November 2020 – TURTLE Looms – Hexagon Pin Loom Weaving

The 5th Fiber Gift of Christmas

Posted on November 13, 2020November 19, 2021 by texasgabi

If you have heard of the phrase “The 12 Fiber Gifts of Christmas” you most likely heard it from The Woolery, a company who has been serving the needs of fiber artists for over 30 years. During the holiday season, the Woolery features a different fiber related product each week for 12 weeks.

Our Original TURTLE Loom™ for worsted weight yarn is the 5th Fiber Gift of the 2020 season!

While the special is over, the Woolery continues to offer the Original TURTLE Loom kit. Here’s where you can find it at the Woolery. Click here to see the kit at THE WOOLERY.

The Woolery does not only have a scrumptious selection of weaving equipment and accessories, but they also offer a great variety of not-so-typical yarns.

I could not resist to make … a basket (!) with one of their yarns, the Cestari Mt. Vernon.

I hope you will find it entertaining and useful to watch me make an Elf Basket in this new project video:

I am a big fan of Handspun Hope yarns, whose 100% Organic Merino wool was the Woolery’s 4th Fiber Gift of Christmas this year! I quickly grabbed some Rich Salvi and Voca Peach from my stash and made another Elf Basket …

Inspired? The Woolery carries Handspun Hope 100% Merino Yarn in many colors!

DON’T MISS! Learn more about the 12 Fiber Gifts and enter weekly to win the fiber product of that week on the Woolery website: FOLLOW THE 12 FIBER GIFTS OF CHRISTMAS

Welcome, Elongon 1″ R!

Posted on November 10, 2020 by texasgabi

While the new Elongon™ 1″ R loom for worsted weight yarn has its stellar premier with the Scandinavian Stardust Doilies in the new Little Looms Holiday 2020 magazine, the possibilities for this little loom of course go far beyond applique.

Each side measures 1″, a hexagons only takes 1.6 yards of yarn, and you can weave it up in a matter of minutes.

Perfect for prototyping ideas, making “mini” versions of anything, and just the right size for doll clothes and accessories, … or quick gifts!

One example are these personalized coasters.
With the holidays coming up, make one for each family member, loved one, colleague, or friend, and choose their favorite colors or color themes. And if you won’t be able to have an in-person gathering, those coasters ship very easily!

Weave and sew some thoughts about each recipient into each coaster as you make it!

Here are instructions:

For each coaster, you will need a total of about 14 yards of worsted weight yarn, about 7 yards in two colors of your choice. I used Universal Yarn Uptown Worsted, a super soft, fun to weave, anti-pilling acrylic yarn with a delicate sheen, available in many colors.

Weave 4 hexagons each in two colors.
Weave in the end tails (see pictures below), but save the starting tails for sewing.

First, sew the inner set of four hexagons together.
Use the following pictures to guide you: Starting from the center, sew each side with about 5 stitches. Do not weave in the ends.

Next, add the remaining four hexagons: Use the tails to sew in each hexagon as shown. Use about 5 stitches per side. Weave in the ends.
Your coaster is now complete!

Here are some color suggestions for your inspiration, and …
reversing the colors instantly allows for two different coasters.

You can’t go wrong with classic red and green holiday colors. Play with different shades of red and green to achieve different moods, from jolly to calm and rustic.

If your recipient is a little human, maybe a super hero color scheme will do the job, like Spiderman or Superman. Choose soft pinks and purples for the little unicorn or princess lover!

For a newly wed couple, make a set of “his” and “hers” coasters in their wedding colors.

Choose colors according to a recipient’s hobby, for example hunting.

Match a holiday decorating theme, for example “peppermint”, or a recipient’s home décor colors, like this Norwegian Blues example.

If all else fails, patchwork is a very adorable option:
Use different colors of the same yarn or different yarns all together, to make each coaster unique.

We hope you feel inspired …
Don’t forget the hot cocoa, and Happy Weaving!

Little Looms Holiday 2020

Posted on November 2, 2020November 2, 2020 by texasgabi

May I begin with sending a round of applause to the Little Looms editor team for this amazing inaugural holiday edition of Little Looms! In just a few months the team crafted an amazing magazine with incredible content in superb quality! I can hardly wait to try Anne Merrow’s interesting Tree Scarf or Angela Tong’s Rigid-Heddle Bread Bags … Oh? Yes! There’s pin loom weaving, too! And there’s so much to tell …

First, there are the Scandinavian Stardust Doilies, our daughter’s first very own published design. She used one of her favorite yarns, Woolstok by Blue Sky Fibers, one of her favorite Elongon looms, the Elongon™ 2″ R, and another loom that was not even released yet! Long story short, please welcome the new Elongon 1″ R loom!

The new Elongon 1″ R hexagon pin loom allows you to weave small elongated hexagons using worsted weight yarns. For the Scandinavian Stardust doilies these hexagons are appliqued onto the base fabric, but of course you can use them for many other projects as well … I think they are the perfect size for doll accessories!

Then, there is the Cocoa Bear, a very huggable species of teddy bear, made of Berroco Ultra Wool Chunky on the TexaTURTLE™, Original TURTLE Loom™, and optionally the PennyTURTLE™.
The Little Looms editors included very detailed instructions, including photos, which makes it very easy to follow.

Beware … making those teddies is VERY addictive! I’m currently working on my fourth teddy and will present them in the upcoming blog posts. The first “friend” is Mrs. Cocoa, made of the same yarn, but in very ladylike colors, and featuring a cape and a purse (stay tuned for details).