There’s almost nothing that you can’t make with pin looms. Meet Joe the lonely goat marionette, which was inspired by the lonely goatherd story in the “Sound of Music”.
Three looms help to shape the head and the body, and flexible legs and neck:
Worsted weight yarn for body and head ensures a solid fabric that holds the stuffing, fingering weight yarn for the legs and the neck, woven on a regular sett loom, provide just enough fabric to connect the pieces but are bendable enough to enable the marionette to move. I used Signature Blend by The Rogue Skein for a most natural look, but you can substitute and use your favorite yarn or some precious handspun.
Joe is easy to weave and craft, even for a beginner who just wants to set out to explore marionette making. The 20-page pattern provides photo-guided step-by-step instructions for:
How to make the goat
How to make a simple cross bar for handling a four-legged creature, and
How to string up and test the marionette.
Use the basic marionette construction of this pattern to make other creatures, too, for example a horse, unicorn, cat, dog, giraffe, and many others.
It is not too late to craft something special for this year’s 4th of July. Here is a no-sew, last-minute, pin-loom way to make a decorative shadow box!
The idea was sparked by fellow pin-loom weaver and artist Sam Hammer, who has been sharing weaving inspiration all throughout the month of June with pin-loom weavers on Facebook.
I wanted to make “something” for the 250th birthday of the United States, and when Sam posted one of his art pieces in a shadow box, the lights went on: I could make a shadow box and put some hexagons in it! And fairy lights …
Before I share more details of my project below I’d like to encourage ALL of you to consider making your own shadow box. It’s easy and so much fun! And most likely you already have what you need or can make/get it quickly.
You will need:
A shadow box (the one I used measures 8″ x 10″). Make sure that your shadow box has a cushioned backboard so that you can easily pin items to it.
Pins, to pin the pieces into place.
ANY weavies! Go through your stash of woven pin-loom pieces and look for something red/white/blue. If you can’t find enough, just grab some yarn and your favorite loom(s) and weave a few pieces.
(Optional) Fairy lights.
(Optional) A 2026 charm. You could also embroider the numbers or use fabric paint.
Assembly:
Layout the weavies on the backboard until you like what you see and pin the pieces down.
Add anything else you’d like.
Close your shadow box and enjoy!
Here are a few details about the shadow box that I made:
Note: The links were valid at the time of writing but may change over time. These products are suggestions and can be easily substituted with items of your choice.
A few weeks ago I ordered some Red Heart Super Saver Bitty Stripes online, because I was curious how the color development would look like when woven. The short answer is: Awesome!
I have not used this yarn a lot, but it weaves well on all TURTLE R-regular sett looms., shown here on the Original TURTLE hexagonand jewel looms.
Red Heart super saver is often referred to as America’s most popular yarn, so using it for the 250th birthday celebration seemed very appropriate.
I also enjoyed weaving the log cabin patternon the same loom, particularly after fellow pin-loom weaver Leigh Root on Facebook shared a source for speedy warping instructions.
Link to Leigh’s post (you need to be a member of the Pin Loom Weaving Support Group to read Leigh’s message).
Using these pieces of recent discoveries make my shadow box even more memorable. Maybe you have some weavies in your stash that have a special meaning.
I plan to reuse the display in years to come, and it will be special to remember that I made this project in 2026 for the 250th birthday of the United States.
To enhance the 3D effect inside the shadow box I decided to add “beaded curtain”-style strings made of PennyTURTLE hexagons.
Keeping it simple, I wove in the end tails while the hexagons were still on the loom.
I used the starting tails (after securing the threads) to tie the hexagons together.
The hexagon strings are taped with a small strip of Duck tape to the inside top frame of the shadow box.
The fairy lights are optional, and if you don’t feel comfortable with the idea of having lights inside the frame, the display will look great without it as well.
I laid out the fairy lights randomly and pinned them into place.
Be careful to not pierce the wire and leave a little space along the edges so that the wire will not be harmed when reassembling the shadow box.
The wire is thin enough (and the backboard of my box is flexible enough) to transfer it to the outside to the battery unit.
After putting the box together, the project is ready to enjoy. Almost not necessary to mention, but this project idea is great to make shadow boxes for all kinds of occasions, right?
Pin-loom weaving is even more enjoyable when done in company. There are two great communities online where you can ask questions, get advice and trouble shooting ideas, and brag about what you have accomplished. Check out the Pin Loom Weaving Support group on Facebook and/or the Looms to Go group on Ravelry. Hope to see you there!
For my current pin-loom weaving project I am modifying the Ditta Vest pattern to weave a jungle scene. The story behind it? I recently saw a knitted vest with a pocket to hold a small matching stuffed animal.
I decided that a vest with pockets would be a great way to enjoy those ornaments beyond displaying them on my Christmas tree.
Stuffed animal Hector snug into the picture to guard the loom.
I chose several different colors of Handspun Hope’s Organic Merino in worsted weight for the design to make a tree for the gorillas, and a meadow for the giraffe.
Allow me a quick note … if you look closely at the following picture, you will see that the purple yarn is slightly thicker than the others. This showcases another benefit of pin-loom weaving handspun yarns (more in the recent Spin Off podcast post):
The loom determines the shape and size of your weaving.
Even if you weave with yarns that vary in thickness, the pieces will all work together in your project just fine!
I will post photos of the finished vest here on the blog … I hope you’ll come back to see it!
We are sponsoring the podcast because we think it is one of the best, covering a broad range of interesting and entertaining topics from the fiber world.
How does Spin-Off relate to pin-loom weaving? Boy, just ask our customers! I did a Blitz call for customer photos last week on how TURTLE loom weavers use their looms for their handspun yarns, and here are some examples:
UK-based TURTLE loom user Claire Cryer contributed the header photo for this post. She adds “All handspun by me, and most of the dyed bits are hand dyed by me too. It’s a good way to use leftovers and experiments.” She used the TURTLE Elongon loom and no pattern, but if you are interested in a similar project, take a look at the “Painted Pillow” pattern in the Little Looms Holiday 2021 issue.
Customer Kim Chase is an all-trades fiber lover who is also very creative when it comes to recycling fibers. For this spinning adventure she re-spun a blend of fibers from different sources. Kim’s candle doily would make a great first project for a beginner. Kim also turned a boring shopping bag into an eye-catching accessory by crafting puffed hexagons for an extra 3D effect.
A hexagon flower is a versatile, beginner-friendly project.
Hexie flower doily.
Kim’s special hexipuff bag decoration.
Fiber recycling …
Plyed and ready to weave.
Australian crafters Tamantha Gilfoyle and Kaye Martin are a team: Tamantha spun the fibers and Kay wove them. Here are some of the results:
The star is woven on the TURTLE Original Diamond.
Kaye likes Bronson Lace and has tested different yarns on the TexaTURTLE.
I include Carolyn Blakelock‘s contribution with special emphasis on her “delicious” way of storing her woven pieces in biscuit boxes! Carolyn writes “When I learned to spin, one of the first things I did with my handspun was reach for my pin looms, and I love using up my leftovers on the pin looms. For my thicker yarns I use my square zoom loom, and for my thinner yarns I use my Turtle Loom Hexi. I keep my finished squares in Godiva biscuit tins, to keep them safe from little critters until I have enough to make something.” Great reason to eat more cookies!
Canadian customer Pat McDonald is a winner of the Garment Challenge that we organized a few years ago (see our ad in Little Looms Spring 2025). Pat has crafted a good number of garments and accessories using pin looms. Note how she combines different crafts for her hat!
Hexagon medley
Brown hat and scarf.
Blue scarf.
Beverly Anglin, who has designed numerous adorable projects for the Schacht Zoom loom, contributed this picture of a shawl where she combines handspun and commercial yarns. The pattern is Meg Stump’s “Night Covers the Earth” shawl from her “Pin Loom Weaving to Go” book.
Elise Mann bought some handspun and -dyed yarn locally in the UK, and she thinks that she will have just enough to weave a scarf on her triangle pin loom. It sure looks pretty!
All photos are courtesy of their respective owners and used with permission.
I hope that you enjoyed reading about these examples. Ready to give pin-loom weaving a try? Check out our loom catalog! Contact me if you have any questions.
I’ve been looking forward to this issue because it combines two of my lifetime favorites: Music and crafting. Editor Christina Garton put together an amazingly broad spectrum of musical aspects, and I’m humbled that I am part of this collection with two pin-loom projects.
The Decatonic Scarf
In music theory, a 10-tone or decatonic scale is occasionally used in experimental and contemporary compositions.
Similar to such a music scale, I used a curated mini skein collection to make this scarf. Like a decatonic scale, this has been an invitation to explore unusual color combinations.
The original yarn is slightly thicker than fingering weight yarn. It is very comfortable to weave and creates a smooth, solid fabric, perfect for a scarf.
I used Koigu’s Jasmine DK Pencil Box in Bala Cranberries. This mini skein collection has been discontinued by the company, but you can still find it online. Or use any 10 mini skeins to “compose” your own.
Optionally, add and play with removable tassels. Use them in a classical fringe way, as closures, or add your own 10-tone composition for decoration.
Folded in half around the neck and ends pulled through. No tassels.
Classical wear wrapped around the neck. Tassels along the short sides.
Uneven stole wear over the shoulders. Tassels along the front as extension of the woven color.
“Composed” wear with tassels used as random decoration.
The Rhapsody in Blue Rug
In his Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin expresses the many facets of the American Melting Pot in music.
The door mat depicts the first six notes of the opening of the Blues theme (midnight-colored hexagons), surrounded by the light blue sways of Blues, and some golden rhythmic accents of that time.
Dwella by Gist is my new favorite rug yarn. It is the smoothest rug yarn to work with, yet providing the strength that you need for crafting something that you will step on with your shoes.
The issue is packed with 17 projects that celebrate music, from playful to practical. I also enjoy the features, for example “How to Weave a No-Sew Pouch”, which is about weaving in the round on a frame loom.
