Let’s Have a Countryside Brunch

Posted on by texasgabi

Weave Together 2025 location: York, Pennsylvania. Theme: Traveling. Retreat focus: Weaving immersion, yarn, good food.

There is no escape … this is inspiration for an outdoor brunch with a country table setting! I grabbed some looms, yarn from the Marketplace, and designed a Countryside Brunch Table Topper, which is our third Weave Together 2025 project.

The Yarns

Lofty Fiber’s LoftyCotton Pillow Soft yarn is a beautiful thick/thin cotton that weaves up great on our F – fine sett looms, but for this project I used it double-stranded on the R – regular sett which allowed me to blend colors.

I also discovered Circulo Natural Multicolor 4/6 at Lofty Fiber, a variegated thick cotton that weaves up into a sturdy fabric on the R – regular sett looms.

Looms and Instructions

To make the project, weave:
– 6 jewel shapes on the Original Jewel Loom, R, in Circulo Natural, I used multicolor 9392
– 12 hexagon shapes on the Original TURTLE Loom™, R, holding two strands of Pillow Soft together (I used colors Gold and Cayenne)

Joining pieces that are not organized in rows and columns is not always easy (ask any quilter), so here are a few “best practices” tips that you may find helpful when assembling your table topper:

To assemble the center circle, layout the jewels with the end tails pointing together and the start tails pointing into the same direction, for example “all to the right”.

Join the jewel pieces along the long sides first. Secure the first stitch (splice the yarn tail with the first stitch as shown), then whip stitch along the side, skipping about every fourth stitch.

Before joining the last two sides, use the following method to make a nice center … no ugly hole, and the jewel shapes don’t pull together and pucker.

Tip: This method works for joining other shapes, too!

  • Start with a securing stitch at the top of the current jewel (make one stitch around the last warp and split the working yarn ), to make sure that the yarn stays in place.
  • Gather one stitch at the tip of each jewel shape …
  • Continue all around.
  • Pull in the circle enough to reduce the opening without pulling in the jewels too much.

Next, add the hexagons all around the jewel circle, like a ring or border.

For a neat border, first attach hexagons to the bottom sides of the jewels as shown.

Finally, “insert” a hexagon each into the remaining spaces.

Tip: If you use the hexagon tails facing towards the jewel circle as shown, you can use those tails for the sewing and you will have no tails left after that … which makes a really neat edging for the table topper with no more tails to weave in.

There you have it! All done!
Serve with bread and cheese and a beverage of your choice …

Let’s Face It! (Part 2)

Posted on by texasgabi

This time, integrating patches into pin-loom weaving is about “creating scenes“. The small fabric pieces that we weave make perfect puzzle pieces to put scenes together, and adding patches (with faces) will bring them to life!

I thought of two popular autumn themes to demonstrate … we don’t always allow enough time to craft for this beautiful season:

  • Autumn nature. The heat of the summer is replaced with cooler temperatures, harvests, and colorful leaf changes. Time to slow down and relax.
  • It’s the spooky season! Some people claim that the month of October is far too short to get all the spooky stories told!

FOR THE NATURE LOVER I designed the “Autumn Meadow” table runner on which the animals of the forest gather during a golden sun set.

I used the “Harvest” yarn pack from Herrschners to make the table runner. I like that Herrschners offers budget-friendly yarns in great color combinations for multiple holiday occasions.

The project is woven on the Original TURTLE Loom™, the Original Jewel, and the Original Diamond looms, all in R-regular sett for worsted weight yarns.

I hand-selected a set of “Forest Animals” patches for this project, including bunnies, squirrels, and foxes (two of each), now available in our Etsy store.

You can get the photo-guided step-by-step pattern HERE. The pattern will be 50% off until the end of this month. No code necessary.

FOR A SPOOK-SURPRISE, I designed the beginner-friendly table topper “The Cats’ Eye”. Enjoy a group of black cats gathering during the day, and then, when you turn off the light at night, their “eye” will be watching you! The finished table topper measures about 22″ x 17.5″.

The seasonal orange hexagons are woven in Lion Brand’s Truboo rayon yarn (color 837-133 Tangerine, 1 ball) on the Original TURTLE Loom, F-fine sett. The yarn is listed as a light DK yarn, but it is so smooth that it weaves up beautifully on our fine sett looms.

I used Lion Brand’s DIY Glow -Natural yarn (1 ball), woven on the Original TURTLE Loom, R-regular sett, for the special glow-in-the-dark effect. The yarn (which is polyester but looks and feels like cotton) weaves up beautifully on our R-regular sett looms, and the uses go far beyond “spooky”. In my opinion the glow effect works very well. If you want to try out the yarn, we offer a limited supply for your order convenience in our Etsy store.

I found a fun patches set of black cats that are ready for a social gathering on a table topper … get the “Black Cats” patches in our Etsy store.

Ready to make The Cats’ Eye?

Instructions:

  • Weave 14 orange hexagons on the fine sett and 9 white hexagons on the regular sett hexagon loom.
  • Working whip stitch and using the chart for guidance, sew the hexagons into rows first, then join the rows.
  • Weave in all ends and block.
  • With a sharp needle and sewing thread OR using fabric glue, add the cat patches to the right side of the table topper onto hexagons marked with an “x”.

I hope that you will take this opportunity to “craft for fall” this year … enjoy!

Happy Summer … Winter … Fall!

Posted on by texasgabi

Depending on where on this planet you live, this is the first day of summer or winter. Going by crafting seasons, however, it is the first day of fall! Today we welcome the Easy Weaving with Little Looms Fall 2024 issue!

It may sound like a broken record, but editor Christina Garton continues to outperform herself with every issue.

The Fall ’24 issue features seven awesome pin-loom projects from decoration to accessory.
Special mention deserves Greta Holmstrom’s Jaunty Angora Tam, an artfully tailored and embroidery-decorated tam that was woven on the newly patented Original Jewel R, the Original Diamond F, the Elongon 2″ R, and the Original EquiTri F (you can mix-and-match regular and fine sett as needed, but these are the looms that Greta used with her handspun for best fit).

I feel grateful for the opportunity to contribute the Lotus Flower Basketts to this issue. It is an easy to weave project using the now patented Original Jewel F and the Original TURTLE F looms.

The yarn, Asaginu from Noro, is an interesting blend of paper and linen, which gives the fabric just enough stiffness to let the basket stand up on its own. Exploring such a yarn – weaving or not – should be on everybody’s list!

Unfortunately, since I designed the Lotus basket over a year ago, the Noro Asaginu yarn has been discontinued. The yarn is still available in stores, and here are a few resourced that may help you to secure what you are looking for. I’m listing companies that I have personally ordered from with good experience. The list is not complete by any means! You may also check with your Noro-carrying Local Yarn Store who might carry Asaginu. I have used Little Knits, Wool&Co., and Hill Country Weavers, who as of this writing still had Asaginu in stock. I’m also including the “shop finder” of the distributor Knitting Fever. I suggest that you contact the retailers for availability.

Don’t miss out … enjoy exploring the new Little Looms Fall ’24 issue, projects, and features, and all!

Ta-Da! The Original Jewel F – Fine Sett is Here!

Posted on by texasgabi

The first batch of Original Jewel F looms is ready, and we know that some of you have been really, really waiting for it.

Without further ado, here is the new Jewel F loom, “Original” size, which means it works well together with other “Original” TURTLEs like the hexagon and diamond shapes. “F – fine sett” for sock/fingering yarn … American weight 1 – 2 and British weight DK with a knitting stitch gauge of 24-26 work best. Slightly thicker/thinner yarns will make beautiful denser/lacier fabrics.

This wheel sampler shows just a few examples of yarns that work very well on the new Jewel F.

Here’s a closer look at the sampler yarns:

  • Inspirations Patons Kroy Socks yarn is a sturdy, squishy sock wool that comes in many solid and variegated colors.
  • Desert Garden by Dyelicious Yarn has some colors that are dyed with TURTLE looms in mind. I used Lupine for this sample.
  • Many of Berroco’s yarns are perfect for (pin-loom) weaving. I am in love with Lumi, which creates a solid fabric with a festive sheen.
  • Holst Garn Titicaca is a lace weight yarn. Two strands held together create an amazing, super-soft fabric. I found this yarn at the Yarn Barn of Kansas.
  • Another Berroco yarn, Vintage Sock, is a very pleasant to weave, sturdy and easy-care blend that comes in many colors.
  • Fine-sett TURTLEs can’t be without one of the best cotton yarns that I know of, Scheepjes Catona.

If you miss out on the first batch of Original Jewel F looms, don’t worry, there will be more. Batch 2 is in the making and will be ready before Christmas. You can signup on Etsy to be notified when we list more, or you can contact us to get onto our list. That way you will keep your space in line and we will let you when your loom is ready.

When you get your Jewel loom, a great first project is to make some tree ornaments!

The yarn I used here is Chaos Fiber Co Christmas Time, a variegated green/red fingering weight yarn that creates a plaid-like effect while weaving.

How To Make A Tree Ornament:

  • Weave two jewels on your new Original Jewel F loom (or use your Jewel R with thicker yarn).
  • Sew the shapes together along the edges, leaving an opening for stuffing.
  • To give the ornament more strength, insert a piece of cardboard or plastic canvas (you can find the cutting template here).
  • You could also bend into shape or weave a fairy light chain, which will ad a romantic lighting to your ornament. Or use any stuffing of your choice for a more 3D effect.
  • Add a hanger.
  • Embellish with anything you like: Bows, bells, garlands, or embroider a name or a date.

Ready to make, give, enjoy!

Quilt Weaving 201

Posted on by texasgabi

If you own just any one pin loom, quilt-style project opportunities are endless. However, the growing number of pin-loom shapes and a better understanding of how to weave them opens the doors to even more, playful quilt designs that all seem to call “Pick me, pick me!”

This blog introduces one of those more complex designs, the “Flowers, Stars, and Hearts” table topper.

The design uses three looms: The Original TURTLE Loom™ (regular hexagon shape), the Original Jewel (jewel shape), and the Original Diamond (tumbling block shape), all in R-regular sett. Now take a closer look at what you will get … Do you see the flowers, stars, and hearts?

For this autumn version of the table topper I used Hobby Lobby “I Love This Cotton” in 336 Cinnamon Cedar (a variegated yarn resulting in red, yellow, and green jewel weavies, 2 balls), and one ball each of 18 Bruschetta, 40 Sage, and 14 Gold.

The design may look overwhelming, that’s why I put together photo-guided step-by-step instructions for weaving and assembling the table topper. The pattern will be half-off in our Etsy store this week, no coupon required.

Go get the “Flowers, Stars, and Hearts” pattern HERE.

But wait! We’re not done yet … imagine that you use the same design and start playing with different colors … you may get a classic holiday design, or radiant stars , or a kaleidoscope, or … That’s why the pattern not only includes a chart for the autumnal table topper and some more examples, but also a printable blank chart, so that you can design your own.

Happy quilt weaving!