October is a big month for many crafters: The heat of the summer is gone and the desire to pick up those pin looms and some scrumptious fibers returns. It’s the perfect time to start holiday crafting!
Over the years I have observed in online forums that this is also the time when people ask for small projects of which they can make multiples … for friends, colleagues, or family gatherings. I looked for such projects in the Little Looms library and put a selection together. You can find this month’s project picks and much more pin-loom weaving information on the Pin Loom Weaver’s Guide on the new (!) Little Looms website.
These projects are small enough that they will – once December comes – also make great last-minute crafts that you can even complete on your way to a gathering. I chose to name this selection “Crowd-Pleasers and Last-Minute Gifts”. I hope you will enjoy!
Extra Tip: Show off your hand-spun! All these projects use only small amounts of yarn. Consider using your hand-spun fibers to share the results of your spinning skills with loved ones.
Here are my project picks for October 2026:
Mod Square Trivet and Coasters
Coasters are versatile and easily welcomed. Laurel Johnson’s trivet and coasters is the classic project out of several coaster patterns in the Little Looms Library to get you started.
Additional reasons to like this project:
- Easy to personalize (consider to embroider while the square is still on the loom).
- Double layers for better protection.
- Easy crochet border for extra stability and even more color design options.
Pin-Loom Scrunchie
I think Angela Tong has a special design skill to “let the yarn talk”, and I hope that you will get inspired by that.
If you think that scrunchies are not for everyone … that same scrunchie can also be an instant bracelet … for everyone!
Make some to:
- Celebrate the spirit of a little girls’ sports team.
- Add a fun touch to a ladies’ holiday night out.
Tasseled Mead Cozy
Here is your next Deborah Bagley pattern: Do you make your own syrup, or beer, or wine? Or maybe you discovered a great beverage this year, and you’d like to share that with special people in your life? Make it extra special with a hand-made, reusable bottle cozy.
Tips:
- Personalize the cozy by using the recipient’s favorite colors.
- Use a special yarn/color to “brand” your creation.
- Make some extra cozies to be prepared for unexpected invitations.
Useful Bento Bag
Wrapping gifts can be so much fun! But Hazel Spencer’s bento bag is a conversation starter even without content.
Consider this:
- Present this little bag with a tag that tells the story of a bento bag.
- Go ahead and fill your little bento bag with gift cards, cookies, or homemade soap.
- Make one for a pin-loom friend as a project bag, because this bento will even hold a small pin-loom work-in-progress!
Magnolia Ornaments
Former Handwoven editor Susan Horton contributed this project to the first Little Looms Holiday issue in 2020. This issue and the Holiday 2021 issue are loaded with celebration ideas. I hope that you will take a look and maybe get inspired even beyond pin looms!
Don’t stop at magnolias, as gorgeous as they are:
- Weave these flowers in any colors worth celebrating.
- Add some sparkly beads for the centers.
- Dive into your stash and use up some of your already woven squares.
Use the flowers as brooches, hair clips, or make unique and reusable decorations, for example to top off a present or make a garland.
Do you need another flower shape? Consider making a single flower from the “Celebration Bouquet” or the “Spring into Summer Wreath”.
Aaaah! No Hexagon Projects This Month!
It is true that I have not chosen any hexagon project this month. There is a joke going around that I cannot design small projects, which of course is not true. It is a co-incidence that there hasn’t been a super-small hexagon project in Little Looms (yet). But don’t despair … just browse this blog! Since we’re approaching the holidays, how about the 24 project ideas from our 2017 Advent Weave-Along? And sign up to our newsletter so that you don’t miss any future project ideas …
All images: Courtesy of Long Thread Media