The Lisbeth Dickey

Posted on by texasgabi

Let’s welcome 2026 with new opportunities and challenges! One theme this year is to explore combining pin-loom weaving with other crafts. The Lisbeth Dickey is such an example.

The Lisbeth Dickey features soft “leaves” that gently spread around the shoulders before they merge into a squishy turtleneck.

Let this neck warmer curiously peak out from under a coat or wear it layered as an eye-catching accessory.

The project is a beginner-friendly way to combine weaving and knitting: Pin-loom weave the jewel-shaped “leaves”, then pick up stitches at the woven edging and knit the neck portion of the dickey.

Additional benefits are that this project does require little to no sewing or assembly, and only one skein of yarn is enough to make the neck warmer as shown above.

Grab your Jewel, R, loom (or get one here), some yarn, and knitting needles and get started.

The variegated green Lisbeth (center below) is made using one skein of Merino Aran by HHF Hedgehog Fibres. The pattern also includes examples that use two colors and an interesting stripe effect. For the smaller dickey (pictured to the left) I used Ultra Alpaca Natural by Berroco, the larger size (on the right) is made of Ériu Elements by Ériu Luxury Irish Wool.

You can find the pattern in our Etsy store and also on Ravelry, which is convenient if you are a knitter who maintains a pattern library on Ravelry.

Here are some ideas for how to wear the Lisbeth:

Get weaving, and post about your projects!

Special thanks go to photographer Gale Zucker, for her amazing photography and the inspiring styling ideas, and to model Sarah Shourds whose smiles make this neck warmer a must-make project.

New Looms and Amelia …

Posted on by texasgabi

Maybe the world does not need more square and triangle looms, but I want:

  • Matching square and triangle looms that will allow me to comfortably weave larger projects without wearing out my wrists,
  • enjoy speedy progress, and
  • not give up on the modularity that pin looms offer to make interesting designs. And yes,
  • I want to be able to use the same pretty yarns that work so well on all of our other looms, so the looms need the same pin spacing.

Meet the Square 6″ (R) square pin loom and the matching RightTri 6″ (R) right triangle pin loom for worsted weight yarns!

And then Amelia entered the stage when I recently strolled through The Rogue Skein local yarn store and discovered Tensan, a new Noro yarn that pairs well with an established favorite, Silk Garden Solo.

Quilt inspiration struck again, and I decided to adapt the traditional Flying Geese quilt pattern for a first project with the new square and triangle looms.

Meet Amelia, a new garment pattern for (any) 6″ square and triangle looms! Amelia is a tasteful minimalist design that combines ease of making and versatility to wear, and it invites to use interesting yarns like the Tensan.

The generous sleeve openings and the smooth V-neck allow you to style the vest in many ways: Try it with jeans for a relaxed outdoor stroll or with a festive blouse for a special occasion!

A button closure allows you to wear the vest open or close.

Get the looms and the pattern in the Bluebonnet Crafters’ Etsy store:

Not ready to make a large project? You can use the looms for any project you like. Try your new looms on a project as small as a coaster: Weave a square or two triangles and finish up with a single row of crochet ([sc 2, skip one] repeat all around; sc1, ch1, sc1 into each corner). Celebrate your coaster with a hot cocoa or beverage of your choice!

If you are not sure and just want to try out one loom, I recommend that you start with the Square. You can still make triangles! Here is the link to the video that shows you how you can weave a triangle on a square loom. This method works well, but if you plan to make a larger number of triangles, having a dedicated loom makes the task definitely more comfortable.

Any questions? Please leave a comment below or contact us!

Using A Quilt Design for Pin-Loom Weaving

Posted on by texasgabi

Pin-loom weaving means creating small pieces of self-contained fabric in certain shapes. Traditionally, squares were the most common shape, by now accompanied by rectangles, triangles, hexagons, diamonds, and a few other shapes. Those little pieces of woven fabric are perfect for modular projects that combine shapes, and the quilt world provides a vast ocean of inspiration for just that.

In this blog post I’d like to walk you through the process of creating a traditional star quilt design, inspired by this year’s International Quilt Festival logo.

The traditional eight-point star design (Lone Star) can be easily broken down into squares and triangles. For those shapes, pin looms are available in many sizes and a variety of weaving methods.

The chart shows the color distribution “wrong side”, so it’s ready for you to use.

For demonstration purposes I decided to make a table topper, using a 2″ square loom and cotton yarn (I used the TURTLE Square 2″ F-fine sett loom and Catona by Scheepjes, a fingering weight cotton yarn).

You can weave both, squares (video instructions for square weaving) and triangles (video instructions for triangle weaving) on this loom. Some people prefer the convenience of a matching triangle pin loom.

If you are weaving along this blog, here is a list of pieces that you will need to weave. Once the pieces come off the loom, they are ready for assembly. You can use the yarn tails for sewing.

Catona ColorColor# of Squares# of TrianglesYardage
130natural123287
253turquoise0814
388rust122473
401teal368111

When assembling pin-loom projects, I usually look for how I can join the pieces into rows first, then join the rows. This keeps the project manageable, allows for frequent checks to make sure that there are no mistakes, and it nicely shows the progress while you work. Use the chart above to assemble the table topper.

To assemble the Lone Star design, start by “thinking in squares”: Join triangles first into squares. Then it’s easy to connect the squares into rows, and lastly connect the rows.

Weave in the ends and clip to about 1/3″ to avoid that the tails travel to the right side of the fabric. You don’t need to weave in the ends if you plan to add backing.

Block as desired. A 20-minute soak in cold water with a no-rinse detergent will do.

While I chose a small loom for the demo project, you can work the same design on any loom size and still follow the same process. Make sure to adjust your yarn requirements to the loom that you are working with. I’m working on a blanket right now and will show it here on the blog when it’s done!

International Quilt Festival 2025

Posted on by texasgabi

Next week I’ll be doing something a little bit different … I’ll be presenting pin-loom weaving at the International Quilt Festival 2025 in Houston!

A few weeks ago, Quilt Festival’s Bob Ruggiero interviewed me, and you can read about it on the Friends@Festival website.

The interview resulted in two amazing opportunities for me to talk about pin-loom weaving and how I use this yarn craft to create quilt-inspired projects:

I will be showcasing my work at the Open Studio (Create section) on Thursday, October 9th, from 2 – 4 pm. This includes a one-and-only opportunity for you to see my Flower Garden Throw that was published in “Easy Weaving with Little Looms” Winter 2025 right next to the original Depression-aera Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt that inspired my work.

Saturday, October 11, 2025 is the official “I Love Yarn” day, and I cannot thing of a better way to celebrate than to invite you to weave a little something with yarn.

I will be hosting a Make-and-Take event at the brand-new Sit & Stitch Lounge. Come and sit down and I’ll teach you how to weave a hexagon (using the sample looms at the table), and you will take home a little bag charm. I have Make-and-Take kits prepared to make a little pumpkin charm as pictured (free of charge, while supplies last). I will also have a variety of yarns available for you to sample, or feel free to bring your own!

Over the next few days, I will blog about some of the projects that I’ve made to celebrate the Festival, including the table topper that was inspired by this year’s Festival logo.

I invite you to subscribe to this blog so that you don’t miss any of those stories!

The Lilia Shrug

Posted on by texasgabi

Let’s ring in the cooler time of the year! Sometimes when I go for a walk I want a little bit more than a scarf or cowl but not a full sweater. The modular nature of hexagons let me design just what I needed: A shrug that covers shoulders and arms enough to break a cool breeze, while at the same time offering plenty of freedom to easily move around.

I used one of my favorite yarns, naturally dyed organic Merino wool by Handspun Hope, in warm colors, and the flowery design combined with the rustic nature of the yarn made the perfect boho experience!

Another “one loom” design … the shrug is made using only the Original TURTLE Loom™ in R-regular sett for worsted weight yarns.

Click here to buy the pattern!

You can get the pattern (and the loom if you don’t have it already) at our Etsy store.

The pattern provides step-by-step photo-guided instructions for the shrug. It also contains bonus charts so that you can try your own flower colors or even design your very own shrug.

Please enjoy the beautiful photography by Gale Zucker. I thank Gale and model Sarah Shourds for this second-to-none presentation of my design.

Lastly, people ask me occasionally how I come up with the names for my patterns. I don’t have one source or one plan, and sometimes names just happen, like in this case!

Recently my husband and I shared a bag of Julio’s corn tortilla chips …

I noticed a cute picture on the back of the bag of the company founders, Julio and Lilia Garcia. I loved the sound of the Lilia name and decided to use it for my current design in progress, the shrug.

Doesn’t the real Lilia look absolutely sweet? I want to imagine that she might have liked a Lilia shrug … maybe not boho style, but of a thinner, lacey yarn with a gorgeous drape … we can dream, can’t we?

I hope that you will enjoy making your Lilia shrug!