The 5th Fiber Gift of Christmas

Posted on 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

RAFFLE TIME: Here is the link to enter the raffle for this week’s Woolery Giveaway (you can win an Original TURTLE Loom kit): ENTER THE RAFFLE

Welcome, Elongon 1″ R!

Posted on 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 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).

Lastly, for your convenience you can now order the print edition of the Little Looms Holiday 2020 issue along with your looms from our Etsy store. If you don’t want to wait, you can get the digital edition instantly and directly from Long Thread Media.

Fasten your seatbelt and get ready for a winter-long craft excitement!

Trick or Treat!

Posted on by texasgabi

Hurray! It did not take fellow pin loom weaver Teresa very long to find the “Coming soon” message for our new Square 2″ fine-sett loom! Teresa will receive one of the first Square looms as her treat, congratulations!

The new Square fine-sett looms are perfectly matched to our fine-sett Elongons. Simply weave the continuous strand method like you would when you start weaving a hexagon … until the square is complete. Joining is a breeze, since the edgings are the same between the looms.

The combination of elongated hexagons and squares allow for even more design possibilities, but you can of course use the squares on their own for other projects that require sock/fingering weight yarns.

The Square 2″ fine-sett loom will become available in November 2020.

Previously published Trick or Treat message:

A secret message to TURTLE loom followers … We’ve hidden some unusual news on our blog website … if you find it, describe what you found in the comments section of this blog. The first correct answer gets a “treat”!

Beware of the Candy Monsters!

Posted on by texasgabi

Here’s one more “spooky” project: Make two candy monsters for your little puppeteers! When I went to JoAnn Fabrics this summer I noticed a Red Heart “mini” yarn display. For pin loom weaving, I like to have a variety of coordinated colors, in small amounts, in one unit. I couldn’t resist to sample the yarn, and with Halloween coming, the “Monster” color run seemed to be a great choice.

I used the Original TURTLE Loom™ R for worsted weight yarn for my weaving. The yarn is very pleasant to weave, it is very smooth and has little stretch, which is perfect for weaving. Each color yields two hexagons and some leftovers, (you might get three by keeping the tails just a little bit shorter than suggested).

One “mini” is enough to make two child-size puppets, a Frankenstein monster and a ghost! Each puppet measures about 3.5″ wide and 7.5″ long Read on for instructions.

For the monster head, take a purple and an orange hexagon and sew them partly together, as shown.

Fold the orange hexagon in half, then sew the second purple hexagon to the other half of the orange and to the rest of the first purple hexagon, as indicated.

For the monster body, put the two green hexagons together and sew the two sides shown, this will shape a sleeve.

Fold the body as shown, then sew the body to the head.

Decorate the puppet as desired with eyes and some hair. Think of the age of the recipient to make safe choices.

Work the ghost the same way, use the photos to guide you with the color choices.

VARIATIONS:
– Red Heart offers many different color runs, you can make puppets for different seasons, occasions, and themes: Yes, there is a “Holiday” color run, so that you can make some mischievous elves. And you could also make some playful unicorns (“Rainbow”), or fairies (“Rose Bud” or “Spring Mix”) and princesses (“Princess”), or how about “Americana” for Elmo and the Cookie Monster?
– If you have a grownup puppeteer with larger hands, you can use the TexaTURTLE loom and two “Mini”s to make a larger puppet.
– On the topic of larger “puppets”… the TexaTURTLE sized project in wool would make a great oven mitt, just sayin’.

Have a happy and safe Halloween, all y’all!

Spooky Cat Hot Pad

Posted on by texasgabi

Let’s welcome October with a quick spooky project (ok, just barely spooky, but cute): A spooky cat hot pad.

In our Hobby Lobby yarn talk last week I mentioned that I like to use the “I Love This Cotton” yarn double layered. I showed last year’s pumpkin hot pad as example.

The Spooky Cat hot pad uses the same “I Love This Cotton” yarn in 102 Glowing and 02 Black Sparkle (Please note that the Black Sparkle contains 3% Metallic Polyester which most likely is not heat resistant. You could use a plain black instead.)

You will weave (1) hexagon in each color on the TexaTURTLE™ loom for the head, and (2) hexagons in black on the Original TURTLE Loom™ for the ears.

Using two strands of yarn, embroider the faces on each large hexagon. Use the photos for details.

Fold the “ear” hexagons in half and whip stitch them to the two layers of the head.

Using the orange yarn, starting at the bottom tip, work one round of single crochet, connecting both fabric layers.
Work 2 sc on each tip.
For the hanger, work a loop with 20 chain stitches between the ears.
Weave in ends.
Enjoy!

Yarn Talk: A Selection of Hobby Lobby Yarns

Posted on by texasgabi

My favorite season is autumn. Because of the weather, yes, but mostly for the fact that this is the time when the new fall/winter yarns are released!

This year, I decided to do something new and share my sampling thoughts with you in a video, starting with a selection of Hobby Lobby yarns that I tried out recently.

Please let me know what you think about such a presentation! Are you enjoying it? Do you find it useful? Would you like to see something different? Leave a comment here on the blog …

But now, enjoy watching!

All the sample hexagons are put to “good use”: I add them to my Patchwork 2020 project!

Is there a particular yarn that you like best?

Cute! A Hedgehog Scrubbie Holder

Posted on by texasgabi

Last week, I stopped at Hobby Lobby to take a look at their new yarns. Taking a “shortcut” through their fall decoration department turned out to be not a shortcut, though, particularly when an adorable little hedgehog, holding a scrubbie pad, caught my eyes. “It needs some color, though …”

On to the yarn department, to find some seasonally colored scrubbie yarn. The plan to make a scrubbie cover was confirmed!

Back home I wove two hexagons on the Original TURTLE Loom™. It goes so fast, you probably won’t need more than one cup of tea or glass of wine to finish the job.

Using any of the tail ends, sew the two hexagons together along four sides, insert the scrubby that comes with the hedgehog, then close completely. Weave in any remaining tails.

I call this a pin loom doodle project … a project that just happens by chance, low key, no stress, but a lot of fun.

When this scrubbie is used up, I’ll get a utility sponge and cut it to shape, and maybe the next scrubbie will be – very seasonal – in red, for the holidays!

Hobby Lobby offers the hedgehog with scrubbie online, but they seem to be very popular and at the time of this writing the item is sold out. Check with your local Hobby Lobby if you have one (and don’t forget to bring your coupon). If you are out of luck, Hobby Lobby and many other home decoration and crafting store are great (or dangerous) places to find a substitute to display your seasonal scrubbie, for example a pretty little plate or dish. Or consider using a “last one of the set” dish that is collecting dust in your cupboard!

Happy fall, y’all!

The Janus Hexagon

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Projects that look interesting on both sides are the theme of Handwoven November/December 2020. Weaving hexagons with two colors and changing colors after every row creates a unique pattern where the right side of the fabric shows the opposite pattern to the wrong side … two opposite faces, like Janus. (Meriam-Webster, Janus, “: a Roman god that is identified with doors, gates, and all beginnings and that is depicted with two opposite faces”)

The weaving pattern will work on all TURTLE hexagon looms. For this demonstration and for the Janus doily project we used the Original TURTLE Loom™ and Universal Yarn Uptown Worsted, a quality acrylic yarn that is super soft and comes in many colors.

Weaving a Janus hexagon is not complicated, you just have to look out for a few things. Even better, we’re explaining a different, speedy method to fill in the center of the hexagon: Instead of the traditional back-and-forth weaving, we are using what we call the Afterthought Layer Weaving Method™. Everything is explained in the following video.

Using a different loom? You can! The weaving method is the same for all TURTLE hexagon looms, but you need to adjust the number of wraps: Use a little bit more than half of the recommended wraps for your loom to weave the last “layer”.

What to do with Janus hexagons? Here are just a few ideas about arranging those hexagons differently. Add to that using different colors!

And don’t forget the chocolates!