TURTLE Looms – Patented Pin-Loom Weaving and more
Home to Patented Hexagon and Pentagon Pin-Loom Weaving
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 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:
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 …
How has 2021 worked out for you? Quite a roller coaster, wasn’t it? But here we are.
My 2021 no-stress patchwork project has been repurposed to become a regular project . I’ve enjoyed weaving up single skeins of Berroco Ultra Alpaca, and I still have one and a half skeins to go. I will keep it “no stress”, weave up the remaining yarn for more hexagons to join the 200+ that I have so far. Then … I think those hexagons will become a “cape blanket”: A round blanket with an opening along the radius, so that it can be worn like a cape.
With that, my “official” 2021 projects turned into one-weavie coasters! These coasters are also meant as an encouragement to those of you who had big plans this year, but then life happened. Whatever you have, and even if it is just one weavie, call it your 2021 project and enjoy!
What about 2022? Another no-stress patchwork project … absolutely! I will start by putting together sample hexagons from yarns that I tried out, and leftover hexagons from some projects.
But there has also been increased interest in doing more temperature blankets. If you would like to learn more about that, consider joining us on Facebook (any pin loom is fine!)
2022 promises to become a good pin loom weaving year with lots of inspiration. This will be the first year with four (!) Little Looms publications, and each of them will contain at least one hexagon pin loom project. The first one might already be in your mailbox, so fasten your seatbelts!
We’re doing a “Quick Release” to give this loom the best chance possible to be with you for the holidays.
Shipping speed and timely delivery cannot be guaranteed, that is out of our control. But we can get the first batch on its way asap.
You can buy the loom in our Etsy store: TexaTURTLE™ Hexagon Pin Loom Kit – 6″ F – for Fingering/Sock Weight Yarn
If the looms are sold out, you can sign up to be notified on Etsy so that you will know right away when we list more. Please note that the sign-up features is not available on the Etsy app. Just go to the shop through a browser app.
The TexaTURTLE™ is currently the largest TURTLE, measuring about 6″ side to side. The loom kit ships as usual with everything you need: The loom, weaving tools (Afghan crochet hook, 8″ weaving needle, packing comb), and instructions.
Just add yarn! The fine sett pin spacing allows you to use thinner yarns of sock/fingering weight. Yarns with a knitting gauge of 24-28 sts/4″ typically work well. Like all of our fine sett looms, the weaving results in a fabric with about 10 epi (ends per inch).
A note about the larger amount of yarn that is needed to weave the center section (about 6.4 yards):
There is no locker hook option for this loom. Aluminum hooks that long won’t be sturdy enough to stay straight. If you like to use a locker hook and don’t mind weaving the longer rows in sections, the 2.75mm locker hook (6.5″ long) works for all TURTLE fine-sett looms.
Ready, set, loom! We’re looking forward to seeing your creations!
