Hurray! It did not take fellow pin loom weaver Teresa very long to find the “Coming soon” message for our new Square 2″ fine-sett loom! Teresa will receive one of the first Square looms as her treat, congratulations!
The new Square fine-sett looms are perfectly matched to our fine-sett Elongons. Simply weave the continuous strand method like you would when you start weaving a hexagon … until the square is complete. Joining is a breeze, since the edgings are the same between the looms.
The combination of elongated hexagons and squares allow for even more design possibilities, but you can of course use the squares on their own for other projects that require sock/fingering weight yarns.
The Square 2″ fine-sett loom will become available in November 2020.
Previously published Trick or Treat message:
A secret message to TURTLE loom followers … We’ve hidden some unusual news on our blog website … if you find it, describe what you found in the comments section of this blog. The first correct answer gets a “treat”!
Here’s one more “spooky” project: Make two candy monsters for your little puppeteers! When I went to JoAnn Fabrics this summer I noticed a Red Heart “mini” yarn display. For pin loom weaving, I like to have a variety of coordinated colors, in small amounts, in one unit. I couldn’t resist to sample the yarn, and with Halloween coming, the “Monster” color run seemed to be a great choice.
I used the Original TURTLE Loom™ R for worsted weight yarn for my weaving. The yarn is very pleasant to weave, it is very smooth and has little stretch, which is perfect for weaving. Each color yields two hexagons and some leftovers, (you might get three by keeping the tails just a little bit shorter than suggested).
One “mini” is enough to make two child-size puppets, a Frankenstein monster and a ghost! Each puppet measures about 3.5″ wide and 7.5″ long Read on for instructions.
For the monster head, take a purple and an orange hexagon and sew them partly together, as shown.
Fold the orange hexagon in half, then sew the second purple hexagon to the other half of the orange and to the rest of the first purple hexagon, as indicated.
For the monster body, put the two green hexagons together and sew the two sides shown, this will shape a sleeve.
Fold the body as shown, then sew the body to the head.
Decorate the puppet as desired with eyes and some hair. Think of the age of the recipient to make safe choices.
Work the ghost the same way, use the photos to guide you with the color choices.
VARIATIONS: – Red Heart offers many different color runs, you can make puppets for different seasons, occasions, and themes: Yes, there is a “Holiday” color run, so that you can make some mischievous elves. And you could also make some playful unicorns (“Rainbow”), or fairies (“Rose Bud” or “Spring Mix”) and princesses (“Princess”), or how about “Americana” for Elmo and the Cookie Monster? – If you have a grownup puppeteer with larger hands, you can use the TexaTURTLE loom and two “Mini”s to make a larger puppet. – On the topic of larger “puppets”… the TexaTURTLE sized project in wool would make a great oven mitt, just sayin’.
Let’s welcome October with a quick spooky project (ok, just barely spooky, but cute): A spooky cat hot pad.
In our Hobby Lobby yarn talk last week I mentioned that I like to use the “I Love This Cotton” yarn double layered. I showed last year’s pumpkin hot pad as example.
The Spooky Cat hot pad uses the same “I Love This Cotton” yarn in 102 Glowing and 02 Black Sparkle (Please note that the Black Sparkle contains 3% Metallic Polyester which most likely is not heat resistant. You could use a plain black instead.)
Using two strands of yarn, embroider the faces on each large hexagon. Use the photos for details.
Fold the “ear” hexagons in half and whip stitch them to the two layers of the head.
Using the orange yarn, starting at the bottom tip, work one round of single crochet, connecting both fabric layers. Work 2 sc on each tip. For the hanger, work a loop with 20 chain stitches between the ears. Weave in ends. Enjoy!
