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 …
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.)
Did you get the new Little Looms Summer 2022 magazine yet? If so, was it almost like it stops time and gets you in a slow, comfortable, relaxed, soothing, time-for-yourself kinda mood? It sure did for me.
The magazine includes 18 projects to make your vacation a better one, whether it’s staycation or going places.
Two of those projects are made using TURTLE hexagon pin looms …
There is the Summer Breeze shawl, a lightweight piece, woven on the Elongon 2″ F. It’s an easy weave that keeps interest with special fiber … or have you woven banana fiber before? The Uneek Cotton yarn and its non repetitive color development within a skein is used to “frame” the shawl.
Shopping resources:
Elongon™ 2″ Fhexagon pin loom for fingering/sock yarn.
A hexagon seahorsehad been on my mind for a long time, and finally all things came together in the Horsing Around Toddler Towel: The yarn, the project, and the seahorse.
Shopping resources:
TinyTURTLE™ R hexagon pin loom for worsted weight yarn
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?
“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!
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!
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.