TURTLEs in Canada!

Posted on by texasgabi

We welcome Kelowna Yarn & Needlecrafts in British Columbia, Canada, to join the group of retailers who carry TURTLE looms!

Store owner Cheryl Brown and her team offer TURTLE looms in their Kelowna store as well as online on the website.

See which looms are in stock! Look here for regular sett and fine sett looms. If the looms that you are looking for are not available, contact the store and ask if they can add your wish list to their next order.

Vineyards play a significant role in the beautiful Kelowna area, and Cheryl mentioned that it is sometimes called “Napa North”. This inspired me to celebrate Kelowna Yarn as a new TURTLE retailer with some grape-themed projects: Here are grape cluster coasters and a table runner project for you to make (and you don’t have to live in Canada to make them!

A grape cluster coaster, worked on the TinyTURTLE loom R-regular sett, makes a coaster size that is just right for a wine glass. If you follow the same pattern but use the Original TURTLE Loom™ R-regular sett, it will make a coaster for a bottle (center) .

I used Queensland Collection Costal Cotton yarn in 1034 Concord and 1042 Seaweed to make the samples. You just need one ball of those two colors to make one bottle and several glass coasters.

This grape table runner is a slightly larger project, but still easy-to-make on the Original TURTLE Loom R-regular sett.

I used The Fibre Co. Lore in shades Wise (grapes), Ambitious (leaves), and Spiritual (background) for the sample. I wet finished the table runner, but it could also be fulled.

Here are the Instructions for Both Projects

  • For a coaster, weave eight hexagons in grape color, and two hexagons for the leaves.
  • For the table runner, weave sixteen hexagons in grape color, four hexagons for the leaves, and nineteen hexagons for the background.

Use the following chart when you arrange the hexagons. Sew hexagons to hexagons together into rows first, then connect rows to rows. I used simple whipstitch and the tail ends for the sewing.

Weave in all ends. Block as desired.

These projects are beginner friendly and versatile … You can use a broad variety of yarns (cotton and wool are just examples). The same projects can be worked on the fine sett looms, and even a mix-and-match.

For more grape-spiration, check out the grape table topper in “Easy Weaving with Little Looms” 2018 and the Grape Pillow project in this blog post.

Make A Turtle!

Posted on by texasgabi

Our turtle mascot Charlene has been capturing the hearts of stuffed animal lovers of all ages, everywhere, and now we are making the pattern available so that you can make your own!

This pattern includes three sizes … the instructions are the same, just different looms are used.

Explore possibilities … thick or thin yarn … one color or many … medium head on a large turtle … make your turtle(s) unique! Use the “tummy” to embroider a name or date to make it extra special for the recipient.

Would you like to weave in company? Right now, during the month of May 2023, you can join us on Facebook or Ravelry for a Turtle Weave-Along! Find more information about that on the TexasGabi blog HERE.

View or download the pattern:

Turtle-Pattern-Final-V10Download

Earn Your Weaving Buddy Badge!

Posted on by texasgabi

To celebrate our 6th anniversary we decided that it is time to start honoring customers who are making pretty and practical projects with their TURTLE looms. TURTLE weavers who have turned at least 100 hexagons and/or jewels into finished projects can contact us and request their Weaving Buddy badge!

Read on to see how to be eligible:

  • You have woven at least 100 hexagons and/or jewels and turned them into a finished project. This could be a single project, for example a garment or a blanket, or multiple projects that add up to at least 100 hexagons/jewels.
  • Your count may include regular and elongated hexagons of any size as well as jewels.
  • Make any project(s) you want. Use any pattern or your imagination. Use any yarn you wish.
  • Contact us when you are ready and we will discuss the details. We will ask you to send us photos that we can add to the Weaving Buddy Wall here on this site and a little info about which looms and yarns you used.
  • We will ask for your permission to post your project picture(s) here on this website on the Weaving Buddy Wall (we will set that up when we receive the first submissions).
  • Upon acceptance, we will send you a Weaving Buddy pin that we have made just for this purpose and a certificate that confirms your accomplishment.
  • We have a little over 400 badges to grant. There is no time limit … we will grant the badges until we run out.
  • We also have a small number of “honorary” badges to give to people who are dedicated TURTLE fans and deserve recognition just for that. For example, my husband will probably never weave and assemble 100 hexagons, but he got the very first badge because he patiently endures me and all the looms! If you know of a person who you think deserves an honorary badge, please contact us with your suggestion!

The certificate will mention your name and the unique badge number.

The badge is an antique die struck pin, measuring about 1 1/4″ point-to-point, with a magnetic back (it will ship with two magnets to help it hold better).

We are probably as excited about this program as you are, but that doesn’t mean that it will be perfect from the beginning! If you have any questions, please leave a comment below or contact us.

Badge design and logo © 2023 Bluebonnet Crafters, LLC. All rights reserved.
The badge is not for sale.

Customer Projects Showcase – April 2023

Posted on by texasgabi

Spring is springing these days, isn’t it? A friend wrote me that it is sunny and warm today where she lives, and 29F and snow in the forecast for the next day. The good thing is that any weather is weaving weather! This month we have two projects, a how-to tip, and an announcement or two …

I hope that you saw my mosaic Bee Queen table topper in the new Little Looms Summer 2023? If you’re not up to making that many hexagons right now but want to “bee busy”, you could make something like Susanne Eakin’s bee hive wall hanging, using the Tiny TURTLE F … and don’t forget the adorable (PennyTURTLE) flower!

I always like when people contact me and share their weaving stories, as Linda Aprin did! Linda watched the video “Weaving with one hand” and then shared a few ideas about things that she did differently. I appreciate that she allowed me to spread the word to others who may find this useful!

Linda writes:
“Instead of clamping the loom, stabilize it with Dycem, the blue stuff in the picture. That lets you easily turn the loom. Also, instead of a clothes pin, use a clip like the one in the picture. It lets the yarn slide and helps the work flow instead of starting and stopping.”

Jane Grogan has for many years made Christmas tree ornaments for her family and friends. One year she made 30 adorable little turtles! Jane wove two TinyTURTLE R hexagons and added felted feet, head, and tail. She decorated with a little ribbon, added a hanger, and ready is a cute turtle ornament!

ETA April 30, 2023: Jane saw your comments! She provided a pattern – with template for the body – for you all to make your own adorable turtle ornaments. Leave a shoutout thank you in the comments section of this post if you plan to make some turtles! Here is the pattern for you:

JaneGrogan-TurtleOrnamentPattern-1Download

That said, there is a “Turtle Weave-Along” coming up this May! The WAL will be from May 1-23, and ALL turtle makers will be welcome. More details will become available shortly on the TexasGabi blog.

One more announcement … I’d like to invite you to come back and read our blog on April 19 (hint, hint … signing up on the right to be notified about new blogs will make it real easy). We will celebrate our 6th TURTLE anniversary with launching a Weaving Buddy program … see you then!

(Photo credits: All project photos are by their respective project owners. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

Humble Beginnings of “Summer and Winter” Weaving

Posted on by texasgabi

I owe you several blogs, for example an update on the 2023 temperature blanket, the next customer projects showcase, more info for the Garment WAL, but how do I explain this blog? … You can call it a confession of an addict.

Fellow pin-loom weaver Glorian posted a picture of the cutest little purse that she discovered at a thrift store, and she added that she bought it because it reminded her of pin-loom weaving.

A closer look at this stunning little treasure revealed that it is a “summer and winter” pattern, something that has enchanted “big loom” weavers for centuries.

What is “Summer and Winter”?

Weavezine explains it well … “Summer and Winter is a block weave. This means that you can create designs by building up blocks of pattern against a background cloth. Summer and Winter uses four warp threads for each unit of design. These four threads comprise both tie-down and pattern threads.”

On occasion it had crossed my mind to see how such complex patterns like “summer and winter” do on pin looms. Glorian’s post however made me decide to try it out “right now”.

This blog summarizes very humble beginnings. Unlike my usual blogs, this is more a WIP notebook. I hope that sharing my ideas and observations may inspire others to try it out as well, and that together we may bring this beautiful pattern approach to the smallest of looms.

How I Wove my “Summer and Winter” Sample

Block patterns require 4 warps. To achieve that I wove two hexagons on top of each other: The first hexagon is in the pattern colors rose and lavender, the next hexagon on top of that is in the “background” color gray. I used the TexaTURTLE R-regular loom to have enough space in the center for one framed flower. I used DK weight yarn to make it easier to move the threads between layers (I used Yarnspirations Caron Little Crafties, which proved to be perfect for the job). For both hexagons, I wove the first part in rounds as usual, to establish the “warped” centers of the hexagons.

Sorry, no pattern … I counted the threads on the picture and tried to get as close as possible. There is enough space for one framed flower, and I added some sidebars.

Each row is woven twice. First, using the pattern color thread, I worked the pattern by bringing the threads from the underlying hexagon to the top and wove a regular plain weave for each patterned area. Each second weave is done with the “background” color … filling in the background, and diving down under any pattern threads to proceed with a plain weave there for the areas where the background should not be visible.

Here is the finished sample on the loom, off the loom, and with a crocheted border. The yarn ends can be stuffed into the space between the layers instead of weaving them in.
If done right (which in many instances I didn’t for my sample weave), the back of the fabric is an inverse of the front.
This picture shows on the finished piece how the threads have switched layers during the weaving.

“Further Research Required” …

The sample is merely a proof of concept, a lot can be improved. For example:

  • Proper “over/under” needs to be worked out, particularly when changing colors.
  • Pattern writing and charting options need to be explored.
  • For the next samples, simpler patterns than a flower in a wavy frame will help to better understand the mechanics.

A Few More Thoughts

  • If you are a knitter, you may know the concept of double knitting or reversible colorwork, where you knit two layers of fabric in different colors, and switch the colors between the layers to work reversible patterns. The knowledge that you may have from this knitting approach may come in handy for “summer and winter” weaving.
  • This method will work well on square or rectangle pin looms. When weaving, use any traditional warp/weft method (wind the warp only before you weave). Just wind the warp threads to get ready to weave. I suggest to weave 2 rows of plain weave before starting any patterns.
  • Usage: Because this method requires a lot of concentration and patience, it is unlikely to expect a lot of people making king-size blanketsl However, as the sample shows, just one simple weavie can be a welcome treat. It’s a great learning experience, and … any “summer and winter” project will certainly make people wonder how you made it!
  • If you like the pattern but don’t want to deal with a complicated weaving pattern … you can always embroider it!

Did you enjoy reading this very different type of blog? Leave a comment below!

Blue Bunny Loves You

Posted on by texasgabi

I just finished this “new baby” gift. Easter is right around the corner, but as we know, stuffed bunnies are appreciated year round … by all ages.

All it takes is any square pin loom and some yarn (scraps are welcome). I used the Square 2″ R-regular loom, which has become my go-to loom for so many projects, from testing out design ideas to making fun things in little time. I used Yarnspirations O’Go Big Donut yarn, color 29008 Mint Julep, from my stash. This yarn is discontinued, and you can substitute any worsted weight yarn you like.

If you use the Square 2″ R loom you will need about 140 yards of worsted weight yarn for the bunny, and about 3 yards in black for the face.

For the tail, which is optional, you can either make a pompom or weave one hexagon on your Original TURTLE Loom R-regular.

You can embroider the eyes, use safety plastic eyes or little pieces of felt, or use your BabyTURTLE loom to weave them.

Here is the bunny chart …

You will need to weave 64 squares (32 for the Front and 32 for the Back).

Blue Bunny measures 13″ (ears down) and 18″ (ears up).

Assembly: Layout the squares according to the chart. If you work with multiple colors, move the squares around until you like it. Sew the squares together. I sewed the squares into long strips first as shown in the second picture, then sewed those strips together.

(left picture) Put the Front and the Back on top of each other – right sides facing each other – and sew along all sides, but leaving an opening at the side for turning and stuffing. For the paws, when you come to the small end sides, sew a straight seam (center picture). For the ears, sew along the edges and pull to close (right picture).

Turn the bunny right side out. Sew tight the ears as shown (they will stay unstuffed). Stuff the bunny as desired and close the opening.

Neck: With a separate piece of yarn, starting from the center back, sew small running stitches around the neck area. Pull in as desired. Knot, and weave in the ends.

Face: Use this close-up photo to guide you for stitching the face.

Tail: If you weave the tail, make one hexagon. Secure a tail end with a stitch, then work running stitches along all edges. Pull in a little, slightly stuff, then pull close. Sew the tail into place.

Optional limb shaping: Sew through all layers along the arm and leg joins (straight for the arms, diagonal as shown for the legs). This will add a little bit more shape to the body.

Quick variations: Use only 1 square length to make a bear, dog, or cat.

I hope that Blue Bunny has gotten hold of your heart and that you will help to multiply this rare species.
Post if you do!

Welcome Little Looms Summer 2023

Posted on by texasgabi

By now we have to say that “as usual” the new Easy Weaving with Little Looms Summer 2023 issue is filled with top quality project ideas and informative articles. It is my honor to have contributed two projects, the Queen Bee Table Topper and the Lemon Drop Kitchen Towel.

Working with small hexagons opens the doors to play with colors and create artful drawing-like designs, almost like in ancient mosaics. The Queen Bee Table Topper features a bee on a honeycomb background, all in natural hexagon shapes. Weaving the hexagons on the PennyTURTLE™ loom is relaxing and fun. The tried and tested Scheepjes Catona cotton yarn provides the perfect colors and fabric character for the project.

Inspired by Vintage fabric patterns, the Lemon Drop Kitchen Towel features an “all over” display of lemons with leaves.

The pattern consists of regular hexagons and half hexagons that are all woven on the Original TURTLE Loom™ R – Regular sett using Universal Yarn’s Clean Cotton, a soft and squishy, 100% reclaimed cotton yarn. Our article “Six Ways to Make Half Hexagons” will help with making the half hexagons.

The pattern repeat invites to adjust the size of the towel if desired, and you can even make just one lemon with its leaf and a border for a nice hot pad or dish cloth. The Lemon Drop kitchen towel can also be worked on the Original TURTLE Loom F-fine sett, using a thinner cotton yarn … like the Scheepjes Catona!

Stay tuned for one more story that we will share with you in just a few days: We will launch a rewards program where our customers can earn an honorary Weaving Buddy badge for completing TURTLE projects! More information will become available here on the blog … sign up to be notified about new blog posts (in the right column) so that you don’t miss it!

For your convenience, we offer the printed edition of Little Looms Summer 2023 in our Etsy shop. The publisher Long Thread Media offers a digital copy, and we can highly recommend a subscription.

Customer Projects Showcase – March 2023

Posted on by texasgabi

On the verge of spring in the northern hemisphere, there is still need for warming accessories, but also time to get some happy colors out!

Pin-loom veteran Jane Grogan, designer of the “Lilas au Printemps” wedding shawl in the Little Looms Spring 2022 magazine, uses small amounts of pretty yarn to weave single hexagons for greeting cards. A great way to showcase precious (handwoven) yarns or some pretty leftovers. Any of the Original TURTLE looms will create the perfect size hexie for a standard greeting card.

TURTLE loom customer Lisa Robinson recently finished this awesome scarf, where the beautiful yarn provides instant eye candy. Lisa wove the light worsted yarn on her Original TURTLE F-fine sett in plain weave to achieve a dense fabric. She worked half hexagons and triangles (method adopted) to accomplish the smooth edgings along the sides and the pleasant curving of the scarf ends.

Today, March 9th, is the third anniversary of the first Covid shutdown in the United States. Data analyst Kristin Briney (Instagram, Ravelry) used the TinyTURTLE F-fine sett to capture the Covid experience with visual representations of Covid fatalities in the United States in 2020 and 2021 … Impressive pieces that make you stop and think.

Let pin-loom weaving carry you through good and bad times!

I hope you find these projects and activities inspiring. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section below, and if you have a project that you’d like to see featured in a future customer story post, please contact us!

(Photo credits: All photos are by their respective project owners. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

Customer Projects Showcase – February 2023

Posted on by texasgabi

There’s just not enough time in the day, in the month … to write everything I want to write about, but here are some new and awesome customer projects for you to enjoy …

New TURTLE loom enthusiast Shereen decided to make a pin-loom temperature blanket and joined us in the Pin-Loom Temperature Blanket Weave-Along Facebook group! She is using the TinyTURTLE™ loom (R-regular sett) and tracks high and low temperatures for each day. You can follow her and other weavers’ progress in the Facebook group – and also join any time to make your own temperature blanket!

Long-time customer Suzanne E. is a true yarn gourmet. Look at her beautiful heart, worked on the TinyTURTLE™ loom (F-fine sett) and appreciate the delicate combination of unusual color shades … Use such a heart as wall hanging, pillow cover, or table topper year round to decorate for a home.

Kathryn O. has been a TURTLE customer since the first loom release. Kathryn always surprises me with her new ideas tinkering around … her Tinker Shawl (as I call it), woven on the TinyTURTLE™ loom (F-fine sett), is a great project to study! Be inspired not only by the shape of the shawl, but also by the colors that she is using, and her playful placements of hearts and flowers.

Designer Greta Holmstrom released a new pattern for a Team Spirit Skirt, woven on the TexaTURTLE™ R loom. The pattern is very versatile and can be easily adjusted to accommodate different sizes and lengths.

This is also a great pattern idea for our Pin-Loom Garment Challenge 2023! You can follow and participate in the Pin-loom Garment Challenge on the TexasGabi blog.

Bee inspired!

I hope you find these projects and activities inspiring. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section below, and if you have a project that you’d like to see featured in a future customer story post, please contact us!

(Photo credits: All photos are by their respective project owners. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

Hexie Love Blanket

Posted on by texasgabi

Happy Valentine’s Day to all! My gift to all of you is this pattern for a heart-shaped heart blanket that I call “Hexie Love Blanket”. And it’s not just for Valentine’s! Make it to welcome a new baby, as a wedding shower gift, or a “Thank you, Mom” blanket for Mother’s Day. The centers of the flowers offer a great space to embroider a name, a date, or a little message!

A reason why I designed this blanket is that I want to show how using hexagons in different directions can effect shapes: Depending on how you turn the hexagons, you’ll get a “slim” or a “wide” heart. I wrote about this in the article “Designing with Hexagons: Basic Concepts” … and now you have a project to try it out!

Yarn: I used Hobby Lobby “I Love this Yarn” in colors 466 Drizzle Me This (2 balls) and 950 Pink Neon (1 ball). Of course you can use any colors of your choice … the design would also be great in patchwork colors or colors of the 1960ties or 70ties!

You will need about 500 yds of the background/border color and 250 yds for the hearts and flowers.

Loom: The blanket weaves up quickly on the Original TURTLE Loom™ in R-regular sett for worsted weight yarns. The finished blanket will measure about 42″ wide and 39″ tip-to-top. If you want to make a larger blanket, you could use the same pattern with the TexaTURTLE™ in R-regular sett.

Ready to Weave?

Weave:
(55) white hexagons
(38) red hexagons
(4) white half hexagons (Half A, click here for instructions)
(2) red half hexagons (Half A)

Use the chart to assemble the blanket. I recommend that you turn the chart and begin at the right side. Sew the hexagons into rows first, then rows to rows. A simple whip stitch will be fine. You can see how I sew hexagons together in the Elf Basket video on YouTube.

Sew in any remaining ends and clip to about 1/4″ (the ends will settle during blocking, after which you can do a final clip if needed).

You can add the half hexagons right away, or insert them into their spaces when the rest of the blanket is assembled, as shown here:

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 20230213_210628_resized_1.jpg

Optionally, add a nice touch with a crocheted border. I used the same yarn and a crochet hook G-6/4mm.

The first round is single crochet (sc) stitches. Start anywhere, joining the yarn with a slip stitch. The next picture shows how many stitches to work … along the sides where the yarn makes complete turns, work one stitch in each turn. Along the sides where the yarn makes wavy turns, work 2 sc, skip the next yarn turn, work 3 sc, skip the next yarn turn, work 2 sc. Work 2 sc into each corner, work sc2tog into each bend.

At the end of the row, join with a slip stitch into the first sc.

For the second round, work scallops as follows: Skip 2, then work 5 double crochet (dc) into the next stitch. Skip 2, work 1 sc into the next stitch. Repeat all around the blanket (adjust with sc at the end if there’s not enough space for another scallop).

Join with a slip stitch into the top of the first dc. Break the yarn, weave in remaining ends.

Block as desired. Clip yarn ends if needed.

Enjoy your blanket, and share pictures!

Pin-Loom Garment Challenge 2023

Posted on by texasgabi

Announcement!

We’re kicking off a weaving challenge today … Weave a pin-loom garment by Thanksgiving this year for a chance to win a professional photoshoot by Gale Zucker!

This challenge is open to all pin looms, that’s why it will be moderated on the TexasGabi blog. Hop over and check out the Kickoff post for more information and cool tools like guides for Pattern Resources and a Project Planning.

Come weave with us!

The Ditta Vest

Posted on by texasgabi

From the early beginnings of my pin-loom journey I have been dreaming of make clothing items. Decades ago it was quite the standard for pin-loom weavers to think of making wearables. While there is much less the “need” to make clothing today, it can be fun and useful.

Ditta is a one-size-fits-many vest that will keep your back warm while gradually evolving into a flattering bolero-style front.

It can be worn open, or closed with a shawl pin.

The vest is woven on the Original TURTLE Loom™ R-regular sett for worsted weight yarn.

I used Purl Soho Linen Quill Worsted yarn, a beautiful natural and soft fiber blend that is fun to weave and awesome to wear.

You can use the same pattern with the F-fine sett and the XF- extra fine sett Original TURTLEs as well (and even a mix!) and use different yarns.

The pattern includes a blank chart so that you can create your own designs: Make the vest in a single, pretty yarn, use up scraps to make a patchwork vest, or plan yarns and colors in detail to make it “your” design!

Get the pattern at the Bluebonnet Crafters Etsy shop. We decided to ring in garment weaving with a 50% off sale until February 15th. No code necessary, the discount is automatically applied when you purchase the pattern.

Here is a 360-degree view of the Ditta Vest that also shows a little bit more the one-size-fits-many. I’m 5’5″ and wear size XL/14 clothing, for reference.

Suggestions on how to modify the size are in the pattern, and I’m happy to help with any questions that you may have.

If you decide to make the Ditta Vest, please share pictures! We will be tracking the Ditta Vest on social media with the hashtag #DittaVest.

There’s more to come!

Our ad in Little Looms Spring 2023 also announces that we will conduct a year-long pin-loom garment challenge this year: Weave any garment, on any loom, by Thanksgiving this year, to win an opportunity to have your garment photographed by professional photographer Gale Zucker! The details will be on the TexasGabi blog soon.

Special thanks …

go to Gale Zucker, www.gzucker.com, on Instagram @galezucker, for her amazing ability to bring out the best of a hand-crafted item in photography, and to Josephine Ankrah, Instagram @sweetjsphn, who added so much character to the Ditta vest by the way she models it.

Customer Projects Showcase – January 2023

Posted on by texasgabi

New year, new ideas! Frequently, customers share pictures of their projects on social media or contact me directly, and this year we would like to start showcasing some of them here on the turtleloom blog. The goal is to post 3-5 projects in a blog on the first of each month. Sounds like a New Year’s resolution? Here’s the start!

Ravelry pin-loom fellow Lynne just finished her Cathedral Window blanket from Little Looms Fall 2022 (project on Ravelry). It was exiting to follow her row-by-row progress in the “Looms to Go” group, and the result is second-to-none! Lynne plans to make another Cathedral Windows blanket in natural tones … we can hardly wait to see it. You can find more information about the Cathedral Windows blanket in this post.

Taking a break from blanket weaving, Lynne also made this Firth of Clyde cowl (project on Ravelry). We introduced the pattern for this cowl as a welcome project for our new retailer Weft Blown in Scotland. You can find the free instructions for this cowl in this post.

One of our Australian customers, Kaye, was inspired by our owl blanket. But she took the idea and some further online inspiration to a whole new level … this is her owl blanket, woven on the PennyTURTLE™ !!!

Greta has been a TURTLE loom customer from the beginning. By now she has not only published her designs in multiple Little Looms and Handwoven magazines, but she also offers amazing patterns in her Etsy store. Here is her “Forest Fairy Capelet”, for example. Add her store to your Etsy favorites for a growing resource of hexagon patterns that are out of the ordinary!

Did you enjoy seeing these customer projects? Leave a comment below and tell us what you think!

And if you have a project that you would like to see shared in an upcoming Customer Project Showcase, please contact us.

How it works:

  • All we need is a picture of your project and a brief description.
  • The project can be after a pattern or your own.
  • You grant us permission to use your photo in our blog; you will be credited by name and you will keep the photo copyrights.
  • Selecting projects for posting will be at our discretion.
  • We will not be able to reimburse you in any way, but there’s a good chance that you will have a lot of fun sharing your work this way!

(Photo credits: All photos are by their respective project owners. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

TO A GRAND 2023!

Merry Christmas, All Y’All!

Posted on by texasgabi

TT22 and Linda are sending their warmest holiday wishes from Iowa!

Shortly after TT22 arrived in the Driftless Area, the snow set in … time for Linda to take TT22 on a test run …

Linda is experimenting … for the cute Christmas basket she put 8 random hexagons of her pretty wool together (2 rows of 4 hexagons sewn together, then closed along the short sides to form a tube. Sew the tips on one end of the tube together to shape the bottom … it’s a 4-hexagons-in-the-round basket). Then, full the basket and let it dry over a small wooden square. Santa surely seems to be pleased!

Best wishes from all of us for a joyous, peaceful holiday weekend.

(Photo credits: All photos by Linda Canton. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

Welcome, Weft Blown!

Posted on by texasgabi

Howdy! I would like to share the exciting news that our TURTLE looms are now available at Weft Blown, a weaving and spinning supplier in West Kilbride, Scotland, which is also known as Craft Town Scotland.

Photo credit: Weft Blown. Used with permission.

Some of you know store owner Ange Sewell and her team, who for years have welcomed pin-loom weavers in person at their store near the beautiful North Ayrshire Coast, as well as online. Ange plans to relocate in 2023 , but will still be in West Kilbride.

To celebrate Weft Blown as a new stockist, I designed a quick and easy cowl, inspired by the Firth of Clyde and the impressive island scenery, like the Isle of Arran, right off the shore near West Kilbride.

When Ange and I were chatting about yarns that have something to do with Scotland (but are also available in the United States), The Croft yarns from West Yorkshire Spinners came up. I had sampled those yarns a few years ago and fallen in love with them, and using them in a welcome project seemed a delightful choice.

Whether you use Shetland wool (I used The Croft Shetland Tweed Aran and Wild Shetland Aran Roving), a handspun yarn that you made, or any worsted weight yarn of your liking, the Firth of Clyde Cowl works up quickly on the Original TURTLE Loom R – regular sett, even in time for the upcoming holidays!

Ready to celebrate? Download the free cowl pattern now!

Firth-of-Clyde-Cowl-FinalDownload

And here are a few suggestions for how to wear your cowl

  • The cowl measures about 27″ in the round and about 11″ tall, without measuring the hexagons tips (with tips it measures about 13″).
  • Just slide it over your head and tug it into a comfy position, or …
  • … wear it over your head.
  • If you do that, it’s almost like a hoodie …
  • … or a kerchief.
  • You can also fold it in half, like a turtle neck (no pun intended).
  • That way you have a smooth edging at the top, and playful tips at the bottom.
  • Or you can use the cowl as garden decoration … well, we hope you don’t!

Thank you for celebrating with us! Maybe some of you will get a chance to visit Weft Blown.
And to those who will make a Firth of Clyde cowl, make sure to share some pictures!

TT22 Is Going Back to Iowa!

Posted on by texasgabi

Congratulations!
Linda Canton in Iowa
will be our last TT22 host this year, for December.

Linda and her husband Dan live in the very unique Driftless Area of north-east Iowa. She writes about herself “We are an off-grid family, living in a fixed up timber-frame barn (well, still working on it). We are both recently retired (mostly … I substitute as a bus driver), and loving it.”

They share their home with “pandemic puppy” Tex (he just turned 2), a Texas Heeler who keeps them on their toes and outside, hiking their woods and trails. Linda’s comment on the photo: “He barely tolerated the photo session…can’t you hear him thinking – you gotta be kidding, Mom …”

Linda on the topic of hobbies: “How long do you have? Fixing up old places (a turn of the century Norwegian log cabin, our barn/home), cutting wood, stacking wood, hauling wood, burning wood (just kidding … we heat with wood), spinning fiber, knitting (see my favorite felted mittens from last year), making braided rugs, sewing … learner of much, master of none. But it sure is fun to try!

  • Some of Linda’s handspun yarn.
  • Linda’s favorite knitted, felted mittens.
  • Linda and her husband love fixing old places, including this Norwegian cabin.

About her pin-loom experience and plans Linda writes “Never used a hexagon loom, have tried to buy one, but they are (always) out of stock! Popular buggers. I do have an old 2 inch and 4 inch Weavette, along with a pile of squares. After reading a Little Looms magazine, I have set my sights a bit higher than acrylic squares … What would I like to make with the TURTLE? Don’t know yet … make some hexagons and see what shapes I can put together … a hat? Mittens? A sweater? I’m excited to see what I may make! I certainly have lots of yarn …”

TT22’s adventures of living off-the-grid with Linda, Dan, and Tex this December will be shared here on the blog … stay tuned!

(Photo credits: All photos except title are by Linda Canton. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

Travel Turtle 2022 – Call for December Host

Posted on by texasgabi

Here we are … 2022 is coming to an end … there is one more opportunity to host TT22 during the final month of the year, December !

If you are interested and available to “entertain” TT22 for a month, please leave a comment in the comments section below.

No hexagon weaving experience necessary … anyone who wants to weave hexagons is welcome.

Signup is open now, and will end Thursday, December 1st, at 6 pm US CDT. I will contact the new host and make the announcement shortly after I hear back from him/her.

If you would like to know more about how this challenge works, please see the plan.

Meanwhile … In case you’re wondering why we’re running a little bit late … TT22 is currently on a 4-day cruise, visiting Catalina! TT22 and Charleen want to share this photo with us, and they write “The tile and the turtle card were two things we purchased on Catalina, and the towel animal is something that the cabin stewards make for the guests and put in the cabins. Tomorrow we’re going to see Ensenada …”

Photo credits: All photos are by Charleen Rice. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

The “Extra Fine” is Coming!

Posted on by texasgabi

It was during one of the Covid lockdowns when our CNC Meister and I were bored and decided to tackle a question that had been on our minds for a while: How “fine sett” can we get?

Our pin supplier joined in and provided a variety of thinner steel wires, and the testing began.

The CNC router kept routing and drilling until it got to a point where we had to use a magnifying glass to see the holes.

Trying thinner pins convinced us very quickly that what we’re currently using for the Square fine sett looms is the closest to what can be woven comfortably, without having to add a supply of band aides for pricked fingers to each loom kit.

We decided to settle on a loom that is “fine” enough to weave “finer” sock and fingering yarns, like this Lion Brand Sock-Ease.

Several popular sock and fingering yarns list a gauge of 30 sts/4″, which weaves up a nice but light fabric on the fine sett looms. We wanted an “extra fine” option, where the fabric is dense enough for clothing and similar projects.

Above pictures show the yarn example Rico Design Superba Bamboo Uni, available through Universal Yarn, on the new XF loom (left); fabric comparison XF (left) and F ( right); hexie off the XF loom. The header picture also shows that yarn, woven on all three Original TURTLE looms.

Another example is Lang Jawoll, shown woven on the XF extra fine sett on the left, and the F fine sett on the right.

The Original TURTLE loom XF expands the use of thinner yarns without jeopardizing the comfort of weaving.

6/2 cotton yarns like the popular Bluegreass Mills, available through the Woolery, now enter the category of yarns that weave well on TURTLE looms at about 12 epi, and with that the doors open to create a new range of beautiful kitchen items like hand towels and accessories.

Weaving single stranded Size 10 crochet thread on this loom still generates a light fabric, but it now generates a nice, light density for curtains or lacy table toppers.

When will the Original TURTLE Loom XF be available?

The loom is now available in our Etsy store: “Original TURTLE Loom™ XF “extra fine sett”

Also at the handweavers studio in London,

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Meredith and Denise CP (check your emails, please)! They are the winners of our treasure hunt contest and will be the first to receive a new Original TURTLE Loom XF.

Treasure Hunt!

Posted on by texasgabi

The Handweavers Studio in London is now fully restocked … and there’s more! In support of the store’s tag line “A treasure trove for textile creatives” we decided to do a treasure hunt that is open to all TURTLE friends in the UK … and anywhere else.

Store owner Dawn and Alan and their team are now carrying the 1″, 2″, and 4″ Square looms, either to be used together with Elongons or on their own. They have also added the new, unique Jewel loom!

However, that’s not all … There is a new treasure hidden on the Handweavers Studio website, and if you find out what it is, you can enter to win that treasure! Entering for a chance to win is easy: Leave a comment on the blog when you find the treasure.

ETA: Denise CP was the first to find the treasure: It’s the Original TURTLE Loom XF – extra fine sett. I will tell the story of the loom in the next blog on Monday, but in a nutshell, this loom weaves finer sock yarns (knitting gauge 30sts/4″, weaving gauge about 12 epi) and will most likely be the finest sett loom that we will have in our product line.

YOU CAN CONTINUE TO ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN THAT LOOM … just enter a comment below. Ask any questions that you may have about the new loom, write what you’d do with such a loom, or just say that you want to win it!

How it works:

  • Leave a comment on this blog.
  • One entry per person please, multiple comments from the same ID will count as one entry.
  • You can enter now until Sunday, November 20, 2022, 6 pm CT.
  • We will raffle off one (1) of “the hidden treasure”; the winner will be determined by random drawing.
  • The winner will be announced some time on Monday, on our blog.
  • No purchase necessary. No substitutes, no cash.
  • This giveaway is conducted by Bluebonnet Crafters, LLC. It is open to pin-loom lovers internationally unless there are any legal restrictions in your country that prevent us from shipping to you. (Note: In case you win, we will pay for USPS International First Class shipping or contribute to the postage in the equivalent amount of that. You will have to pay for any extra shipping cost and any custom and/or tax incurred by your country.)
  • We will use the contact information only to determine the winners. We do not share that information.
  • In case you win, we will ask for your permission to post your first name, state or country.

Ready? Go hunt!

Autumn Greetings from California

Posted on by texasgabi

TT22 traveled all across the States (again) to California, where Char’s Liquid Amber tree provided the proper autumn welcome.

Char had not woven on a hexagon pin loom before, so she and TT22 spent some quality time watching the instructions video on YouTube together, after which the first hexagon – using the pretty yarn that October host Chris had sent along – was a breeze.

All excited, Char decided to visit her local yarn store The Knitting Tree, LA, where she found some Malabrigo Rios in beautiful autumn colors.

She writes: “It was so much fun making hexies that so far I have made five more, with a start on the sixth. I have a project in mind to use them in but want to make a few more hexies before seeing if it will work.”

It looks like the November team is off to a good start. Well, we all know that this is because Saphire is supervising! Keep up the good work, and have fun!

(Photo credits: All photos by Char Rice. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

TT22 is Going to California!

Posted on by texasgabi

Congratulations!
Char Rice in California
will be our TT22 host for November.

Char lives with her husband and certain feline pets (see below) in southern California.

Her very broad crafting skills and interests include working with beads (wirework, off-loom bead weaving and a little loom work), and she knits (mostly lace, aran, and fair isle), weaves (she has a floor loom, rigid heddle, and a plethora of smaller looms), and braids (kumihimo). She also likes to travel and is interested in photography, fresh flower arranging, and rose and Epiphyllum gardening.

Char says about herself that she “[has] been interested in fiber arts for quite a while but didn’t really learn and become interested in weaving techniques until I was in college.”

  • 8-Shaft waffle weave study, worked on Char’s floor loom.
  • Meet Rella, Saphyre, and Kori … the dedicated guards of all things fiber and wire.
  • An example of Char’s tapestry work.
  • Char continues her father’s passion for collecting and growing Epiphyllum plants.
  • Travel impression from visiting Catalina.
  • A walk in the neighborhood.

Asked if she has worked on TURTLE looms before, she answers “Not yet but will be this month!” She plans to make “something having to do with fall and/or flowers.”

You can follow Char on Ravelry, but TURTLE mascot Charlene (yes, she’s so proud to have a namesake!) wants to be in the picture, so we’ll probably do a blog or two this month, right here …

Meanwhile …

TT22 is currently on its way to California … October host Chris put TT22 to work one more time before packing up, to get enough hexies for this adorable table runner (Chris is not only speedy in court transcription, but wove up a weaving record with this one!)

(Photo credits: All photos except title and last are by by Charleen Rice. Last picture by Chris Thornton. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

Travel Turtle 2022 – Call for November Host

Posted on by texasgabi

Inspired by TT22’s visit to Stephen King’s home in Maine, Charlene decided to get the novel “Fairy Tale” on Audible … and I haven’t seen her since then. But … it is time to determine where TT22 will go for Thanksgiving this November!

If you are interested and available to “entertain” TT22 for a month, please leave a comment in the comments section below.

No hexagon weaving experience necessary … anyone who wants to weave hexagons is welcome.

The picture shows Chris’s first ever hexagon, woven on the day that TT22 arrived, using yarn that September host Sarah had put into a little care package.

Signup is open now, and will end Sunday, October 30, at midnight US CDT. I will contact the new host and make the announcement shortly after I hear back from him/her.

If you would like to know more about how this challenge works, please see the plan.

Meanwhile … TT22 had the most amazing time leaf peeping in Maine …

  • This year, leaf peeping season has been colorful and impressive.
  • Chris definitely understands to add a beautiful color palette to support the scene.
  • Combined with some squares, Chris turned the hexies into a hexagonal prism ball!
  • Another highlight was a visit to Stephen King’s home …
  • TT22 comes prepared, all dressed up appropriately in a spooky bright red attire.
  • “Sometimes” Chris has to work, and TT22 was allowed to come along and watch her transcribe legal conversations at lightning speed!
  • Then Chris took TT22 on a boat ride on one of the many lakes in Maine …
  • This picture doesn’t need any caption other than that this is beautiful Maine at its best!
  • And of course, with all the water, blue is the yarn color of the day!

(Photo credits: All photos except title by Chris Thornton. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

Holiday season is next! Chris made this beautiful poinsettia.

A Candy Corn Mouse

Posted on by texasgabi

Fellow pin-loom weaver Pamela shared a post, showing a most adorable crocheted mouse by Stephanie of CrochetVerse, which is an adaptation of a free pattern by Pops De Milk. Pam prompted to continue the inspirational crafting chain with “Someone design a woven version of this.” … and I felt called.

So that more people can weave such a mouse, I decided to use only one loom. I used the Square 2″ R and some Sugar’n Cream cotton yarn that I had at hand in the desired colors, but any square loom and matching yarn will be just fine. Using the bias weaving method (as shown) may stretch slightly differently, but traditionally woven squares will work, too.

Weave:

(2) orange squares
(1) white square
(3) yellow squares

Sew the two orange squares to the white squares (simple whip stitch will do, no matter which weaving method you used).

Then sew the two orange squares together as indicated.

Sew the three yellow squares together as indicated.

Next, attach the yellow strip to the long orange edge … you will need to hold in the yellow a little bit.

This is what your piece looks like when all square are sewn together.

Using a yarn tail or separate piece of yarn, work a running stitch along the long yellow edge. This will be used to gather the back end of the mouse (see below).

Now fold the piece in half, wrong side out, and sew along the bottom edge.

Turn the piece right side out, stuff …

… then pull the ends of the running stitch yarn to completely close the back. Make a knot, then hide the ends inside the mouse.

Accessorize your mouse with tail, ears, feet, and a face as you like.

I provide a brief description of what I did below.

In a nutshell … I embroidered the eyes with black embroidery thread in a star stitch. The nose and mouth are straight stitch.

The tail is made of yellow yarn held double. Join the back of the mouse with a slip stitch, then chain 12 or desired length, fasten off.

Ears: Using a long tail, working with the white yarn, make a magic loop, slip stitch and chain 1 into loop. Work 4 single crochet, then pull the magic loop close to shape a half round. Use the same long tail to make another magic loop and work the second ear the same way. Fasten off, sew ears to head.

Back feet (make 2): Using yellow, chain 4, work a triple picot (chain 2, slip stitch into the 4th chain; repeat twice). Work 4 single crochet stitches into the back loops of the chain, back to the beginning. Fasten off. Sew feet to the yellow part of the body.

Front feet (make 2): Using orange, chain 3, work two picots (chain 2, slip stitch into the 4th chain; repeat once more). Work 3 single crochet stitches into the back loops of the chain, back to the beginning. Fasten off. Sew feet to the orange part of the body.

Happy fall, all y'all!

TT22 is Going to Maine!

Posted on by texasgabi

Congratulations!
Chris Thornton in Maine
will be our TT22 host for October.

Chris is a freelance court reporter/stenographer who lives with her husband of 30 years in Old Town, Maine.

Hobbies? “Anything to do with arts and crafts: Knitting was my gateway drug for spinning and weaving (3 floor looms, several tapestry looms, rigid heddle looms and inkle looms)” But then there is also sewing (garments and quilting), basket weaving, and baking bread …

She also shares her home with Flash – a teacup Australian Shepherd. Flash will interrupt herding the birds in the backyard to become TT22’s buddy for the month.

Chris started pin loom weaving on a Zoom loom in 2019 and has added several triangle and square continuous strand looms since then.

When asked if she has woven on a TURTLE loom before, she replied “As they say in Maine, ‘nevah’!  Looking forward to it!”

So are we! Chris is thinking of weaving a hexagon flower …

You can follow Chris on her Instagram account MaineWeaver, where this month she will be sharing TT22’s autumn adventures in Maine.

Meanwhile …

Old Town, Maine, is the home of Old Town kayaks and canoes … Charlene had to check it out instantly … I think she’s ready to take a dip in those beautiful lakes …

(Photo credits: Photos 1-3 by Chris Thonrton. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

Travel Turtle 2022 – Call for October Host

Posted on by texasgabi

TT22 arrived “home” safely in New Mexico, and has mostly recovered from its trip half around the world to Australia (see pictures below). Now comes the question “Where will TT22 spend the scariest month of the year?”

It’s time to determine the next host, for October.

If you are interested and available to “entertain” TT22 for a month, please leave a comment in the comments section below.

No hexagon weaving experience necessary … if you have a friend who is new to (hexagon) pin loom weaving, please share this post and invite them to host TT22!

We will try to keep the signup short, to give the next host as much time as possible. Signup is open now, and will end Sunday, October 2nd, at midnight US CDT. I will contact the new host and make the announcement shortly after I hear back from him/her.

If you would like to know more about how this challenge works, please see the plan.

Meanwhile, TT22 wants to share a few impressions from its stay at the Misfit farm, and its trip to Australia …

  • The month started with a warm welcome by Belle at the Misfit Farm.
  • TT22 enjoyed all the perfect yarns at TLT Yarns & Handcrafts in Ruidoso, NM.
  • Then it was time to start its longest travel ever … thank you, Sarah, for taking TT22 to Sidney, Australia!
  • It’s a long flight, and TT22 was nervous, but Sarah and TT22 managed to get a lot of weaving done.
  • Sightseeing in Sidney.
  • TT22 even got some souvenir yarn!
  • And then … the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park.!
  • TT22 almost got a knot in its weavie, trying to say the name of the park … Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa.
  • It was a wonderful “welcome home” to the farm by TT22’s new friends!
  • TT22 shared all the adventures and ….
  • … the yarn was sniff approved. TT22 will miss those furry friends!

(Photo credits: All photos by Sarah Cole. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

TT22 is Going to New Mexico!

Posted on by texasgabi

Congratulations!
Sarah Matula in New Mexico
will be our TT22 host for September.

Sarah lives with her husband, 3 horses, 13 llamas, 3 rescued alpacas, 19 chickens, 2 turkeys, 2 dogs, and a cat on a farm in New Mexico. Yin Yang (pictured) keeps an eye on the farm, while Sarah manages a Legal publishing team across Australia, NZ and Philippines.

In her free time Sarah enjoys hiking with llamas, shearing, spinning, weaving, knitting, crocheting, looking at patterns, and collecting yarn.

Sarah weaves on anything from pin loom to floor loom. Here is her latest project on her 3 ft tri loom.

I asked her what she has made so far with pin looms, and while she states that “joining is my Achilles heel” she recently did make this beautiful star pillow, inspired by TT22 April host Debbie’s weave along.

While TT22 is en route, Sarah is doing some “warming up” weaving, exploring 3-1 twill. It looks like it will be an interesting month!

You can follow TT22’s stay at Sarah’s (and possibly more travel) on Facebook at the Misfit Farm. Sarah’s very photogenic dog Heidi (on Instagram) volunteers to add some reporting contributions as well.

(Photo credits: Photos 1-4 by Sarah Matula. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

Charlene is hard at work to prepare a passport for TT22 … “just in case”!

Travel Turtle 2022 – Call for September Host

Posted on by texasgabi

We may have difficulties getting TT22 away from Maryland, where he has been playing hide and seek with Deetzie either in the gardens or at the Black Sheep yarn store (… no wonder, with such a yarn selection!)

However, it’s time to determine the next host, for September.

If you are interested and available to “entertain” TT22 for a month, please leave a comment in the comments section below.

No hexagon weaving experience necessary … if you have a friend who is new to (hexagon) pin loom weaving, please share this post and invite them to host TT22!

Signup is open now, and will end Wednesday, August 31st, at noon time US CDT. I will contact the new host and make the announcement shortly after I hear back from him/her.

If you would like to know more about how this challenge works, please see the plan.

Meanwhile, TT22 wants to share a few impressions from his August diary on Ravelry …

  • The trip across the country went smoothly, and Crow and I had great chats along the way. Thank you, Beth, for sending Crow along!
  • Exploring my home for August … a brook in the backyard! Instant favorite. It’s the Charles Run that ultimately feeds into the Chesapeake Bay.
  • Had a great time with Deetzie’s grandson! We didn’t get much weaving done, but we enjoyed making noise together.
  • Look at those Black Eye’d Susans! I learned that they are the state flower of Maryland. From Texas I know that they make excellent natural dye …
  • I felt famous when we visited the biweekly Sit&Stitch at the Hereford Branch of the Baltimore County Public Library…no one had seen a hexagon loom before!
  • Then we visited the Perennial Farm in Glen Arm and I helped Deetzie to buy two Chelone (Turtlehead) plants.
  • This is one of the Turtlehead plants … not sure if it’s the pink or the white one … I like them both, and this way Deetzie can always remember that she bought the Turtleheads when the TURTLE was visiting!
  • But my favorite place was the Black Sheep yarn store … yarns and colors galore! Perfect place for hide and seek, and weave, and hide, and weave, and hide …

(Photo credits: All photos by Reeves Walker. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

TT22 is Going to Maryland!

Posted on by texasgabi

Congratulations!
Reeves “Deetzie” Walker in Maryland
will be our TT22 host for August.

Meet Deetzie, a retired Latin teacher who now works part time at the Black Sheep Yarn shop where she teaches rigid heddle loom classes.

When she is not at the store, she loves to spend quality time with her husband, her three daughters, her grandchildren, and her two dogs.

In addition to weaving, she likes to knit (like this adorable balloon elephant), crochet, and garden. The latter she jokingly refers to as an “euphemism for weeding”!

Deetzie got her first TURTLE loom in 2020 and has made several beautiful projects since then, like this turtle in its nest, or the Elongon scarf below.

She does not know yet what she’s going to make when TT22 arrives, but she’s definitely ready to have a great time!

You can follow Deetzie and TT22’s adventures this month on Ravelry, where Deetzie is known as FactaeManu. Very fittingly for a fiber loving Latin teacher, this Latin phrase means “Made by hand”!

Meanwhile … Charlene enjoyed reading the comments of the host applicants. She loves the story of the turtle rescue, and she got the band aids out to “tape up Pam’s finger, so that it heals faster”.

All this said, we hope to see you all again when we are looking for the next host!

(Photo credits: Photos 1 – 4 by Reeves Walker. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

Travel Turtle 2022 – Call for August Host

Posted on by texasgabi

Are you ready for the next Travel Turtle 2022 chapter? We’re looking for a host for the (most likely) hot month of August … spend some quality time with a small craft and invite TT22 to your home!

 If you are interested and available to “entertain” TT22 for a month, please leave a comment in the comments section.

No hexagon weaving experience necessary … if you have a friend who is new to (hexagon) pin loom weaving, please share this post and invite them to host TT22!

Signup is open now, and will end Sunday, July 31st, 6 pm US CDT. I will contact the new host and make the announcement shortly after I hear back from him/her.

If you would like to know more about how this challenge works, please see the plan.

Meanwhile … TT22 has been having a great time exploring bright colors at Beth’s house this month …

Welcome Elongon and Square in 3″ R!

Posted on by texasgabi

The new Little Looms Fall 2022 magazine is stealing the show! It makes it difficult to squeeze in the announcement that “Hey, we have a couple of new looms!”

First, there is the new Elongon 3″ R … a larger elongated hexagon loom with regular pin spacing for worsted weight yarns.

With 3″ side length this loom is great to make quick progress on larger projects, like the Cathedral Window blanket, but it is still very comfortable to hold and to work with.

Next, there is the new Square 3″ R loom, to match the above Elongon and also with regular pin spacing for worsted weight yarns.

The squares work up quickly and can be used on their own or together with any other looms that work with or complement a side length of 3″.

I enjoyed making the Cathedral Blanket with these looms, using a wonderful wool, Berroco Lanas.

I hope to chat about working the “stained glass” effect a bit more in the near future, because I think pin loom weaving is naturally perfect for that.

Of course the usability of the new looms goes far beyond stained glass effects. You can use them for pretty much any other project on any other Elongon … the results are “just a little bit bigger”!

Side by side hexagons woven on the Elongon 1″ and Elongon 3″

Little Looms Fall 2022 Magazine – A Giveaway!

Posted on by texasgabi

Did you see it? We’re tickled pink and humbled to see that the Cathedral Window blanket made the cover!

To share the happiness, Charlene suggested to give away three printed issues of “Little Looms Fall 2022”, one each day of this (long) weekend.

THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! Thank you for your participation!

All you need to do is leave a comment below and name your favorite projects in this issue (and there is no wrong answer, if you ask us).

We will randomly draw a name, once a day, this Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, at random times, out of all comments available at that time and post your name right here if you win.

How it works:

  • Leave a comment below. What are your favorite projects in this issue?
  • Leave only one comment. Multiple comments do not increase your chance to win.
  • You can enter now until Monday, July 4th, 2022 when at some point of our choosing we will draw the last winner.
  • The giveaway is for (3) Little Looms Fall 2022 magazine issues, one per day.
  • The winner will be determined randomly from comments left on this post.
  • The winners will be announced every day, here on the blog.
  • No substitutes, no cash.
  • This giveaway is open to fiber enthusiasts internationally, unless there are legal or other restrictions in your country that prevent us from shipping to you. (Note: In case you win we will pay for USPS International First Class shipping or contribute to the postage in the equivalent amount of that. You will have to pay for any extra shipping cost and any custom and/or tax incurred by your country.)
  • We will use the comments/contacts information only to determine the winner.
  • In case you win, you agree that we may post your name as stated in the comments here on this blog when we announce the winners.
Charlene wishes you good luck!

And the winners are:
Day 1: Linda Canton
Day 2: Tammy
Day 3: Jessie (please check your email for details)

TT22 is Going to Iowa!

Posted on by texasgabi

Congratulations!
Beth Seedorff in Iowa
will be our TT22 host for the month of July!

Beth lives with her wife Sarah, her two little sons, and a friend in the part of Iowa that is south and north of Illinois (look at the map and see the “nose” in the east that explains how this is possible). Beth teaches  junior high and high school band at the school, but still finds enough time to “dabble in all kinds of crafts”, preferably when they involve fiber.

Sure enough, her social media accounts show plenty of beautiful crocheted, knitted, and woven projects, like this Ginny’s Meadow Cowl.

Her “How did she do that?” Isafarmo socks (all slip-stitch crochet) even won the grand prize at the county fair!

TT22 is on his way, but with the holiday it will take a little time. In the meantime you can check out Beth’s work (and sign up to be notified when TT22 arrives) on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Ravelry.

Can you believe that we’re half through the year already? I enjoy looking at what the first half has brought to us, and I will say that everything exceeds my expectations. There are still six more stories to be told … well, five more, after Beth, so if you want to get a chance, don’t give up! Sign up at the end of the month!

(Photo credits: Photos 1 – 3 by Bethany Seedorff. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

Charlene is already going through her stash, looking for baby friendly yarns, since Beth said that she plans to make something for her little boys!

Travel Turtle 2022 – Call for July Host

Posted on by texasgabi

Can you believe it? We’re starting the second half of the year! And Charlene now firmly believes that there is a Christmas in July …

Let’s determine where TT22 will spend the month of July… If you are interested and available to “entertain” TT22 for a month, please leave a comment in the comments section.

Signup is open now, and will end Thursday, June 30th, 12 pm US CDT. I will contact the new host and make the announcement shortly after I hear back from him/her.

If you would like to know more about how this challenge works, please see the plan.

PS: Did you see Kathryn’s adorable patchwork turtle Tanana? Kathryn and Charlene are working on writing up instructions for how you can make your own precious memory turtle … they want to share those instructions with you in a few days, right here on the blog …

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like North Pole …

Posted on by texasgabi

Some of you already know Kathryn Olson, our Travel Turtle 2022 host for the month of June, with her very creative, unconventional, colorful projects of many fiber crafts. But not everybody knows that last year she moved to North Pole, Alaska!

Meet Kathryn, who lives with her daughter’s family, and a dog Pua, eight cats, and two birds, Mellow and Little Foot. When asked, Kathryn described herself as “I do yarn”, which includes crocheting, knitting, tatting, weaving and pretty much anything that involves yarn.

Her favorite projects are shawls and dolls. For TT22’s stay Kathryn hopes to explore the surrounding fiber world and maybe make a box turtle.

Charlene is a bit jealous that TT22 will see Alaska, but – and I quote Charlene – “I’m looking forward to hopefully see many pictures of the state where the sun in the summer doesn’t go down, and where they have rather unusual wool from cows …”

You are invited to follow TT22’s and Kathryn’s adventures in North Pole on Instagram account @kathryn1160.

(Photo credits: All photos by Kathryn Olson. Title photo by Stephanie Cannizzaro. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

Travel Turtle ’22 – Announcing the June Host

Posted on by texasgabi

Congratulations!
Kathryn Olson from North Pole, Alaska,
will be our host for the month of June!

Charlene fainted almost instantly on the news that TT22 will go to (the) North Pole. We will introduce Kathryn as soon as Charlene has recovered …

Before she fainted, Charlene asked me to quickly make a scarf for TT22, out of her favorite alpaca yarn from Winterstrom Ranch.

And it should be like the lozenges scarf that Cocoa Bear had in the Little Looms magazine!

Her biggest concern however is that she thinks that there can be only white yarn in Alaska … and that it is all frozen … and that TT22 will get frozen pins!

I tried to convince her otherwise, but … I think she just wanted to faint …

A scarf for TT22 (great for dolls and bears, too!)

Welcome Tempe Yarn & Fiber!

Posted on by texasgabi

There is a rumor that one enthusiastic TURTLE loom lover (Hi, Melinda!) significantly influenced this: Welcome to our new TURTLE retailer, Tempe Yarn & Fiber in Tempe, Arizona!

In Germany, toadstools are a symbol of good luck, so I decided to design a toadstool mug rug (or stuffed toadstool!) for the occasion, to wish the team at Tempe Yarn all the best.

Let’s celebrate all together! Read on for the toadstool instructions!

Use any worsted weight yarn. Tempe Yarn offers a broad variety of high quality commercial yarns, but they also feature a line of unique to the store “Dyelicious” yarns. I used their Desert Oasis, a worsted weight wool that works perfectly with regular sett TURTLE looms, for the toadstool mug rugs.

I used the new Original Jewel R loom that you can now buy at Tempe Yarn, or online in our Etsy store if you’re not within driving distance to Tempe. The “dots” are optional, but if you wish to add them, I used the BabyTURTLE™ loom for those.

How to make a toadstool mug rug:

Weave 3 jewels in the “cap” color.
Weave 1 jewel in the “stem” color.
(Optional) Weave 3 – 5 Baby hexagons for the “dots”.

Layout the three cap jewels as shown and sew them together, using the tail ends.

Sew the “stem” jewel into place as shown.

Weave in all ends.
Optionally, add the “dots” to the right side of the toadstool.
The finished toadstool mug rug measures about 9.5″ tall and 8.5″ wide.

Serve with a beverage and cookie of your choice.

You can also make a stuffed toadstool …

Make two toadstools.

Right sides facing, sew them together, leaving a small opening. Turn. Stuff. Close the remaining opening.

It doesn’t have to be a toadstool! Use different yarn colors to make different mushrooms, for example an all natural “Steinpilz” (porcini mushroom) with a brown cap and beige stem, or choose your favorite colors to create your own mushroom, dotted or not!

  • Toadstool with 4 random dots, in Desert Oasis Sangria and Whisper.
  • Mug rug or stuffed toadstool!
  • All natural “Steinpilz” (porcini mushroom), in Desert Oasis Grounded and Whisper.
  • “Create your own mushroom”, in Desert Oasis Amethyst, stem in Ships Gray, dots in Dusty Rose.
  • “Create your own mushroom” in Desert Oasis Dusty Rose, Stem in Ships Grey.
  • Party of Four!
  • Be inspired …

If you live in or near Tempe, stop by the store. If you travel through Arizona, consider adding a visit at Tempe Yarn to your itinerary! Either way … Happy weaving to all!

Travel Turtle 2022 – Call for June Host

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Charlene and I hope that you’ve been following TT22’s stay at Laia’s in Oregon on Instagram this May … Laia treated TT22 to weaving and relaxing at stunning cultural places and to yummy indulgences … superbly photographed!

But now it’s time to determine where TT22 will spend the month of June… If you are interested and available to “entertain” TT22 for a month, please leave a comment in the comments section.

Signup is open now, and will end Monday, May 30th, 12 pm US CDT. I will contact the new host and make the announcement shortly after I hear back from him/her.

If you would like to know more about how this challenge works, please see the plan.

Charlene and “her” donut wish you a relaxing Memorial Day weekend.

A Jewel Christmas Tree Ornament

Posted on by texasgabi

As a teacher or parent, you may be familiar with “writing prompts”. Well, consider today’s project suggestion to be a “weaving prompt”! In short, two jewel weavies make a perfect base for a Christmas tree ornament, and I leave it up to you to decorate yours any way your imagination will lead you …

How to make a basic tree ornament:

  • Weave two jewels on the Original Jewel R loom.
  • Use the starting tails to sew the sides together, leaving a small opening to stuff the ornament.
  • Slightly stuff the ornament with Polyfil, yarn ends, or any stuffing that you have at hand. Do not overstuff.
  • Close completely.
  • Thread the end tails of the jewels in a tapestry needle. Make a couple of securing stitches through the tip, so that the yarn doesn’t pull in. Knot the tail ends together … this loop can serve as the hanger for your ornament.
  • Decorate the tree any way you like with charms, beads, embroidery (you could also embroider before sewing the jewels together), ribbon, mini ornaments, …

The first example ornament is slightly stuffed with Polyfil. I left it largely undecorated, but threaded a wooden star bead onto the end tails for a topper.

For the second ornament, I used a fairy light string as stuffing!

Everything, including the battery pack, is inside the ornament (you can feel for the switch through the fabric).

Consider also use just one jewel and stiffen it!

Christmas craft items don’t seem to be in the stores just yet, but I think it is never too early (and never the wrong time) to think of holiday crafting. I hope you agree!

… humming “Oh, Tannenbaum!” …

Morning Coffee Pocket Pig

Posted on by texasgabi

Yes, I’m one of those people to whom yarn occasionally “speaks” as to what it wants to become … Cleaning up some yarn remnants this morning, a small amount of pink, ugly yarn crossed my path and went straight into the cat pad bin. “No, no, no!” it called out. “Pig me, pig me!” With a chuckle, and remembering the mention of pocket pals in the most recent post, I picked up that yarn and went to work.

15yds of any worsted weight yarn is all you need, and some black for the eyes and the nostrils. And if you don’t have all looms that I used, just substitute … you could even use all squares for a “square pig”!

Here is what to make:

Assembly:

  • Sew the two hexagons together along four sides to prepare the head.
  • Attach the two ears along the top as shown.
  • Weave in the ends of the Baby hexagon. With black yarn, attach it as the nose with two cross stitches.
  • Embroider eyes.
  • Gently stuff the head and close the remaining two sides.

Have another coffee and enjoy your pocket pig!

Weaving Triangles on the Jewel Loom

Posted on by texasgabi

The Jewel loom is so full of potential, it is hard to keep up with writing about it … consider this an “emergency” post, to help out some desperate fellow weavers in need, and to inspire others!

As previously mentioned, the jewel shape can be seen as a regular hexagon, with an equilateral triangle attached to it. An equilateral triangle is a triangle where all sides have the same length.

What if you just want that triangle piece, or that piece of the jewel in a separate, solid color? The answer is easy: Use a weaving needle as “bar” across the loom, then use a normal continuous strand weaving methods for triangles for the weaving. If you need some help with that, you can take a look at “Weaving a Triangle on a Square Loom” which follows the same idea.

Put the “bar” across the pins with the circles for a small triangle that will match in length the short sides of the Jewel loom.

Put the “bar” across the pins with the lines for a larger triangle that will match in length the long sides of the Jewel loom.

These two positions are a match to the jewels woven on that loom, but you can really place the bar anywhere you want for other projects.

What to do with those triangles? Well, the small triangle gives you the tip of a jewel shape in a different color.

Quickly join the pieces together, using the mattress stitch.

But you can use those triangles also on their own … six triangles make a hexagon!

You will also see in future projects how you can use the large triangle as a “filler” in certain designs.

If you have any questions about weaving triangles on the Jewel loom, please contact us!

Happy triangle weaving!

Off to Oregon!

Posted on by texasgabi

When Laia sent me a few pictures for her introduction, I was spellbound by the beautiful colors, the crisp fibers, and the meticulous crafting …

Meet Laia, who will be hosting TT22 during the month of May!

Laia lives and works in Portland, Oregon, and her two cats Westley and Rory are very generous and share their apartment with her.

And yes, Laia loves photography!

From a fiber perspective Laia is best known for her inkle and tape loom weaving, but she also knits, spins, and weaves tiny tapestry.

She added pin loom weaving during summer 2020 “because of pandemic boredom”, and since then she has made numerous projects from flower dish cloths to a flower cowl and a butterfly blanket. One of her ongoing projects is her “epic” sock scrap yarn blanket …

Coming up next … Laia plans to welcome TT22 with some yarn from Portland-based dyers …

You can follow TT22’s stay with Laia this month on Instagram (Whaledaughter), and also get inspired by some of Laia’s beautiful handicrafts on Ravelry (Saberpirate).

(Photo credits: All photos by Laia. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

Travel Turtle ’22 – Announcing the May Host

Posted on by texasgabi

Congratulations!
Laia Robichaux from Portland, Oregon,
will be our host for the month of May!

Charlene is all excited … is TT22 going to see that HUUGE mountain?

And will TT22 be traveling across the country in a covered wagon like during Oregon Trail days?

Dreams are popping up …

But Charlene is a responsible turtle … she uses one of her Audible credits so that she can listen to a story about the Oregon Trail, thinking of TT22, while helping with polishing more Jewel looms … she knows that a lot of people are waiting. She does her best that there will be more looms ready soon … VERY soon …

Travel Turtle 2022 – Call for May Host

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Did you see the awesome loom party that Debbie organized for TT22? Just wow!

Another WOW for the lovely Heart and Flowers Mat that Debbie and TT22 crafted this month.

Debbie in her own words: “Hearts and flowers are my theme”, and with that she makes the chart for her project available to all fellow pin loom weavers who would like to make this project.

Debbie used scrap yarns from her stash, but you can of course use any yarn and colors to your liking. Thank you, Debbie!

But now it’s time to determine where TT22 will spend the month of May … If you are interested and available to “entertain” TT22 for a month, please leave a comment in the comments section.

Signup is open now, and will end Thursday, April 28th, 6 pm US CDT. I will contact the new host and make the announcement shortly after I hear back from him/her.

If you would like to know more about how this challenge works, please see the plan.

Meanwhile …
Charlene seems to be a little bit pre-occupied (or should we say distracted) by Bonnie’s new Jewel gnome, but more about that later. For now she did do her duty and added Debbie’s adorable heart hexagon to the map.
Charlene thinks that the heart is from TT22 to her … JUST her …

(Photo credits: All Heart and Flowers Mat photos by Debbie Shelmidine. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

Happy 5th Anniversary, and Welcome Jewel!

Posted on by texasgabi
WE ARE SORRY! Most of the first batch sold out in half a day …
there will be more! Sign up to be notified (click on “Let me know when it’s back”).
If you have special requests, please contact us.

When we launched the first TURTLE loom on this day in 2017, our business advisor said that “small businesses that make it to five years, are going to make it”. Well, here we are, and we sure hope that many more years will follow.

We’re by far not done with hexagons, but there was that jewel shape that kept itching us, so we decided to add that to the mix. Are you ready?

Meet the Original Jewel R! (shop)

“Original”, because it matches the size of the Original TURTLE Loom. Those looms can be used together to make even more projects.
“Jewel”, because of it’s special, five pointed diamond shape.
“R” means that the first Jewel loom is designed to work with worsted weight yarn. (Yes, Bonnie, there will be a fine sett Jewel later this year!)

Grab a cup of coffee or tea and watch this introduction that tells you a little bit more about the loom, how to use it, and what you can do with it (trust me, the latter is just the beginning).

Yes, weaving a Jewel is totally easy. If you are already familiar with weaving TURTLE hexagons, you may find this Quick Start useful, which focuses just on the differences between weaving a hexagon and a jewel shape:

If you are a complete beginner, here are some row-by-row instructions:

Jewel looms are now available in our Etsy store, and don’t worry if they sell out … they are here to stay, just like our small business!

Soo Much History!

Posted on by texasgabi

TT22 arrived safely at his April host and was welcomed with an instant weaving session. TT22 and his new host Debbie then got to chat over a cup of fiber coffee …

Meet Debbie, who lives with her family in Norfolk, NY. Debbie is a multi discipline fiber crafter, but her pin loom resume alone is one of the longest you can imagine. It’s like an amazing NOT BORING history lesson of pin loom weaving!

Debbie’s projects on Ravelry go as far back as 2007, the early years of names like Jana Trent and her eloomanation website and blog, early days of the Looms to Go group (Debbie is one of the admins), and the years when Weavette looms were THE 4″ square pin looms of the day …

It’s difficult to pick just a picture or two of Debbie’s pin loom creations, so here is a little slideshow:

  • Felted tools bag on front cover of Handwoven Nov/Dec 2008
  • Weavette star pillow
  • Double Heart Pattern (2008)
  • Smile Tapestry for Nick
  • Flower Hat (2009)
  • Little star ornament
  • Weavette potholder.
  • Square with yo-yos
  • Little star
  • Star pillow
  • Christmas ornament
  • Heart pattern (2008)
  • Charlotte admiring Debbie’s Chevron bag in the first issue of Little Looms (2016). NB: Left page shows a flower project by now-editor Christina Garton!
  • Family Tree (2008)

Debbie recently picked up pin loom weaving again, has been teaching classes, and got her first TURTLE loom earlier this year, which brought TT22’s travels to her attention.

Follow Debbie and TT22 during their April weaving adventures on Instagram and on Ravelry.

Hope to see you there!

Meet Jewel!

Posted on by texasgabi

New loom time! At first, it looks like a hexagon with an extra triangle on the top … It makes a special pentagon shape that in the quilting world is often referred to as “jewel”.

Meet the Original Jewel, R, our first jewel shape pin loom!

Take a look at some examples of how quilters have been using jewel shapes: Ideas for Jewel Shape Pin Loom Projects (Pinterest)

Being able to weave jewel shapes, however, goes far beyond that. Let’s take a look at this list:

  • Two jewels make a heart shape, and because of their geometry you can combine those hearts in all kinds of ways into all kinds of items…
  • Six jewels make a full circle, or wheel. Now just think about how using colors will make those wheels look different: All in a different color, two iterating colors, three … hearts! Add to that some interesting effects that variegated yarns will add …
  • Weave a jewel in two colors …
  • Now go 3D … make a little basket … ta-da!!!! Surprised?
  • Combine jewels with other shapes like hexagons and diamonds … for example, you can use the new Original Jewel together with the original TURTLE Loom!

How to weave it? It is true that just because you can build a shaped loom doesn’t mean that you can weave it. However, in case of the jewel, it actually turns out to be very easy (once you know how to do it):

You begin by weaving a hexagon, continuous strand in the round, until you have the hexagon shape with the triangle at the top and bottom and the warps in between.

Now you switch to the continuous strand method that is used on triangle looms, weaving in “U” swings.

The last row “locks” the weaving, and you can take the finished jewel off the loom without doing anything else.

The first, Original Jewel loom for worsted weight yarn (R-regular) will start selling in April (on our anniversary, April 19th). Don’t miss the announcement, right here on the blog.

In the meantime, enjoy some of the sample projects below …

  • Hearts — 3D stuffed heart, scrubbie cloth, and little wash cloth (yarns: Yarnspirations O’Go Big Donut in Spiced Ginger, Rico Design Creative Bubble in color 006, Hobby Lobby I Love This Cotton in Rose Bud).
  • Going 3D — Wavy little basket (yarn: O’Go Caron Big Donut in Spiced Ginger).
  • Combining shapes — A sunflower to remember the Ukraine … hexagon center with jewel petals and blue hearts border (yarn: Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn).
  • Full circle, or wheel — Each jewel is woven in a different color (yarn: Lion Brand Mandala Ombre in Happy).

All rights are reserved.

Travel Turtle ’22 – Announcing the April Host

Posted on by texasgabi

Congratulations!
Debbie Shelmidine from Norfolk, New York,
will be our host for the month of April!

Charlene had been reading all the comments, and was dreaming of shopping at 5th Ave in NYC, and having birthday cake in Oregon, and she LOVES making infant items … it was good to have Mr. Random at hand to make a neutral choice.

Now Charlene wants turtle pancakes with maple syrup, since she learned that the state tree of New York is the Sugar Maple!

Thank you to all who signed up for a chance to be the next Travel Turtle host … for those who didn’t get a turn yet, please try again next month!

Coming up next … It looks like our April host Debbie has a lot of pin loom history to share, so stay tuned for her story …

Travel Turtle 2022 – Call for April Host

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Charlene and I are amazed how different the first three months of Travel Turtle have turned out to be, each month with a completely unique, interesting approach!

Now it’s time to determine where TT22 will spend the month of April … If you are interested and available to “entertain” TT22 for a month, please leave a comment in the comments section.

Signup is open now, and will end Tuesday, March 29th, 6 pm US CDT. I will contact the new host and make the announcement shortly after I hear back from him/her.

If you would like to know more about how this challenge works, please see the plan.

In the meantime …
Charlene has completely taken ownership of the travel map.
She adored the beautiful soft, red hexie that Angela sent from Pennsylvania.

And at first she was puzzled when she receive this “hexie” from Carol, which shows the state flag for Colorado … how did Carol do that?

Of course, TT22 had the answer. Carol wove the hexagon in pieces! TT22 says it tickled quite a bit, particularly when Carol wove the triangles, but the results are certainly worth it.

But now … READY, SET, LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW IF YOU’D LIKE TO APPLY TO BE TT22’S HOST FOR APRIL!

(Photo credits: Last photo by Carol Dowell. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

Carol Made A Sheep Pillow!

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TT22, as usual, is having a blast. He now would like to be called “TURTLE in residence”, because he spent quite some time in Carol’s studio in Colorado. He made friends with Nico, a poodle/west highland terrier mix that in Carol’s mind ended up with the hyper from both. TT22 doesn’t mind at all (and Charlene is jealous again)!

Carol and TT22 were busy and created a super cute sheep pillow!

Carol used some leftover stash acrylics, and embroidered random sheep onto the hexagons. She also wove half hexagons and triangles, for straight pillow edges, then crocheted everything together. The finished pillow measures about 10″ x 10″.

Carol suggests that you let your imagination run free when you make the sheep. While she provides some of the sheep patterns for embroidery, she also encourages you to just go with the flow and make some on your own.

Why a pillow, I asked? The brilliant answer: You don’t have to weave in ends or worry about ugly backs because they are hidden. 

Thank you, Carol, for this cute March madness fun-spiration!
And y’all … stay tuned for the April sign-up early next week …


(Photo credits: All photos by Carol Dowell. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

TT22 in March

Posted on by texasgabi

Hi, Charlene here … there are quite some developments with Travel Turtle going on right now …

Terry (TT22 January host) is working on a gorgeous shawl, made of differently sized and shaped hexagons, joined together with crochet … and all of that in those beautiful colors.

Angela (TT22 February host) sent TT22 on his way to his next destination, and she is keeping us on the edge to see what her hexagons will be turning into … did you see that beautiful red color?!?!?

Carol (TT22 March host) informed us that TT22 arrived safely in Colorado!

He probably needs a little rest, which will be just enough time to introduce his new host, Carol Dowel.

Here is her story:

“My name is Carol Dowell.  I live on the plains of Colorado.  My husband and I are retired and recently moved from the country to town.   

I learned to knit and crochet before I started school.  Watching a lady spin yarn from an angora rabbit’s fur while it sat on her lap at the Stock Show made me want to learn to spin. A gift of a small floor loom gave me the tools to learn weaving.

My current passion is weaving on “pin” looms. I started on the Zoom loom and now have many different sizes and shapes. The stained glass table runner was to see if I could make all of the shapes using only my Zoom loom  The sheep vest is my latest project and was made using my Turtle loom.

I have a studio called “Two Barns”, behind our home, where I spin, weave, knit, crochet, tat, quilt, paint, do beadwork and anything else fiber related. It has been a fun place for our grandchildren and great grandchildren to learn and play.” 

Gabi here … Charlene is off pouting, because the “Two Barns” sounds like a perfect, huge fiber playground for TT22 to spend the month … we are all looking forward to hear more about it, soon!

(Photo credits: 1, Terry Neal. 2, Angela Tong. 3-6 Carol Dowell. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

Travel Turtle ’22 – Announcing the March Host

Posted on by texasgabi

Congratulations!
Carol Dowell from Yuma, Colorado,
will be our host for the month of March!

Charlene could hardly wait to pull out her book to see some pictures of Colorado. Colorado is closer to Texas, so maybe she can have a tea with TT at some point? Oh, Google says it’s still 893 miles … which means “no tea”.

When Zoom heard Colorado, she instantly crawled out from her project to come over and chat with Charlene … Zoom thinks that SHE is the most important State Fact of Colorado, since her home, the Schacht company, is right there in Boulder!

TT’22 is getting ready for the trip, and if you haven’t already, take a look on Instagram at his time with Angela.

Coming up next … we will share a little bit about our March host … stay tuned!

Travel Turtle 2022 – Call for March Host

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We all know that February is a short month, but it seemed extra short to me! I hope you all enjoy following TT22’s stay with Angela on Instagram.

Charlene is excited to find out where TT22 will go next … It’s time to determine our next host, for the month of March. If you are interested and available to “entertain” TT22 for a month, please leave a comment in the comments section.

Signup is open now, and will end Sunday, February 27th, 6 pm US CT. I will contact the new host and make the announcement shortly after I hear back from him/her.

Meanwhile … if you have noticed that the shop is low on stock on several looms … we are making looms as fast as we can, but right now the weather is not cooperative. We like the temperature in our workshop to be above 50F for lacquering … and there hasn’t been much of that recently. But the weather will get there soon … we’re confident!

TT22 Update: Good bye, Arizona — Hello, Pennsylvania!

Posted on by texasgabi

TT22 said his goodbyes in Arizona and is now in Pennsylvania to meet Angela … and a lot of snow!

TT22 made a lot of friends during his January stay in Arizona, and the month just seemed to have flown by.

Lots of loom hugs for Terry, who has been a fabulous first Travel Turtle host.

Ice and wind and snow don’t make it easy to get to the next destination, Pennsylvania, where TT22 will meet our new host, Angela.

Angela is a well-known fiber arts designer and instructor who has published many knit and pin loom designs in a broad variety of publications. In her free time, she loves to craft beautiful pottery.

TT22 feels honored to be able to spend some time with her.

About pin looms Angela writes “In 2010 I got my first pin loom and loved weaving with it immediately. It was a 4 inch pin loom. I seamed the squares together to make a doll blanket. And I continue to collect different sizes and shapes of pin looms.”

TT22 got very excited when he heard that Angela may want to make a coaster or a hot pad during his visit. His favorite from her previous work has always been this one, with the tiny little embroidery heart.

Oh, he can hardly wait to get started!

Charlene is very jealous that TT22 will meet Angela in person! But she knows that the next-best-thing-to-do is to follow Angela’s amazing social media posts. If you wish to follow Angela and TT22 during his February visit, look for Angela on Instagram and/or visit Angela’s Facebook page.

(Photo credits: 1-3, Terry Neal. 4-7, Angela Tong. All rights reserved.)

Travel Turtle ’22: Announcing the February Host

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Congratulations!
Angela Tong from Yardley, Pennsylvania,
will be our host for the month of February!

Charlene is already studying the next destination … There is so much history!

… and she loves the pretty color of the Mountain Laurel …

… and she is also very concerned about the long journey, and … it will be so much colder in Pennsylvania than in Arizona!

For the next few days, TT’22 is still in Arizona at his host Terry, and you can follow his January travel journey on Instagram.

Coming up next … we will share a little bit about our February host … stay tuned!

Travel Turtle 2022 – Call for February Host

Posted on by texasgabi

Are you enjoying the Travel Turtle report on Terry’s Instagram account? Lot’s of looms, pretty yarns, unusual “freeform” project inspiration, nice people, good food, and stunning Arizona sightseeing make it a perfect vacation retreat! Terry is an amazing host, and I think we’ll probably have to rope Travel Turtle ’22 out of Arizona.

That said, TT22’s visit to Arizona will be coming to an end next week, so it’s time to look for a host for the month of February.

If you are interested in hosting the Travel Turtle 2022 during February, please leave a note in the comments section of this post.

Sign-up is open now and will close Sunday, January 23rd, 9 pm US CT. The winner will be announced after I had a chance to talk with the future host.

Do you have a question about this adventure? You can see what the Travel Turtle adventure is about in the January post. If you have further questions, please contact us.

While you’re waiting … here are some highlights from TT22’s travel report so far (All photos are courtesy of Terry Neal, all rights reserved. See full report on Instagram):

My 2022 No-Stress Patchwork Project

Posted on by texasgabi

I’m a little late in chatting about my 2022 no-stress patchwork project because I needed some lead time to be able to show the idea … all no-stress, of course!

This year’s project idea is a culmination of my love of yarn cakes … and getting stuck out of town a few weeks ago. I “had” to stop at JoAnns to find something to do, and I discovered Freelance yarn cakes by JoAnn’s Big Twist yarn line. These cakes feature pleasant color combinations in worsted weight acrylics. While the knitting gauge says 14 sts/4″, it certainly looked and felt “just right” for a regular sett TURTLE . Later sampling confirmed that indeed this yarn is pleasant to weave. It creates a dense but not stiff cloth.

The yarn comes in 10 color combinations. I got “one of each”.

Doing less than one cake per month should be doable, even if life gets hectic. The idea is to do some relaxing weaving just off the cake, then put the hexagons together to make a blanket.

The first cake resulted in 43 hexagons on the original TURTLE Loom™. The design will be in rows of 14, which will yield about three rows per cake, enough to get a good impression of the color run of that cake.

The “First Cake”

  • Yarn is Big Twist Freelance, color Purple Red Orange Multi.
  • One cake yielded 43 hexagons on the original TURTLE Loom R-regular.
  • I wove off the cake, but I cut the yarn to make solid colored hexagons, except for some white/purple sections where the colors just changed too frequently.
  • Leftover yarn ends that I cut out be fore color changes will make nice tassels.
  • The yarn is fun to work with, but it changes sometimes from thinner and shiny to slightly thicker/puffier and dull. Those changes do not affect the weaving, though.
  • Based on the yield of one cake (43 hexagons) I plan the blanket to have 3 rows for each color with 14 hexagons per row. The spare hexagon is saved in case another color is one short, or it will be used in another patchwork project.
  • I did block my work, because a reviewer of the yarn had shared the concern that the yarn bleeds. I do not detect any color bleeding in my piece.

The next color – randomly selected – will be “Blue Green Multi”, which is a nice combination of wintry pastel colors.

I’m excited to see how this will work out.

Will you join in this year? What are your plans for a no-stress patchwork project?

Travel Turtle ’22 en Route to First Destination

Posted on by texasgabi

Travel Turtle ’22 is all packed up and on its way to Gilbert, Arizona, a small farm town that grew into a city on the outskirts of Phoenix. There, it will meet our first host Terry, a dedicated fiber enthusiast.

January host Terry is an indie dyer by profession, and her hobbies include knitting, spinning, and art weaving. Terry has been pin loom weaving for long enough that she doesn’t remember when and how it started. And yes, she has woven on TURTLEs before and has several fine-sett hexagon looms in her collection, and Squares, too. When asked what she’s made with those looms so far she replies:

“Mostly I have been experimenting with all the different yarns, including some of my hand dyed yarns.  It’s fascinating to see how the squares and hexagons work up different when you change yarns.
I am currently working on making enough elongated hexagons to do a scarf or cowl of some sort.  The way I work my projects is to collect a lot of the pieces and let them tell me what they want to be.
The best part of using the Turtle looms is that I make one piece and something is completed, a finished piece. I get instant gratification by making one hexagon.”