June 2021 – TURTLE Looms – Hexagon Pin Loom Weaving

Six Ways to Make Half Hexagons

Posted on June 25, 2021 by texasgabi

If you put multiple hexagons together to make a project, you may notice that the edgings are in most cases not straight, but more or less zig zag. While this can be a nice design element, there are times where you just want to have that “straight line”. This is where half hexagons come to the rescue, to fill in the gaps. But … why six ways?

As with hexagons, half hexagons also have their own geometry story to tell. For example, there are two ways to half a hexagon:

Hexagon A folds along the longest diameter, which makes a shape that is shown here. We call it Hexagon A, because it seems to be the more commonly used half hexagon form in fiber arts.

Hexagon B folds along a side of a hexagon, which makes a shape that is shown here.

You can weave these two shapes of half hexagons in different ways:

Weave a full hexagon and then fold it in half. It’s not cheating! This approach can add strength to a border where you want it, for example around a blanket or for a garment opening, like the front of the Hope vest.

Weave half hexagons on your TURTLE loom and use a tool to bridge the missing side. This is a great when you need a small number of half hexagons to complete a design, for example for the Wings Shawl.

Use a TURTLE half hexagon loom. Having a special half hexagon loom for weaving comfort makes sense when you want to make projects that require a lot of half hexagons. The first half hexagon looms will become available in 2022.

Two ways to half a hexagon, three methods to weave them … six ways to make half hexagons!

This blog includes instructions for weaving the two forms of half hexagons on current TURTLE looms. The weaving method is the same on all TURTLE looms, no matter how big or small your loom is, or if it’s regular or fine sett, or if you are weaving regular or elongated hexagons.

Download the guide to weaving half hexagons on TURTLE hexagon pin looms:

20210625-GuideToWeavingHalfHexagons-V10 Download

There are many more stories to tell about half hexagons, and we will do so here on this blog, over time. Sign up to be notified about new blog posts so that you don’t miss anything!

Did you find the bonus treat?

Weaving A Triangle On The Square Loom

Posted on June 15, 2021 by texasgabi

Weaving fellow Deborah Carpenter Bagley recently started a “2021 Mystery Weave Along – Quilt Edition” in the Facebook Pin Loom Weaving Support Group. It’s a three week weave along towards a small quilt-style project, made of triangles and squares that can be woven on any pin loom(s) that make those shapes.

I decided to participate in this relaxing event. I chose the Square 2″ F-fine sett loom that weaves up quickly, and some Paintbox Cotton 4-ply yarn from my bucket with yarns that I want to sample. Deborah offers 2 – 4 color options, and I chose the two color option to keep it doable as a small project aside.

Weaving a triangle on a square loom with equidistant pins (pins are distributed evenly along the sides) is like weaving a continuous strand triangle … all you need is a spare needle along the hypothenuse (the longest side of the triangle) to support the weaving process.

While there are many, good instructions for that type of triangle weaving available on the Internet, I received several requests from fellow pin loom weavers who wanted to see a triangle woven on the Square loom. For all of you who asked …

Weaving squares goes fast, and weaving triangles goes faster. No surprise that the desire to weave more is taking shape. Deborah’s three color version might make a seasonally timely “red, white, and blue” theme, and the four color version makes me think of Amish-style quilting …

You can still join the weave along on Facebook. Great opportunity to practice your new triangle weaving skills. See you there!

(S)Watch This!

Posted on June 2, 2021 by texasgabi

One useful application of pin loom weaving is that you can test a new yarn for weave-ability in just minutes. It will not replace proper sampling for a project, but it is a quick way to find out what a yarn looks and feels like when it is woven, and it provides an instant piece of cloth for blocking.

Take for example this collection of scrumptiousness, which was part of my haul from this year’s Yellow Rose Fiber Fiesta where I “discovered” Winterstrom Ranch, a full service mill, with an intriguing variety of yarns in different blends, weights, and colors.

For my sampling, I used the Original TURTLE Loom™ R-regular (about 7.25 epi) for the thicker weight yarns, and the Original TURTLE Loom™ F-fine-sett (about 10 epi) for the lighter yarns.

My conclusion is that all yarns weave up and block beautifully.
The yarns have only little stretch, perfect for weaving. The yarns are smooth and not stiff.
I wove a hexagon each and sewed them together into a flower shape prior to blocking, just for fun. I blocked in cold water with a little bit Eucalan, for about 20 minutes. All fibers gently fulled, minimal shrinking, all color fast.