Braiding is common in cord making, so I did my 30 minute test with a foam disk (also called a Kumihimo disk). Here there is an added element of time wasting when dealing with the loose ends of the yarn. I initially cut lengths of cotton worsted weight yarn that I guessed would only take me 30 minutes to braid. It took 25 minutes. So I cut longer lengths and tried again. At the 30 minute mark I had a cord that was barely longer than the first cord because I had to manage the longer lengths of yarn tangling as I braided.

There are ways to manage longer lengths of yarn, such as using bobbins or spools. Sometimes those tangle too, and there is time used to unwind more yarn when needed. Dangling yarn ends also attract cat attention, which can cause delays.

When I reached 30 minutes and still had unused yarn, I decided to push for another 30 minutes, rather than waste the yarn. In 60 minutes I created 28 inches of braided cord. The cord is dense and stiff, but has 15% stretch (20 inches can be stretched to 23 inches.)

Braided cord is a length limited method because the yarn needs to be cut prior to beginning the braid. With yarn management, though, it is possible to braid quite a long cord. I wonder if the bobbins used for bobbin lace would work for braiding? Hm. Something to experiment with.