is portable.

  How to: Whipcord Braiding Webpage




• Weaving: Inkle or Tablet

  What is it?: Inkle and tablet weaving both produce narrow, warp faced fabric often the width of a ribbon or a belt. Both can be done on portable loom or a backstrap loom.

  What is the cord like?: This is more suited to produce the wider arm band award cords, however using a small number of thin threads it can produce lovely narrow flat or hallow core round cords.

  Is it portable?: No, you can take loom from place to place but you do the weaving while seated at the stool.

  And the backstrap version requires that you tie your weaving to a fixed point, and so you are attached to the fixed point.

  Either way the threads are premeasuerd and attached to the loom.

  How to: Weaving Webpage