We’re kicking off a weaving challenge today … Weave a pin-loom garment by Thanksgiving this year for a chance to win a professional photoshoot by Gale Zucker!
This challenge is open to all pin looms, that’s why it will be moderated on the TexasGabi blog. Hop over and check out the Kickoff post for more information and cool tools like guides for Pattern Resources and a Project Planning.
The Handweavers Studio in London is now fully restocked … and there’s more! In support of the store’s tag line “A treasure trove for textile creatives” we decided to do a treasure hunt that is open to all TURTLE friends in the UK … and anywhere else.
Store owner Dawn and Alan and their team are now carrying the 1″, 2″, and 4″ Square looms, either to be used together with Elongons or on their own. They have also added the new, unique Jewel loom!
However, that’s not all … There is a new treasure hidden on the Handweavers Studio website, and if you find out what it is, you can enter to win that treasure! Entering for a chance to win is easy: Leave a comment on the blog when you find the treasure.
ETA: Denise CP was the first to find the treasure: It’s the Original TURTLE Loom XF – extra fine sett. I will tell the story of the loom in the next blog on Monday, but in a nutshell, this loom weaves finer sock yarns (knitting gauge 30sts/4″, weaving gauge about 12 epi) and will most likely be the finest sett loom that we will have in our product line.
YOU CAN CONTINUE TO ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN THAT LOOM … just enter a comment below. Ask any questions that you may have about the new loom, write what you’d do with such a loom, or just say that you want to win it!
How it works:
We’re busy packing a loom order for the Handweavers Studio in London … If you’re in the UK and have a TURTLE loom on your wish list, please call the shop asap to make sure that they will have one for you.
Check the loom catalog to see the TURTLEs we make, then contact the Handweavers Studio to ask if they will have or can still get what you’d like!
Did you see it? We’re tickled pink and humbled to see that the Cathedral Window blanket made the cover!
To share the happiness, Charlene suggested to give away three printed issues of “Little Looms Fall 2022”, one each day of this (long) weekend.
THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! Thank you for your participation!
All you need to do is leave a comment below and name your favorite projects in this issue (and there is no wrong answer, if you ask us).
We will randomly draw a name, once a day, this Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, at random times, out of all comments available at that time and post your name right here if you win.
How it works:
And the winners are:
Day 1: Linda Canton
Day 2: Tammy
Day 3: Jessie (please check your email for details)
There is a rumor that one enthusiastic TURTLE loom lover (Hi, Melinda!) significantly influenced this: Welcome to our new TURTLE retailer, Tempe Yarn & Fiber in Tempe, Arizona!
In Germany, toadstools are a symbol of good luck, so I decided to design a toadstool mug rug (or stuffed toadstool!) for the occasion, to wish the team at Tempe Yarn all the best.
Let’s celebrate all together! Read on for the toadstool instructions!
Use any worsted weight yarn. Tempe Yarn offers a broad variety of high quality commercial yarns, but they also feature a line of unique to the store “Dyelicious” yarns. I used their Desert Oasis, a worsted weight wool that works perfectly with regular sett TURTLE looms, for the toadstool mug rugs.
I used the new Original Jewel R loom that you can now buy at Tempe Yarn, or online in our Etsy store if you’re not within driving distance to Tempe. The “dots” are optional, but if you wish to add them, I used the BabyTURTLE™ loom for those.
How to make a toadstool mug rug:
Weave 3 jewels in the “cap” color.
Weave 1 jewel in the “stem” color.
(Optional) Weave 3 – 5 Baby hexagons for the “dots”.
Layout the three cap jewels as shown and sew them together, using the tail ends.
Sew the “stem” jewel into place as shown.
Weave in all ends.
Optionally, add the “dots” to the right side of the toadstool.
The finished toadstool mug rug measures about 9.5″ tall and 8.5″ wide.
You can also make a stuffed toadstool …
Make two toadstools.
Right sides facing, sew them together, leaving a small opening. Turn. Stuff. Close the remaining opening.
It doesn’t have to be a toadstool! Use different yarn colors to make different mushrooms, for example an all natural “Steinpilz” (porcini mushroom) with a brown cap and beige stem, or choose your favorite colors to create your own mushroom, dotted or not!
If you live in or near Tempe, stop by the store. If you travel through Arizona, consider adding a visit at Tempe Yarn to your itinerary! Either way … Happy weaving to all!
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:
A hexagon seahorse had 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:
TT22 said his goodbyes in Arizona and is now in Pennsylvania to meet Angela … and a lot of snow!
TT22 made a lot of friends during his January stay in Arizona, and the month just seemed to have flown by.
Lots of loom hugs for Terry, who has been a fabulous first Travel Turtle host.
Ice and wind and snow don’t make it easy to get to the next destination, Pennsylvania, where TT22 will meet our new host, Angela.
Angela is a well-known fiber arts designer and instructor who has published many knit and pin loom designs in a broad variety of publications. In her free time, she loves to craft beautiful pottery.
TT22 feels honored to be able to spend some time with her.
About pin looms Angela writes “In 2010 I got my first pin loom and loved weaving with it immediately. It was a 4 inch pin loom. I seamed the squares together to make a doll blanket. And I continue to collect different sizes and shapes of pin looms.”
TT22 got very excited when he heard that Angela may want to make a coaster or a hot pad during his visit. His favorite from her previous work has always been this one, with the tiny little embroidery heart.
Oh, he can hardly wait to get started!
Charlene is very jealous that TT22 will meet Angela in person! But she knows that the next-best-thing-to-do is to follow Angela’s amazing social media posts. If you wish to follow Angela and TT22 during his February visit, look for Angela on Instagram and/or visit Angela’s Facebook page.
(Photo credits: 1-3, Terry Neal. 4-7, Angela Tong. All rights reserved.)
Congratulations!
Angela Tong from Yardley, Pennsylvania,
will be our host for the month of February!
Charlene is already studying the next destination … There is so much history!
… and she loves the pretty color of the Mountain Laurel …
… and she is also very concerned about the long journey, and … it will be so much colder in Pennsylvania than in Arizona!
For the next few days, TT’22 is still in Arizona at his host Terry, and you can follow his January travel journey on Instagram.
Coming up next … we will share a little bit about our February host … stay tuned!
Are you enjoying the Travel Turtle report on Terry’s Instagram account? Lot’s of looms, pretty yarns, unusual “freeform” project inspiration, nice people, good food, and stunning Arizona sightseeing make it a perfect vacation retreat! Terry is an amazing host, and I think we’ll probably have to rope Travel Turtle ’22 out of Arizona.
That said, TT22’s visit to Arizona will be coming to an end next week, so it’s time to look for a host for the month of February.
If you are interested in hosting the Travel Turtle 2022 during February, please leave a note in the comments section of this post.
Sign-up is open now and will close Sunday, January 23rd, 9 pm US CT. The winner will be announced after I had a chance to talk with the future host.
Do you have a question about this adventure? You can see what the Travel Turtle adventure is about in the January post. If you have further questions, please contact us.
While you’re waiting … here are some highlights from TT22’s travel report so far (All photos are courtesy of Terry Neal, all rights reserved. See full report on Instagram):
Travel Turtle ’22 is all packed up and on its way to Gilbert, Arizona, a small farm town that grew into a city on the outskirts of Phoenix. There, it will meet our first host Terry, a dedicated fiber enthusiast.
January host Terry is an indie dyer by profession, and her hobbies include knitting, spinning, and art weaving. Terry has been pin loom weaving for long enough that she doesn’t remember when and how it started. And yes, she has woven on TURTLEs before and has several fine-sett hexagon looms in her collection, and Squares, too. When asked what she’s made with those looms so far she replies:
“Mostly I have been experimenting with all the different yarns, including some of my hand dyed yarns. It’s fascinating to see how the squares and hexagons work up different when you change yarns.
I am currently working on making enough elongated hexagons to do a scarf or cowl of some sort. The way I work my projects is to collect a lot of the pieces and let them tell me what they want to be.
The best part of using the Turtle looms is that I make one piece and something is completed, a finished piece. I get instant gratification by making one hexagon.”
Asked about her plans for TT’s visit Terry contemplates that she is still thinking about it (but there are already rumors that she might engage her husband in some small sightseeing around Gilbert):
“I have some wonderful small skeins of worsted weight yarn that I have been stashing in great colors. Since this will be my first experience with a regular sett loom, I want to make as many hexagons as I can, and then let them become something more grown up over the next year.”
I think we are now ALL looking forward to following along! Terry will be reporting TT’22s travel adventures directly through her Instagram account, you can follow her here: Spinfiber on Instagram. Also, look for hashtag #travelturtleloom2022 on other social media.
Last not least, I certainly felt happy to have Charlene around to help with the travel preparations …
