Hello, Little Looms Summer ’26!

Posted on by texasgabi

With some people across the world still drowning in that cold, white stuff on the ground, it is so refreshing to receive this color-bursting issue of “Easy Weaving with Little Looms”, Summer 2026. The magazine is loaded with ideas around spending summer in the city or in the country!

I had the honor of designing the Hexie Knot Mat pin-loom project for this issue, a fun table topper that is woven of the delightful DMC Eco Vita Raffia yarn.

I used two looms, the Original Jewel Loom, R, and the Original TURTLE Loom™, R, both looms in regular sett for worsted weight yarns.

This is the first published project that uses a pattern weave on the Jewel loom. An easy-to-weave twill pattern creates an interesting directional effect, just because of the weaving method that is used for this loom. The pattern becomes even more interesting when you put several jewel shapes together!

On the Original TURTLE hexagon pin loom you will weave a fun new pickup pattern that looks like a knot. The pattern originated from an 8-shaft draft that I “translated” into pin-loom weaving.

Both patterns have potential far beyond the table topper.

Once you master the mat project, go ahead and plan to use those patterns for other projects.

For example, add coasters to your summer table outfit by weaving single knot hexagons and crocheting a little border around it!

I wove the hexagon in DMC Eco Vita Raffia, shade 04, and used DMC Petra Size 3 in color 53837 for the border. Crochet one round of single crochet along the edges, then randomly work scallops in a final round.

Your imagination will be the limit: Try to organize the twill jewels in different directions. Weave the knot hexagons in yarn instead of raffia.

But let’s get back to the magazine issue for a moment …  for pin-loom weavers (and other pin looms) there are not one, but two blankets to choose from, the cutest cuddle mice to make, and a handy purse that may also serve as a perfect storage case for weaving tools.

And of course there’s so much more … that lacy hemp rigid heddle loom pattern is waiting to be sampled on a pin loom, the color scheme of the title model is stunning (and you could make such a scarf in those colors using a pin loom), that wedding bouquet band invites to dream, and Tom Knisely’s feature about the linen lifecycle is hard to put down.

For your convenience we offer the print magazine in our Etsy store so that you can just add it to your loom order. However, the best deal is to subscribe to the magazine through the publisher Long Thread Media, which will give you instant online access to now 10 years of Little Looms content.

Did you see our ad in this issue? We will release the pattern for the breezy top Roxanne on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.

Make sure to be back for that, or even better: Subscribe to be notified about new blog posts so that you don’t miss any TURTLE news!

Weave a Square – Make a Bunny

Posted on by texasgabi

When I learned how to machine-knit a bunny a few weeks ago in a session with Diana Sullivan, it sparked the thought that “if you have a square, you can make a bunny”.

I looked around online and found the most adorable ideas for making bunnies from (knitted) squares. I decided to try those ideas using pin-loom woven squares.

I made three different bunnies with squares woven on the TURTLE Square, 6″, R-regular sett loom, using Paintbox Simply Aran yarn. The yarn has a little stretch to it, make sure to weave loosely.

The first bunny is similar to the one we machine-knitted … a bunny that sits with its legs tugged under. I followed these instructions by Gina Michele.

The ears are made of one 2″ square, woven on the bias. Pull one tail in to gather the fabric. This will be the bases of the ears.

The second example is a bunny that is sitting up tall. This seems to be a very popular make, based on the many patterns that I found. I chose to follow these instructions by Gina Michele.

I think my favorite bunny is the one that will hold some treats. It starts similar to the previous bunny. The only difference is how you finish the body. I followed these instructions by Gina Michele.

For the faces, I tried different ideas: Just leave it without a face, embroider yarn eyes, and embroidery a shiny nose with embroidery floss and use 6 mm black beads for the eyes. You could also use safety toy eyes, googly eyes, or sew on small felt pieces. Choose which method you like best for the looks and to keep it safe for the recipients.

You can use any pin loom and any weaving method to make your squares … if you choose a different size, your bunnies will just turn out larger or smaller.

Using a 6″ square, the bunnies turn out to be about 4″ – 5″ big.

Enjoy this quick, fun way to turn a square into something cute for the upcoming holiday. These bunnies will also make nice decorations or toys year round.

All instructions referenced in this post can be found as “free patterns” online. I’m not responsible for any of those sources. Copyrights remain with their respective owner.

The Lisbeth Dickey

Posted on by texasgabi

Let’s welcome 2026 with new opportunities and challenges! One theme this year is to explore combining pin-loom weaving with other crafts. The Lisbeth Dickey is such an example.

The Lisbeth Dickey features soft “leaves” that gently spread around the shoulders before they merge into a squishy turtleneck.

Let this neck warmer curiously peak out from under a coat or wear it layered as an eye-catching accessory.

The project is a beginner-friendly way to combine weaving and knitting: Pin-loom weave the jewel-shaped “leaves”, then pick up stitches at the woven edging and knit the neck portion of the dickey.

Additional benefits are that this project does require little to no sewing or assembly, and only one skein of yarn is enough to make the neck warmer as shown above.

Grab your Jewel, R, loom (or get one here), some yarn, and knitting needles and get started.

The variegated green Lisbeth (center below) is made using one skein of Merino Aran by HHF Hedgehog Fibres. The pattern also includes examples that use two colors and an interesting stripe effect. For the smaller dickey (pictured to the left) I used Ultra Alpaca Natural by Berroco, the larger size (on the right) is made of Ériu Elements by Ériu Luxury Irish Wool.

You can find the pattern in our Etsy store and also on Ravelry, which is convenient if you are a knitter who maintains a pattern library on Ravelry.

Here are some ideas for how to wear the Lisbeth:

Get weaving, and post about your projects!

Special thanks go to photographer Gale Zucker, for her amazing photography and the inspiring styling ideas, and to model Sarah Shourds whose smiles make this neck warmer a must-make project.

New Looms and Amelia …

Posted on by texasgabi

Maybe the world does not need more square and triangle looms, but I want:

  • Matching square and triangle looms that will allow me to comfortably weave larger projects without wearing out my wrists,
  • enjoy speedy progress, and
  • not give up on the modularity that pin looms offer to make interesting designs. And yes,
  • I want to be able to use the same pretty yarns that work so well on all of our other looms, so the looms need the same pin spacing.

Meet the Square 6″ (R) square pin loom and the matching RightTri 6″ (R) right triangle pin loom for worsted weight yarns!

And then Amelia entered the stage when I recently strolled through The Rogue Skein local yarn store and discovered Tensan, a new Noro yarn that pairs well with an established favorite, Silk Garden Solo.

Quilt inspiration struck again, and I decided to adapt the traditional Flying Geese quilt pattern for a first project with the new square and triangle looms.

Meet Amelia, a new garment pattern for (any) 6″ square and triangle looms! Amelia is a tasteful minimalist design that combines ease of making and versatility to wear, and it invites to use interesting yarns like the Tensan.

The generous sleeve openings and the smooth V-neck allow you to style the vest in many ways: Try it with jeans for a relaxed outdoor stroll or with a festive blouse for a special occasion!

A button closure allows you to wear the vest open or close.

Get the looms and the pattern in the Bluebonnet Crafters’ Etsy store:

Not ready to make a large project? You can use the looms for any project you like. Try your new looms on a project as small as a coaster: Weave a square or two triangles and finish up with a single row of crochet ([sc 2, skip one] repeat all around; sc1, ch1, sc1 into each corner). Celebrate your coaster with a hot cocoa or beverage of your choice!

If you are not sure and just want to try out one loom, I recommend that you start with the Square. You can still make triangles! Here is the link to the video that shows you how you can weave a triangle on a square loom. This method works well, but if you plan to make a larger number of triangles, having a dedicated loom makes the task definitely more comfortable.

Any questions? Please leave a comment below or contact us!

Machine-Quilting Pin-Loom Projects

Posted on by texasgabi

While I have always enjoyed designing and making quilt-inspired pin-loom projects, I usually don’t “quilt” them, which means adding a backing with some batting in between, and then stitching all layers together.

I’ve done some tie-quilting, where every few inches apart you pull and tie off a piece of string through all layers.

During my recent visit to the International Quilt Festival, seeing all the quilting equipment, I started to wonder if or how machine quilting might work for pin-loom woven tops.

I decided to ask the Gammill quilting equipment experts at the show; the company had sponsored all Open Studio sessions, including mine.

What started as a question turned into a proof-of-concept experiment … with a stunning outcome.

I showed Gammill representative Sue Kleinschmidt one of my woven projects that I had brought to the Festival, and she suggested that we could try quilting a smaller sample, which I agreed to put together. Sue also suggested to stabilize the fabric with light interfacing, and I just happen to have some at hand from another project.

I wove a flower like for the Flower Garden Throw, but with one ring only, using the same Ad Astra cotton that I had used for the original project. After sewing the flower together, I added some Pelon interfacing to the back.

The sample passed Sue’s inspection, and Gammill representative Cathy joined us when we started to prepare the work.

I asked if we can try the fully computerized method (compared to the hand-guided approach) and they agreed.

We started by basting the flower to the other layers so that it would stay in place.

Sue then traced the outline of the flower, and at the computer calibrated the quilting pattern that we had picked in size and direction. I was surprised to see how similar the software looks compared to the CNC router work that we do when we cut our pin looms out of wood!

Sue suggested a smaller stitch size and a slower speed than for a typical quilt. The latter would also give us an opportunity to intervene if needed. I held my breath when she pushed the start button …

The sewing head floated smoothly over the fabric, sewing stitches in beautiful sways. It was a delight to watch and I found it very calming. Everything worked flawlessly, and after a minute or so the flower was beautifully quilted!

Because of the coarse fabric, Sue suggested that for a real project she would use a thicker thread for quilting. And for a large project, she would baste the fabric by blocks, to keep the layers in place during the quilting process.

Working on the Gammill equipment was a prestigious treat, but you can even try some quilting on your sewing machine at home as well.

Whether you have access to a longarm machine or work with your sewing machine, it is my hope that you may consider giving quilting your pin-loom woven projects a try!

I would like to send a big, heartfelt thank you to the Gammill company, and particularly to Sue and Cathy Kleinschmidt, for the opportunity to sample computer-guided machine-quilting on a pin-loom woven project. The experiment went far beyond a simple proof of concept. Watching the process was an absolute delight.

Using A Quilt Design for Pin-Loom Weaving

Posted on by texasgabi

Pin-loom weaving means creating small pieces of self-contained fabric in certain shapes. Traditionally, squares were the most common shape, by now accompanied by rectangles, triangles, hexagons, diamonds, and a few other shapes. Those little pieces of woven fabric are perfect for modular projects that combine shapes, and the quilt world provides a vast ocean of inspiration for just that.

In this blog post I’d like to walk you through the process of creating a traditional star quilt design, inspired by this year’s International Quilt Festival logo.

The traditional eight-point star design (Lone Star) can be easily broken down into squares and triangles. For those shapes, pin looms are available in many sizes and a variety of weaving methods.

The chart shows the color distribution “wrong side”, so it’s ready for you to use.

For demonstration purposes I decided to make a table topper, using a 2″ square loom and cotton yarn (I used the TURTLE Square 2″ F-fine sett loom and Catona by Scheepjes, a fingering weight cotton yarn).

You can weave both, squares (video instructions for square weaving) and triangles (video instructions for triangle weaving) on this loom. Some people prefer the convenience of a matching triangle pin loom.

If you are weaving along this blog, here is a list of pieces that you will need to weave. Once the pieces come off the loom, they are ready for assembly. You can use the yarn tails for sewing.

Catona ColorColor# of Squares# of TrianglesYardage
130natural123287
253turquoise0814
388rust122473
401teal368111

When assembling pin-loom projects, I usually look for how I can join the pieces into rows first, then join the rows. This keeps the project manageable, allows for frequent checks to make sure that there are no mistakes, and it nicely shows the progress while you work. Use the chart above to assemble the table topper.

To assemble the Lone Star design, start by “thinking in squares”: Join triangles first into squares. Then it’s easy to connect the squares into rows, and lastly connect the rows.

Weave in the ends and clip to about 1/3″ to avoid that the tails travel to the right side of the fabric. You don’t need to weave in the ends if you plan to add backing.

Block as desired. A 20-minute soak in cold water with a no-rinse detergent will do.

While I chose a small loom for the demo project, you can work the same design on any loom size and still follow the same process. Make sure to adjust your yarn requirements to the loom that you are working with. I’m working on a blanket right now and will show it here on the blog when it’s done!

International Quilt Festival 2025

Posted on by texasgabi

Next week I’ll be doing something a little bit different … I’ll be presenting pin-loom weaving at the International Quilt Festival 2025 in Houston!

A few weeks ago, Quilt Festival’s Bob Ruggiero interviewed me, and you can read about it on the Friends@Festival website.

The interview resulted in two amazing opportunities for me to talk about pin-loom weaving and how I use this yarn craft to create quilt-inspired projects:

I will be showcasing my work at the Open Studio (Create section) on Thursday, October 9th, from 2 – 4 pm. This includes a one-and-only opportunity for you to see my Flower Garden Throw that was published in “Easy Weaving with Little Looms” Winter 2025 right next to the original Depression-aera Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt that inspired my work.

Saturday, October 11, 2025 is the official “I Love Yarn” day, and I cannot thing of a better way to celebrate than to invite you to weave a little something with yarn.

I will be hosting a Make-and-Take event at the brand-new Sit & Stitch Lounge. Come and sit down and I’ll teach you how to weave a hexagon (using the sample looms at the table), and you will take home a little bag charm. I have Make-and-Take kits prepared to make a little pumpkin charm as pictured (free of charge, while supplies last). I will also have a variety of yarns available for you to sample, or feel free to bring your own!

Over the next few days, I will blog about some of the projects that I’ve made to celebrate the Festival, including the table topper that was inspired by this year’s Festival logo.

I invite you to subscribe to this blog so that you don’t miss any of those stories!

The Lilia Shrug

Posted on by texasgabi

Let’s ring in the cooler time of the year! Sometimes when I go for a walk I want a little bit more than a scarf or cowl but not a full sweater. The modular nature of hexagons let me design just what I needed: A shrug that covers shoulders and arms enough to break a cool breeze, while at the same time offering plenty of freedom to easily move around.

I used one of my favorite yarns, naturally dyed organic Merino wool by Handspun Hope, in warm colors, and the flowery design combined with the rustic nature of the yarn made the perfect boho experience!

Another “one loom” design … the shrug is made using only the Original TURTLE Loom™ in R-regular sett for worsted weight yarns.

Click here to buy the pattern!

You can get the pattern (and the loom if you don’t have it already) at our Etsy store.

The pattern provides step-by-step photo-guided instructions for the shrug. It also contains bonus charts so that you can try your own flower colors or even design your very own shrug.

Please enjoy the beautiful photography by Gale Zucker. I thank Gale and model Sarah Shourds for this second-to-none presentation of my design.

Lastly, people ask me occasionally how I come up with the names for my patterns. I don’t have one source or one plan, and sometimes names just happen, like in this case!

Recently my husband and I shared a bag of Julio’s corn tortilla chips …

I noticed a cute picture on the back of the bag of the company founders, Julio and Lilia Garcia. I loved the sound of the Lilia name and decided to use it for my current design in progress, the shrug.

Doesn’t the real Lilia look absolutely sweet? I want to imagine that she might have liked a Lilia shrug … maybe not boho style, but of a thinner, lacey yarn with a gorgeous drape … we can dream, can’t we?

I hope that you will enjoy making your Lilia shrug!

A Tale of Two Blankets

Posted on by texasgabi

Many years ago, my daughter was taking weaving lessons with a professional weaver and teacher, Charlotte Allison, in Fredericksburg, Texas. I was on taxi duty and spent a considerable amount of time waiting in Charlotte’s lovely home. One item captured my attention every time we visited: It was a Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt, decoratively hanging over a quilt rod at the wall in Charlotte’s living room. “I wish I could weave something like that” kept going through my mind.

Charlotte’s quilt is a classic heirloom. She recalls the maker, her Great-grandmother Mary Mollie Lima St. Peter (1875-1946) from Arkansas.  Charlotte remembers “Though I was very young (perhaps 4 or 5), I remember being at her farm one time and playing with old dolls under a tree.  She hand-quilted out of scraps.”

The original quilt is made of printed flour sacks as was common during the time of the Great Depression.

It was this quilt that inspired me to develop my hexagon pin looms and the continuous-strand weaving method for hexagons.

Busy years went by and the thought of one day weaving Charlotte’s quilt never left me.

It took several attemps to find the “right” yarn for such a project. Last year, while preparing for Handwoven’s first Weave Together retreat, I met Susan Bateman from Yarn Barn of Kansas. In preparation for the retreat I sampled some of her yarns on my pin looms. Susan had just launched her own 4/2 cotton yarn line, Ad Astra, and long story short, I decided that this cotton would be the perfect match for my Grandmother’s Flower Garden blanket.

One design challenge was to simulate the many colors of the original print fabric, and Susan’s new cotton line was not only available in a vast array of colors, but the weight would also allow me to blend colors and get close to each original flower’s appeal.

Single-stranded, Ad Astra weaves up beautifully on the XF-extra fine sett looms. Holding two strands together and woven on the R-regular sett looms allows for color-blending and matching colors closely to the original quilt.

For my blanket, I used the TinyTURTLE™ looms in XF-extra fine sett (single-stranded Ad Astra) and TinyTURTLE in R-regular (double-stranded Ad Astra). However, you may choose your own yarns and use any sett that is suitable for your yarns to tell your family story in a Flower Garden blanket.

I had started weaving my flower garden quilt when Little Looms’ call for submissions with the theme “family ties” posted. Charlotte’s family quilt was the inspiration for my submission, but the relationship between our families had grown over the years from a teacher/student relationship between Charlotte and my daughter to precious “chosen family” ties with deep cares for each other.

The Flower Garden blanket will always have a special place in my heart. I feel humble and grateful to see it featured in Little Looms Winter 2025. We carry the print copy in our Etsy store.

I hope that the tale of two blankets may inspire you to craft your own!

Little Forest Wall Hanging

Posted on by texasgabi

I designed this wall hanging for several reasons, and maybe one (or more) of them will speak to you.

First, there is our ad in Little Looms Fall 2025, which is themed “Inspired by Nature“.

The issue is now released, even though summer has not even started.

If you ask me, on hot summer days there’s nothing better than to craft on a project that reminds us of autumn, the time of the year when it’s cooling down and nature is often at it’s best!

The Little Forest wall hanging is another “one loom” challenge, making unusual designs with just one pin loom.

When I released the trapezoid looms last year, I studied ways to use trapezoids. I was surprised how many possibilities there are, going far beyond half hexagons! One way that intrigued me has been using trapezoids to achieve a braided effect.

This project uses the Original Trapezoid, R-regular sett, but if you have thinner yarns, the pattern will work with the Original Trapezoid, F-fine sett as well.

I enjoy working with natural yarns, and inspiration hit me at this year’s Yellow Rose Fiber Fiesta where I visited with Gothfarm Yarns, a grower and supplier of naturally colored fibers. I fell in love with a few Navajo-Churro yarns in Slate (for the background) and a Sampler (trees). Note: The yarn is listed as Sport weight but is perfectly suitable to make this wall hanging.

Putting these objectives together resulted in the “Little Forest” wall hanging design that you see here. You could substitute the yarn, for example with your handspun or some leftovers from a precious project, and using happy colors is perfectly fine, too. And then, of course, this project is also a great opportunity to explore organizing half hexagons into braids!

The finished wall hanging measures about 21″ wide and 16″ tall.

You will need …

Weave …

  • Weave 6 trapezoids for each tree. Repeat two more times for a total of three trees.
  • Weave 34 trapezoids in Slate for the background.

Assemble …

  • Use the chart above for guidance.
  • I recommend that you layout the design on an Assembly Felt or piece of flannel, felt, or towel before starting the sewing process so that you can see how the trapezoids go together.
  • Use whip stitch. Use the yarn tails or separate thread for sewing.
  • Assemble the trapezoids into strips first (see Strip 1 – 4 in the chart), then join the strips.
  • Weave in all ends. Don’t worry too much about the ends, because you will just look at the right side of the wall hanging. Just make sure that you weave in the ends along the edges.
  • Block as desired. I used cold water and Eucalan.
  • To prepare for hanging, add a small loop of yarn (or crochet chain) to the lower peaks (between Strip 1 and 2, and 3 and 4) to even out the peak heights. Attach to the rod of your choice.

Make it your own …

  • Use your own handspun and/or hand dyed yarns.
  • Use colors to fit your interior decor.
  • Make a different wall hanging for each season.
  • Add tassels to the bottom of the wall hanging.
  • Just make the trees, out of six trapezoids, and use them as mug rugs.

Enjoy your wall hanging!

Happy World Turtle Day 2025 GIVEAWAY!

Posted on by texasgabi

May 23, 2025 is World Turtle Day. Quoting the World Turtle Day website, “The day was created as a yearly observance to help people celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats around the world.”

CONGRATULATIONS to “andrea”, who won the turtle project bag!
The giveaway is now closed and the winner has been notified.
Thank you for all your awesome comments!
I think this will be a summer buzzing with crafting … enjoy and be safe.

To “shellabrate” I made a stuffed turtle, using our free turtle pattern and leftover variegated and tonal fingering weight yarns from ChaosFiber Co.

I used two strands of yarn for the weaving, which creates a beautiful basket weave.

I made the larger turtle, using the TexaTURTLE™ and the Original TURTLE Loom™, both in R – regular sett.

As a modification to the pattern I made the head out of two hexagons instead of three:

  • Weave two hexagons, sew together along five sides.
  • Place eyes near the center of each hexagon side.
  • Stuff.
  • Sew head to the neck area.

GIVEAWAY!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to “andrea”, who won the turtle project bag!
The giveaway is now closed and the winner has been notified.
Thank you for all your awesome comments!
I think this will be a summer buzzing with crafting … enjoy and be safe.

My friend Becky from ChaosFiber Co not only dyes beautiful yarns, but she also makes amazing project bags. These bags make perfect “habitats” for pin-loom projects. They comfortably hold a pin loom, yarn, and instructions.

When Becky and I visited recently, I detected a turtle themed project bag. I decided that this bag will make a great giveaway for this World Turtle Day.

TO ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN, leave a comment on this post and tell us what you will be crafting this summer.

This giveaway is open to all crafters. It starts now and will end Sunday, May 25, 2025, midnight US CDT. The winner will be chosen randomly, and the name will be announced here on this blog on Monday, May 26th.

Good luck, and happy weaving!

Travel Project: Easter Bunny

Posted on by texasgabi

One loom and one skein of yarn is all you need to make this Easter bunny, a travel-friendly, fun and quick last-minute project.

To make the bunny …

The bunny is worked on the Original TURTLE loom R-regular sett and I used Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Cotton (about 42 yards).

You will need 3 plastic eyes for the eyes and nose. You can also embroider or use small pieces of felt to add the face.

Use a small amount of stuffing of your choice for the bunny’s body and tail.

Weave 7 hexagons (4 for the body, 2 for the ears, 1 for the tail).

Using whipstitch, sew two hexagons together as shown for the Front. Repeat for Back.

Assembling the Body

Put Front and Back on top of each other, right sides facing towards each other.

Sew all but the bottom side.

Turn.

Install the eyes and the nose.

I put the nose button into the center of the hexagon and each eye four rows up and four rows over. Adjust to your liking.

Stuff and close.

To make the Ears …

  • Thread the end tail of one hexagon. You will gather the two sides that are marked in red.
  • Start with “securing the thread” … guide the yarn around the outermost warp thread and pierce the yarn. This will ensure that the yarn does not pull the weaving.
  • To gather, go through every other edging turn of the weaving as shown.
  • After gathering the stitches on both sides, pull the thread and secure with a stitch.
  • This is what the ear will look like. If you prefer a less floppy ear, close the side seam and gather the two remaining sides at the top the same way you did the bottom.

Sew the ears onto the head, right behind the upper two corners of the head hexagons.

To make the tail …

  • Use a secured yarn tail or a separate piece of yarn to gather all sides of a hexagon.
  • Add a little bit of stuffing.
  • Pull close the Tail as shown and secure the thread.
  • Mount the Tail to the back of the bunny … if you position it as shown (right under the center of the lower back hexagon), the bunny will be able to “sit”.

Enjoy your bunny!

Be creative …

  • Weave the tail in a different color, or make a pompom.
  • Make a patchwork bunny where each hexagon is different.
  • Add some embroidery like eye glasses or flowers.
  • Add a bow tie.

The bunny can be worked on any hexagon loom. The yarn requirements will vary if you use a different loom. Make bunnies on different loom sizes for a bunny family!

Mardy and Grady – Your Summer Travel Companions

Posted on by texasgabi

Smooth, cooling yarn and just one, small hexagon loom is all you need to make Mardy, the alligator, who is the star of our ad in Little Looms Summer 2025.

Mardy makes an exquisite headrest for your summer travels.

Mardy’s friend, Grady, is fast to weave and will serve as a cuddle companion for all ages.

Whether you weave before or while you travel, either alligator will be enjoyable to make and fun to use (and maybe to give).

We used Universal Yarn’s Bamboo Pop, perfectly smooth for weaving, and we love the cooling effect of this bamboo and cotton blend.

You just need two balls of yarn (one for the top color, and one for the underside) to make Mardy and Grady … or two Mardys … or a few Gradys.

Mardy is woven on our PennyTURLTE™, F fine sett hexagon pin loom, and Grady on the TinyTURLTE™, F-fine sett. But because for this pattern we used the “one loom only” policy, you can weave the pattern on any hexagon loom, in any size.

FIND THE PATTERN in the Bluebonnet Crafters Etsy store, click HERE.

We hope that you will enjoy making and using the alligators and – whether you travel or not – have a happy summer!

A Color Gamp Bandana

Posted on by texasgabi

As a weaver, at some point during your weaving journey you most likely have encountered color gamps, the systematic use of color combinations within a project.

It has been a great privilege for me to write about special aspects of color gamp weaving on pin looms for the Little Looms magazine, and you can read about it in the new Little Looms Summer 2025 issue that has been released today.

For the Weave Together 2025 retreat, I designed a sample project that allows pin-loom weavers to explore color-gamp weaving in a practical project: A Color Gamp Bandana.

Louët’s Venne Eco Jeans (available at Louët dealers like the Lone Star Loom Room) proved to be an excellent yarn choice for such a project. I used it double-stranded on our TinyTURTLE F-fine sett hexagon pin loom .

Colors from left to right:

  • 19-5056 Olive
  • 19-3005 Deep Red
  • 19-4038 Slate Blue
  • 19-1021 Cornsilk
  • 19-4060 Steam
  • 19-3034 Pelican Pink
  • 19-6005 Sahara.

For the gamp, I combined these colors with themselves (see diagonal) and then with each other, and arranged them in a gamp with slanted columns (read about that construction in the Little Looms article).

Using seven colors and the TinyTURTLE loom makes a project large enough for a bandana that can be worn with a bandana clasp clip or ring (I used a faux leather clip).

If you would like to make a larger bandana, consider adding more colors or use the same colors on a larger loom!

While this project concludes our Weave Together 2025 miniseries I hope that you enjoyed it and will stick around, because there’s always more … alligator Mardy is right around the corner, and I saw a bunny hopping across the lawn recently, and then there is a long list of pin-loom tips and tricks that want to be shared …

Simply sign up to the turtleloom blog to be notified so that you don’t miss anything:

Take a moment and share what you thought about this miniseries
in the comments below!

Weave Together 2025

Posted on by texasgabi

This year’s Weave Together retreat is starting today. I won’t be joining in person in beautiful York, Pennsylvania, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t chat about it!

I had the opportunity to get my hands on some of the yarns that will be available at the retreat’s Marketplace, and i used those for a few projects that I want to share with all of you over the next days.

The first project is a little Weave Together 2025 table runner, inspired by the colors and the logo of the event.

Loom maker Louët carries Venne yarns, and I used BIO Cottoline and BIO 8.2 Katoen (Cotton) for my project.

While those yarns are designed for multi-shaft weaving, I used them very successfully double-stranded on our F-fine sett looms. The fibers are smooth to weave, resulting in a project with vibrant colors and a beautiful gentle sheen that is second to none.

Here are the instructions for making the little table runner:

Looms

Looms may sell out quickly. We list more as they become available, or contact us to setup a custom order.

Original TURTLE Loom™, F – Fine sett

Original Diamond, F – Fine sett

Original Trapezoid, F – Fine sett (this loom is optional. Instructions for weaving half hexagons on a hexagon loom can be found here)

Yarns

Venne BIO Cottoline in 3-4043 Darknixe, 3-4053 Gentian, 3-4039 Deep Blue, and 3-5052 Poison Green.

Venne BIO 8/2 Katoen in 5-7100 Cream and 5-5003 Kentucky Blue.

Venne yarn is available at Louët dealers, one example is The Lonestar Loom Room.

Weave the following shapes … remember to weave the yarn double-stranded. The chart also provides total number of shapes and yardage in case you want to use your own colors:

HexagonsDiamondsTrapezoidYards per color (rounded)
3-4043 Darknixe, light blue1225
4053 Gentian, medium blue1225
3-4039 Deep Blue, dark blue1225
3-5052 Poison Green, medium green1225
5-7100 Cream,
natural		745
5-5003 Kentucky Blue, dark green532
Total number per shape4128
Total yardage for the project177

Assembly: Use whip stitch to sew the pieces together according to the following chart. I found it easiest to sew the hexagons and trapezoids together first into columns, and then “fill in” the diamonds.

Make it your own! You can easily adjust the length by adding/subtracting more hexagon/trapezoid columns and diamond spacers. If you wish to use your own colors, feel free to print or download the following chart for your design:

Don’t miss the next project story! Sign up to be automatically notified when new projects and news are posted:

We will also do a SPECIAL GIVEAWAY this Tuesday, March 25th, 2025. This event will be one day only, so make sure to check the blog that will post that day.

For blog readers this is an opportunity to win, for Weave Together attendees this is a second chance to win.

Details in Tuesday’s blog.

Whether you are attending the Weave Together retreat or are at home … HAPPY WEAVING!

Like a Chat With a Friend

Posted on by texasgabi

A few weeks ago I received an email from Long Thread Media co-founder Anne Merrow with an invitation to participate in her podcast.

For eleven seasons, Long Thread Media has been “telling the stories of cloth, thread, and their makers”, and this time Anne had chosen me to tell my story about the TURTLE looms.

I humbly and excitedly agreed.

The recording session felt like catching up with a good friend that I had not seen for a long time, Anne is a fantastic moderator. I hope that you will enjoy that experience when you listen.

The podcast is now available on the Long Thread Media website and you can also listen to it through any podcast aggregator (such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon).

If you are curious to see some of the customer projects that have impressed me, as mentioned during the podcast, you can see a selection in these posts. There are many more and I hope to find the time to post more customer projects going forward.

Lastly, here is an example for what I mention in the podcast about designing looms, where I occasionally move away from “plain math” and make looms more comfortable to work with and improve weaving results:

Several of our looms have a slightly widened opening that will make it easier to guide the weaving tool, and it will also compensate just a little bit for the typical, slightly tighter weave on the last rows (when you take the piece off the loom, the weaving bounces into a more perfect shape).

I hope that you will enjoy listening, but I’d like to encourage you to not stop with this podcast: I have listened to previous episodes when I needed some “downtime with inspiration”, which means I want some time away from the world, but with a little bit more than just relaxing background music. It has always been a delight to learn about other people in the fiber world, what they do and how they do it … interesting methods, projects, experiences. Grab your pin loom and a beverage, then relax and explore more.

Happy listening and weaving!

Photo credits: Podcast title graphics from @longthreadmedia, used with permission.

Holiday Guide Giveaway – Second Chance!

Posted on by texasgabi

The Second Chance giveaway is now closed. Congratulation to our winner, Wendy Allen, who has been notified.

Long Thread Media’s Holiday Guide has been a huge success with thousands of people signing up for a chance to win one of the 17 prizes.

We decided to give all y’all a second chance and this time, you can enter to win a TURTLE loom of your choice! Visit the Loom Catalog to see all the looms we’re making.

For a chance to win, sign up to receive TURTLE blog updates with news about projects, looms, and events:

For an additional chance, leave a comment here on this post and share which TURTLE loom you’d like in case you win (no worries, you change your mind later if you win).

The giveaway will end on November 30th, 2025, midnight CDT. We will randomly draw a name from all subscribers (old and new) and the comments on this post. We will announce the name of the winner here on this post on December 1st (and contact the winner via email).

Good luck!